As expected, the next day, multiple French media outlets reported on what happened in Bordeaux yesterday.
One report was about Raul Balmain, the playboy from the Balmain family, getting into a car accident in Bordeaux. He suffered multiple fractures and a severe brain injury and is still in a coma.
Another piece of news was that the author of "Twilight," Kate Kelly, was taken away by the Bordeaux municipal police for questioning at a book signing. It's said that Kate was involved in Raul's car accident.
"The Independent" Bordeaux news reported, "A serious car accident occurred the day before yesterday on the A10 highway outside Comandé Winery. The accident sent Raul Balmain, the second son of the Balmain family, into the intensive care unit.
This incident involves a well-known woman, none other than the author of "Twilight," supermodel Kate Kelly.
Witnesses confirmed that at the time of the incident, the two were racing on the highway and had a violent collision.
The reason for their collision is unknown."
"Le France Express" on April 12 reported, "Does anyone remember Raul Balmain, the defendant in last year's 'rape case'? Later, Raul only paid a small compensation to the plaintiff, Miss Merlin.
According to the news from Bordeaux yesterday, Raul had a serious car accident on the A10 highway the previous night.
According to hospital sources, Raul's injuries are severe, and he might become a vegetative state.
Will Miss Merlin and Miss Christine laugh at this news?
It is understood that Raul was thrown out of the car during a street race, which was quite tragic.
And the person racing with him was none other than supermodel Kate Kelly, the author of "Twilight," a newly popular bestselling author.
According to insiders, before the race, the two attended a wine-tasting party at Comandé Winery.
After the party, Raul drove away first, with Ms. Kelly in hot pursuit.
The two had a fierce collision and a gunfight on the highway.
During the confrontation, Raul was thrown out of the car.
It turned out that Ms. Kate Kelly's driving skills were somewhat superior."
"Bordeaux Daily" reported, "Yesterday, supermodel Kate was taken away for questioning by municipal police at an event because she participated in a street race the previous day, during which her car collided violently with that of the renowned sommelier Raul Balmain.
It is understood that after attending the wine-tasting event, Kate immediately drove away, exceeding the speed limit.
According to Mr. Balmain's driver, while he was driving, the car was suddenly hit hard, causing Mr. Balmain to be thrown out of the car."
"Fuck!"
After reading several newspapers, Luca just wanted to execute all these reporters for their lack of professional ethics.
The first news report was relatively objective, but it still suggested that Raul's car accident was caused by a street race with Kate.
The second report seemed objective on the surface, first denigrating Raul Balmain, indicating he wasn't a good person, but later mentioned they both attended the wine-tasting event and raced under the influence, subtly implying that Kate was associated with the disreputable Raul.
The third news report was blatantly biased. "Bordeaux Daily" only mentioned Kate as a supermodel, not a writer, while portraying Raul as a renowned sommelier and quoting his driver's words to distort the facts.
Today's newspapers mostly ignored Miranda's ordeal and Raul's shooting. Only a few small-circulation papers mentioned Raul's shooting, but their impact was too small to affect mainstream public opinion.
The other side had essentially controlled the mainstream narrative, framing Kate as the primary culprit in the accident and holding her responsible for Raul's condition.
"Luca, don't worry, our PR was a bit slow, but by tomorrow, many newspapers will explain the reason for the chase and Raul's shooting. It will all be clarified," Han Li said after hanging up the phone.
Luca shook his head, "Being a step behind means being behind every step. The first impression of a news event is crucial. The readers' first impression is that Kate and Raul were racing. No matter how we explain later, it's hard to shake off the fact that Kate was driving under the influence.
Tomorrow, there will surely be many newspapers saying that Kate drove under the influence, leading to one person being seriously injured. Since Kate is more famous, the media will pick the points that grab the reader's attention. Explaining it completely will be very difficult."
"I'm sorry, Kate. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have drunk that glass of wine. I didn't expect Raul to be so despicable," Miranda said, hanging her head in apology.
