Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Child

She huffed. “What does Victor Morgan have to do with this? This was all me being smart!”

Lynn Jennings looked at her skeptically. She didn’t say a word, but the meaning in her eyes was crystal clear.

Jessie Sterling felt a bit uncomfortable under her gaze. Fine, Lynn was right. When her subordinates reported that people from Thorne Pictures were approaching her artists, Jessie had been furious.

’Worst case, I’ll just throw money at them to make them stay.’ She refused to believe she couldn’t outspend Arya Thorne.

It wasn’t just about winning—it was a matter of pride!

Later, the matter had her fuming even when she got home for dinner. The moment Victor Morgan asked, she immediately poured out the whole story to him.

“Isn’t this a good thing?” Who would have thought that after hearing her out, not only did Victor Morgan not share her indignation, but he calmly pointed out, “You’ve been scouting for new talent recently. That means you’re not very satisfied with the artists your company previously signed.”

When Jessie heard this, she mulled it over for a moment and instantly understood what Victor meant.

The artists she was unhappy with, those who had signed before she took over the company, were generally on ten-year contracts. She couldn’t just kick them out.

But the situation was different now. ’If the artists want to leave on their own accord, why should I stop them?’

In the days that followed, not only did she not stop any artists who wanted to leave, she even secretly gave them a little push.

Giving them a secret push was simple. She just had someone spread rumors in the company that for the next few scripts, she was planning to use newcomers from outside.

Those contracted artists who were already antsy and wanted to leave naturally became even more desperate to get out.

“How did you get Arya Thorne to take so many people at once?” Lynn asked curiously.

Arya Thorne wasn’t an idiot. Paying that much in termination fees to poach a few artists who weren’t even that valuable? Wasn’t she just shooting herself in the foot?

Jessie chuckled. “There were a few people she particularly wanted, apparently for some kind of acting-themed variety show she’s planning. Of course I had to let them go. But she couldn’t just take who she wanted that easily. I gave her a ’buy one, get two free’ deal. Let her think she was getting a huge bargain!”

’Isn’t that the same bundling tactic sales associates at luxury stores love to use?’

Jessie took that exact tactic and used it on Arya Thorne.

Lynn let out a “PFFT” of laughter and gave Jessie another thumbs-up.

“Arya Thorne must be absolutely livid.”

Jessie shrugged nonchalantly. “I was just doing her a favor. She wanted people, so I gave her a few extra.”

“So, is there anyone left at your company now?” Lynn asked.

Jessie thought of what Victor Morgan had said earlier and couldn’t help but repeat his words. “A transition always has growing pains. We just have to get through this period. There aren’t many people now, but we’ll slowly build back up.”

It was no secret that she had taken over Apex Films. She hadn’t tried to hide it, so many people in the industry knew she was the new boss of Apex.

There were plenty of rumors floating around.

Most of them were negative, calling her a spendthrift and, especially when compared to the second son, nothing more than an airheaded beauty.

Of course Jessie was angry. She had never been wronged like this before.

Victor Morgan had asked if she wanted help. Although those rumors were a bit difficult to handle, if Victor applied pressure in the name of the Morgan Group, it would definitely be effective.

Jessie refused.

She didn’t need to rely on a man to prove herself. This time, she was determined to rely only on herself.

But in front of Lynn, Jessie’s resolve lasted only a second. The next moment, she sat down beside Lynn, buried her head in her friend’s arms, and whined playfully, “Hmph! Just you wait, I’ll show them how capable I am!” she said, gritting her teeth.

Lynn chuckled, stroking her ear.

When Victor Morgan walked in from outside, this was the exact scene that greeted him.

He paused. He had to admit, he felt a pang of jealousy.

’It seemed Jessie had never been this affectionate or playful with him.’

But if word got out that he, Victor Morgan, was jealous of a woman, it would be utterly ridiculous.

Jessie was completely unaware that Victor had arrived. Her head was resting on Lynn’s lap as she looked up at her, reaching out to pinch Lynn’s cheek. “You didn’t even wear makeup to see me! You’re so half-hearted, Lynn Jennings!”

Lynn smiled without a word, but she took Jessie’s hand and placed it on her lower abdomen.

Jessie was about to say, “What are you doing?” but before the words could leave her mouth, she shot up from Lynn’s lap. Her eyes widened as she stared at her friend in disbelief, then reached out to place her hand on Lynn’s stomach again. “No way…”

Jessie looked utterly stunned.

Lynn smiled and nodded. “It’s what you think.”

For a moment, Jessie was frozen in place, unsure how to react.

“When?” Jessie looked at Lynn’s stomach with a complicated expression. Even though Lynn had nodded, she still found it hard to believe there was already a little baby inside her friend’s belly.

Lynn frowned in thought. “I just found out last week. But it’s still very early, so not many people know. You’re the second person.”

“Huh? I’m second?” Jessie sounded displeased.

Lynn sighed. “Cyrus Sheridan was the first to know.”

Jessie: “…”

She didn’t need to think hard to know the child was definitely Cyrus Sheridan’s. Compared to the baby’s biological father, being the second to know wasn’t so bad.

“So you two are…” Jessie trailed off. She hadn’t heard anything about Lynn dating Cyrus Sheridan.

Lynn said, “The baby was a surprise. Now he’s complaining that my apartment is too small to fit a nanny…”

Jessie understood the unspoken part of Lynn’s sentence. Lynn wasn’t the type to let herself suffer. Insisting on staying in her own apartment under these circumstances would be needlessly toughing it out, and she wouldn’t do something like that.

“That’s good, too.” Jessie didn’t ask what Lynn’s plans were for the baby. Even if Lynn was averse to marriage, she wasn’t necessarily averse to a child who shared her blood.

“What about you?” Lynn abruptly changed the subject.

Jessie: “What about me?”

“A baby!” Lynn said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “The one in my belly was an accident. You and President Morgan have been married for half a year. Have you thought about having kids?”

Victor Morgan, who had been about to walk over, froze once again. This was a question he wanted to know the answer to as well.

Of course, he would never pressure Jessie. Whether or not to have a child was her decision. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of anticipation.

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