Chapter 285: Can’t replace her.
For a moment, everyone was confused.
Adelyn Grace ...
Wasn’t she just a nobody?
A rookie actress ...
Then why was she being treated so differently?
The investors exchanged puzzled glances, unable to understand what was happening.
Could she be someone important to Liam Scott?
One of them cleared his throat before looking at Liam. "CEO Scott ... do you know Adelyn Grace?" he asked hesitantly.
Liam’s gaze immediately turned sharp. He understood the underlying meaning beneath those words.
"Do I need to know her?" he questioned him back coldly.
The investor immediately shook his head. "No ... that’s not what I meant. I was just..."
He wanted to explain himself, but somehow felt that the more he spoke, the worse it would become. His words gradually trailed off as he quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Another investor quickly stepped in.
"Please don’t misunderstand him, CEO Scott. We all know you’re a man of integrity. It’s just that ..." His voice faltered the moment Liam looked at him. "... there seems to be a misunderstanding."
"Yes ... yes!"
The others too chimed in immediately.
"You’ve misunderstood the situation. Adelyn Grace isn’t someone special."
"She’s merely a newcomer —whom Director Rhodes and Producer Polson have taken a liking to. They’ve simply become stubborn about casting her. And we just don’t understand why."
"There’s really nothing different or extraordinary about her. And if being honest about our concern, her involvement in this project only carries the risk."
Seeing that Liam was at least listening, they gradually relaxed and began explaining one after another.
"She was involved in a serious scandal a few years ago and was practically boycotted by the entertainment industry."
"Choosing someone like her for such an important role is extremely dangerous."
"The public might not accept her."
"Exactly ...!"
"And if the audience rejects her, all of our investment will go to waste. We’re sure you understand why we’re so strongly against this decision. After all ... none of us wants to lose money, do we?"
Having explained everything they believed was necessary, they all assumed Liam would finally understand their concerns.
However ...
The next moment, Liam simply looked away.
"There’s no need for me to think so much," he said. His calm response only made everyone’s brows knit together.
Once again, they exchanged confused looks ...
"What do you mean by that, CEO Scott?" someone finally asked.
Liam turned toward James Polson.
"I mean ..." he answered calmly, "... I trust Director Rhodes’s and Producer Polson’s judgment."
"If they chose her ..." he paused only to add soon after, "... then she must have the capability to deserve it."
Adelyn was his sister. She deserved it as long as she wanted it. As his brother, he won’t let others treat her otherwise.
The room instantly fell silent.
The investors found themselves completely out of arguments. Several of them subconsciously rubbed their hands together in frustration.
This ...
What were they supposed to do now?
Just then—
Samson let out a cold sneer. "There’s no need to explain anything further," he said to the others before turning toward Producer Polson.
"We don’t need to beg them. Instead, they’re the ones who’ll end up begging us."
No one quite understood what he meant.
Then, he explained,
"The filming location has already been booked and fully paid for. The large-scale set construction is nearly complete. The props and costumes are already being prepared —which means filming has to begin soon."
"If it doesn’t..." he eyed Polson as if he had found the greatest weakness of all, "... the production will start suffering losses before the cameras even begin rolling."
A smug smile slowly spread across his face.
"So what if the philanthropic CEO Scott decides to lend a helping hand? Heh! The production needs immediate funding. They simply cannot afford to lose us."
"So we don’t need to ask them for anything. They’ll be the ones coming to us ..."
"... bending to our demands."
"Otherwise, they can prepare themselves to bear enormous losses."
When Samson acted arrogantly, it was because he was completely confident in himself.
Confident that, one way or another, he would get exactly what he wanted.
Hearing his reasoning, the other investors began whispering among themselves again.
Although they had been nervous earlier, after considering the situation from Samson’s perspective, they suddenly realized something.
Perhaps ...
They weren’t actually the ones at a disadvantage. Instead, they held the upper hand.
After all, finding new investors required time.
Whereas the production clearly needed immediate liquid capital.
Which meant —they still had every reason to remain arrogant.
But ... little did they know,
That supposed advantage existed only in their imagination.
Liam frowned slightly. For the first time since entering the room, a trace of concern crossed his face. His thoughts raced, searching for another solution.
Anything ...
Anything that could resolve the situation.
"There is no need for any of you to worry." James finally spoke after taking a slow breath. His words immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Liam looked at him.
So did Samson, whose brows slowly furrowed.
James swept his gaze across the room before offering everyone a reassuring smile. "Yes," he said calmly. "You heard me correctly."
"You don’t have to worry about the production costs anymore. Nor do you need to worry about losing your investment in the future."
One investor’s eyes lit up.
He quickly asked, "Does that mean you’ve finally agreed to replace Adelyn Grace, James?"
For a split second ...
Liam’s heart tightened.
However—
James merely turned toward the investor and slowly shook his head. "How could I?" he said. "Adelyn Grace is the female lead of this film. Rhodes personally chose her. And he chose her with absolute conviction."
"So how could I possibly replace her?"
He paused briefly.
"But ..." His gaze slowly swept across every investor, one after another. "... I surely chose to replace all of you just now."
Every investor froze.
Replace ...
Them?
Was he serious?
James hummed lightly, answering the question none of them had the courage to voice. "I’m very serious."
"Since all of you are so concerned about the return on your investment, there’s no need to risk your money."
"Keep it. And invest it somewhere that lets you sleep peacefully at night. As for The Empress’s Grief ..." His smile deepened ever so slightly.
"... we’ll make it a success even without your support."
No one had expected those words.
Samson was the first to react.
"How dare you say that?" he snapped. "You think you’ll find replacement investors so quickly just because CEO Scott promised to help?"
"Come on, Polson. You know better than anyone. That’s impossible within such a short period."
"Who said I still need to go out looking for investors?" James raised a brow and asked with a knowing smile —a smile that only confused everyone even more.
"I no longer need to search for investors because I’ve already found someone who’s more than willing to invest."