"It's okay, Miranda. As long as you're safe, it's all worth it," Kate smiled indifferently.
"Miranda, be more careful at wine parties in the future. After all, there are more bad men in this world," Lima said with a glance at someone.
Luca smiled helplessly, "Wasn't it just a little heavy-handed last night? Is that necessary?"
He then looked at Ms. Nina, who had just hung up the phone, "Nina, what does IMG say? This matter is likely to go to court. We need a competent legal team and PR support."
Ms. Nina frowned tightly, pondering for a moment before speaking, "Kate, the company..."
"What is it?"
Everyone was puzzled.
"The company wants to handle this matter quietly. If you take a step back, from tomorrow, both sides can work together to minimize the impact and reduce the negative effects as much as possible," Ms. Nina said slowly.
Kate sneered coldly, "So the company intends to stand by and do nothing?"
"How can they do this?" Miranda said angrily.
"Don't be surprised. Agencies always act weakly when it comes to confronting brand partners," Lima said with a curl of her lips.
"Nina, is there no way for IMG to negotiate?" Luca frowned.
Nina shook her head, "You should understand, IMG has collaborations with Givenchy and the LVMH Group. The interests of both parties are related, so the company doesn't want to ruin relations with Givenchy over the interests of Kate and Miranda. Moreover..."
Nina paused and looked at Kate, "Kate, the company thinks you were a bit too aggressive in this matter. Yesterday, Hubert Balmain proposed to take the lead in handling the PR to suppress this matter. You only needed to bear a small stain, but you refused. The company thinks your approach was too impulsive and is somewhat dissatisfied with you."
"Nina, what's your opinion?" Kate asked with a light smile.
Nina spread her hands, "Kate, I also think you were a bit impulsive in this matter. Although you're now a writer, you're still somewhat alone against a company like Givenchy."
"Luca, what about you?" Kate turned to Luca and smiled.
Luca pondered for a moment, "Kate, I think you did the right thing."
"Hmph!"
Ms. Nina glanced at him unhappily. Originally, if Kate had withdrawn from the negotiations, there might have been a turnaround. But since Luca came, Kate's attitude had become more assertive. He must have said something to her.
"Nina, don't be mad. Listen to what Luca has to say," Kate smiled.
Luca shrugged, "Judging by their attitude yesterday, I don't think there's any need to cooperate with them. Although they promise to temporarily suppress public opinion and offer compensation, can we be sure they'll keep their word? Can we be sure the Balmain family won't seek revenge in the future? And Raul, will he not retaliate?
Putting everything on the hope of their forbearance seems too passive.
From all aspects, I think there's no need to cooperate with them. However, it does seem a bit too fast to fall out with them. But..."
He looked at Kate with curiosity, "From yesterday until today, no matter how the situation changed, you didn't seem worried at all. You didn't even flinch when you heard that IMG gave up support. Is there something you're not telling us?"
"Why don't you take a guess?" Kate smiled with a high-arched lip.
Luca pondered for a moment, rubbing his chin, "Besides the company, we don't have any other helpers... Wait, the club. Could it be the Betty Club?"
"Haha, as expected of my brother, you can't hide anything from him," Kate hugged his neck and rubbed his head vigorously.
"Pfft~"
Miranda couldn't help but laugh. She used to think Luca was quite cool. When he didn't smile, he seemed cold and a bit intimidating. But she didn't expect this is how he was at home. It's somewhat unimaginable.
"Don't be surprised. He usually likes to act cool to deceive little girls. Don't be fooled by his appearance," Lima said with a curled lip.
Miranda blinked. This side of Luca seemed quite interesting.
"Enough with the teasing!"
Luca glanced awkwardly at everyone in the room and pushed Kate away, asking, "What's the club's plan? Why are they helping you? Do they have a chance?"
"They do!"
(End of this chapter)