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Henry sat back in his chair, giving Nathan a half-hearted smile.
“As I have told you, I’m only responsible for investment. I’m not involved in the cast or filming.'”
Nathan smiled with embarrassment.
“I know, but this is a special case!”
He swallowed a mouth of saliva, and his courage was wearing out.
Henry scoffed lazily.
“Oh? What’s so special?”
“It’s like this. My current thought is for Zoe to play Alanna Nelson, as she’s the perfect fit. If Annie agrees to this arrangement, she can play Priscilla. However, erm… she might pull the funds…”
He smiled embarrassingly, but his intentions were self-explanatory.
Henry raised his eyebrows.
“You want me to invest more?”
Nathan nodded.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
“All right!”
Henry pulled open the desk drawer, took out his checkbook.
Then, he wrote a check and slammed it at Nathan.
“I can invest another 50 million dollars personally with one condition, that is, Zoe is not allowed to act in the film!”
Nathan’s eyes widened.
Nathan glanced at the check on the table, and then at Archie. He could not believe his own eyes.
“No, wh…why?”
He already had a plan in his mind about how to persuade Zoe to join the cast.
From today’s performance, he was sure that Zoe was absolutely the best.
There were two kinds of actors, those born with innate skills and those nurtured.
The latter acquired and honed their acting skills through practicing and hard work, but for the former, they were born to be on the screen and in the spotlight.
He had been doing this for decades and could not be mistaken. Natalia was really gifted in performing art! With his polishing, the film would be a huge hit.
He couldn’t figure out why Henry refused him!
Henry sat there, looking at him and sneering.
“For the actress in the leading role, you can choose anyone but her! I don’t need to explain myself to you. You can leave now!”
Nathan’s face was constantly changing.
He had the urge to throw a tantrum but he did not have the guts. Nathan wanted to reason, but Archie had made it clear that was it.
Finally, he got up and walked out in anger.
Nathan was halfway to the door when he realized something. He turned back and retrieved the check and his laptop before leaving.
Henry sneered, as Nathan stormed out.
Was he kidding? How can he let his woman act in the film?
What if she got injured engaging in so many fight scenes and was exposed to the weather?
On top of that, there were intimate sex and kissing scenes?
Humph!
On the other side, Zoe did not know she had been denied a chance by someone.
After lunch, she took Laura to his office after receiving a message from Nathan.
She was about to leave after signing the contract, but Nathan looked at her with guilty and said a lot of irrelevant words.
Zoe was confused.
However, she didn’t think more about it.
Now that Laura had a job, she had to find an assistant for her.
The personnel department in the company was in a total mess. In the afternoon, she returned to the company and sorted things out.
She finally felt relieved after arranging a seemingly quick-witted and honest assistant for Laura.
As for Stephen’s case, there were some prosperous clues.
In the wake of her reminder, Stephen followed the money and find large funds deposited in his girlfriend’s account.
The person who remitted money to her was none other than Stephen’s mother, Henry’s aunt, Bailey Wall.
What a cliche!
It called to mind a certain plot about a future mother-in-law forced her son’s Cinderella girlfriend away with money.
However, logically speaking, even if his mother wanted to force his girlfriend away, or if she wanted them to become enemies and never see each other again, there was no reason to risk his son’s future.
Zoe felt confused, but further questioning revealed that Stephen’s mother was against him entering the entertainment business in the first place.
In Bailey’s opinion, the highest achievement after a lifetime in entertainment business was just a slightly influential celebrity status.
Compared to the Han family who was high above the masses, that status was basically worthless but putting Stephen at the mercy of others.
His mother intended for him to join his cousin in business, but Stephen was not interested in doing business.
Having no other alternative, Stephen’s mother came up with this plan.
After listening to this, Zoe was at a loss of words.
What the hell was this?
Stephen, on the other hand, was calm and collected.
Through the phone, he said very politely that it might not be convenient to expose his mother. In other words, he could not lay bare the truth to the public. Hence, they had to find another way to solve the issue.
Zoe agreed to his idea.
When she dug deeper, she found that she had already found a new boyfriend. At that time, she probably thought she would break up with Stephen anyway, and it would be good to make some money, so she agreed to her mother’s request.
Zoe soon got in touch with the girl.
Playing her cards well, Natalia obtained the edited audio and video clips before forcing her to confess publicly on Weibo that she had lied.
Zoe gave her some leeway.
She did not say she accepted money for framing, but made up lies since she was not willing to break up.
After all, a girl who was not willing to give up on her boyfriend was much easier to be forgiven than one who framed her ex-boyfriend for money.
Of course, there were still some loose ends to pull.
Although the apology video was posted online and made public, Stephen’s image had been damaged to some extent.
Nevertheless, Stephen had a major production to be released. Zoe had heard positive feedback about this drama. Stephen’s praise-worthy performance should win back his good reputation.
She wrote a few pieces of public advertorial and released them through her private verified account.
As expected, the effect was satisfactory. Gradually, many people said Stephen was wronged.
Many fans voiced their grievance on behalf of Stephen. It took time for the storm to pass over completely.
After all this, Zoe knew that the follow-up would not have any problems, so she felt relieved.
Now it was time to take care of her personal business!
In the evening, it was still early when Natalia returned home.
Dinner had not been ready yet. It was not even six o’clock yet. Henry wouldn’t be back for more than half an hour.
Zoe went into the kitchen and found Mrs. Dottie and several servants were busy in the kitchen.
Everyone looked at her curiously as she came in.
Zoe said, “Ignore me. I’m just looking around.”
Mrs. Dottie smiled, “Madam, it is greasy in the kitchen. You’d better go out and have a seat! If you’re hungry, I can pour you some soup to take the edge off. Master should be home soon.”
Zoe smiled. “What are you serving tonight?”
Although Mrs. Dottie did not know why she asked, she truthfully answered.
“Braised bamboo shoots with mushrooms, fish in vinegar, diced spicy and sour lotus root, lily and lotus seed soup, dumplings with three
fresh shrimp…”
Hearing the names made her mouth water.
After listening to the menu, Zoe pointed to the two dishes.
“Are these two dishes ready?”
Mrs. Dottie was stunned and then replied, “Not yet.”
“All right, then I’ll cook these two dishes.”
As soon as she said it, Zoe changed her clothes, put on her apron and walked into the kitchen.
A group of servants, though surprised, were relieved when they heard that she was cooking for Henry.
Henry and Zoe had a close relationship, and they made a perfect couple with their outstanding appearance. Soon, the mansion should welcome a young master!