Chapter 98: What if I refuse?
The person laughed on the other end of the call —the voice hearty enough to tell a story.
"Haha ... told you," he said. "She was the one I chose from the crowd of hundreds. How could my judgement fail me?"
Camden could hear the pride in his voice —but he didn’t mistake it for arrogance.
"I won’t lie," Camden replied, "but I wanted to test her in the hardest scale. That’s why I changed her role at the last minute and gave her the toughest scene. But even then, she performed brilliantly. That girl was born for acting. Where has she been all these years?"
The other end fell silent.
For a long moment, nothing but quiet stretched between them.
And just when Camden thought the silence would linger, the man spoke again —
This time, his voice carried a trace of disappointment that had never truly faded.
"If she managed to impress you this much, don’t let her talent go to waste," he said. "It won’t be easy ... but I hope you’ll make it happen."
Camden’s eyes gleamed as his lips curved into a confident smile.
"If I can’t pave the rightful path for true talent in this industry," he said, "then I clearly haven’t earned my reputation yet. How could I, Camden Rhodes, settle for something so low?"
As he said that, he heard the man chuckle on the other end.
"Then, it seems I have nothing to worry about. I’ll leave it in your hands then."
Camden hummed before hanging up the call.
As he turned around, he found James standing right behind him, clearly waiting.
And the moment he saw the call getting over, he spoke.
"So, what have you decided?" His expression held the fine lines of concern.
Director Rhodes glanced at him and smiled faintly, as if he didn’t understand what he meant.
"What was there to be decided?" he said. "Everything was laid out clearly in front of everyone. Do I really need to make it more obvious?"
Producer Polson’s brows furrowed into a frown.
"Rhodes, we can’t openly challenge all those investors. You know that. They won’t agree to what you’re suggesting."
Director Rhodes wasn’t at all surprised.
He had seen it coming from the very beginning.
And just like before—
He didn’t care.
"Haven’t we been agreeing with them all this while?" he asked calmly.
James was about to respond —
But another voice cut in.
"You have been agreeing to us, Director Rhodes," the man said, "but I believe it’s not because you are maganimous. Rather, because you know we have all been making requests that would bring us all the profits and success."
Both James and Camden turned to look.
It was the same group of investors from earlier.
As they approached closer, their gaze shifted between the two.
"This is a project we all care about," the middle-aged investor continued. "Otherwise, we wouldn’t be investing so heavily to see it attain the success it deserves. So don’t doubt our intentions at all."
He paused briefly before adding right after, "We all want the same thing. The success of this movie."
Camden heard him without showing any expression of resistance.
"Is that so?" he asked lightly. "Then what do you suggest?"
The investors exchanged glances.
They hadn’t expected him to concede so easily.
Encouraged, one of them spoke without hesitation.
"We only suggest keeping the greater good in mind and choosing the actors who will be easily accepted by the public. Otherwise, it will only create unnecessary trouble."
Director Rhodes nodded again, as if really considering their concerns.
For a moment, the investors thought the matter was settled.
But then —
He spoke again.
"But didn’t you all agree to give Adelyn Grace a fair chance?"
The investors paused, exchanging glances among themselves.
"We did," one of them said, nodding, "And we also gave her the chance —she auditioned, didn’t she? That was enough, isn’t it?"
Another one chimed in, adding, "Yes. This project already carries the risks. Adding her will only increase it."
"I admit she had performed really well earlier," the third investor said, "but talent alone isn’t enough. Her reputation has been in ruins for years. Casting her could trigger a boycott. How will we be able to handle it then?"
"Yes, exactly," someone else chimed in. "But if you, Director Rhodes, truly insist on casting her, we won’t object ... as long as she isn’t chosen for any major roles. We understand your sentiment, and in return, we expect you to consider our concerns too."
Camden listened to them all.
Then, slowly, his lips curved.
"Not choosing her for the lead role?" he said. "Wouldn’t that be a loss?"
Loss of talent —he meant.
But one of them scoffed.
"Choosing her would prove to be a bigger loss. And we’re not willing to take that risk, Director Rhodes. You need to understand and accept it."
Camden’s gaze sharpened slightly as he met his eyes.
"And what if I refuse to understand?" he asked, his tone calm —yet unmistakably firm.
The room fell silent.
Moments ago, they had thought he agreed.
Now —
They realized he hadn’t.
But they weren’t going to back down either.
—————
At ZX Media —
Amelia shot to her feet the moment Freya finished speaking.
"What did you say?" she demanded. "They were really considering her for the female lead?"
Freya met her gaze and nodded slowly.
"Producer Polson did mention that earlier when he called, but —"
Amelia’s brows snapped together. "But? But what?"
"But it’s not easy," Freya’s brows drew in concern. "The investors are strongly against it. So —"
"But it’s not that simple. The investors are strongly against it, so —"
"That’s ridiculous!" Amelia cut in. "Didn’t they say they’d give her a fair chance? Why are they continuously backing out now? That’s not fair."
Freya knew that.
It wasn’t fair.
But when had the industry ever been fair?
"We’ll have to wait for their final decision," she said quietly. "Until then, there’s nothing we can do."
Just then, her phone rang on the table.
Amelia leaned forward to check in a hurry.
The moment she saw the name on the screen, she froze.
"It’s him," she said. "Producer Polson."
Her gaze flicked back to Freya.
"Did he call to refuse us?"