Chapter 180: Chapter 180: Mutual Benefit

And that was more or less the truth.

Thorne Pictures wanted to drag Apex Films down with them, so they could all sink together.

Apex Films had signed so many newcomers recently, anyway. Using Nina Walsh, whose public appeal was already at rock bottom, to drag down all of their rival’s new talent was a trade that couldn’t possibly lose.

Liam Lawson was already on a flight back to the country, his phone naturally turned off. He even planned to cancel his current phone number and get a new one after he returned.

After all, a new life was about to begin. There was no point in keeping these old things around.

The person in charge at Thorne Pictures had assured him that Apex Films would be crushed so thoroughly this time they’d never recover. Therefore, he didn’t have to worry in the slightest that once Apex Films came to its senses, they would come after a small fry like him.

Liam Lawson wasn’t too suspicious. It was a well-known fact that Apex Films was on its last legs.

For years, it had only been propped up by a few hit old movies filmed ten or twenty years ago. Otherwise, it would have vanished into the river of history long ago.

Jessie Sterling sent Wendy Lawson and Daisy Woods away. She needed to think about future investments and the company’s reputation.

When only Jessie Sterling and Victor Morgan were left in the living room, Victor asked, “How are you going to plug the hole on your end?”

Even if Jessie Sterling wasn’t short on cash herself, film and television investments required massive capital outlays. She had recently invested in Cheryl Stuart’s new drama, and she’d also put some of her personal funds into her own company’s shows, but the lion’s share still had to come from the company’s account.

Apex Films didn’t have much liquid capital in its official accounts.

Jessie rested her cheek on her hand. “It’ll probably be hard to find investors in the short term. After all, Thorne Pictures still has a lot of influence. From what happened today, it’s clear they’ve spent a fortune trying to suppress Apex. I still have some fixed assets. If it really comes down to it, I’ll liquidate them first and invest personally. Once the summer season schedules are set, the funds should gradually start flowing back in.”

Jessie was very confident in the scripts and teams she had chosen.

She wasn’t afraid of spending money, only of spending it on the wrong things.

She could afford a small short-term loss if it meant taking a gamble for a huge payoff.

It’s just that a quick sale would definitely mean getting lowballed by buyers.

But when she thought about the subsequent dividends, that could make up for the difference.

Jessie thought her plan was pretty good, but she didn’t expect that after she finished speaking, she would look up at Victor Morgan only to see his face was as dark as water.

Jessie: “???”

She replayed her own words in her mind, feeling that nothing was wrong with them. ’Did I say something I shouldn’t have?’

“This is what you’ve come up with?” Victor asked.

Jessie nodded. “Is it no good? I think it’s quite feasible…”

Victor stared at her. “Any other ideas?”

Jessie scratched her head. “Should I go borrow money from my dad?”

A banker, of course, has money; the entire Sterling Bank belonged to her family. But Jessie knew very well that just as you can’t just take whatever you want from the shelves if your family owns a convenience store, you can’t just take money as you please if your family owns a bank. Even though she was Director Sterling’s daughter, there was a strict approval process to get money from the bank.

“That won’t work. My dad isn’t an easy person to persuade, and even my sister wouldn’t use the bank’s approval process to open a back door for me.”

Jessie didn’t notice Victor’s expression and said to herself, “But my sister has money!” ’I’m pretty smart,’ she thought. ’So resourceful! If I can’t go through Director Sterling, I can still ask my sister!’

“You have no idea how good my sister is at making money. When she was studying abroad, she didn’t ask the family for a single cent. And ever since she was little, her favorite things have been making and saving money. She never wastes her red envelope money from the New Year. I always run out of money by the fourth day of the New Year after making my family visits on the second, but my sister always has money!”

The more Jessie spoke, the more feasible this path seemed.

She didn’t actually know how much money Quincy Sterling had in her secret stash, but it was definitely more than what she had, not less.

’Getting my sister to invest, now that’s a great idea!’

Jessie was about to applaud herself for her brilliant choice.

She looked up at Victor Morgan, but she got a shock the moment she did. His expression was now even darker than before.

“What’s… wrong with you?” Jessie asked tentatively.

Victor turned and glanced at her. Jessie couldn’t tell if it was her imagination, but she felt his gaze was complicated and held a hint of coldness.

“It’s nothing.” Victor suppressed the irritation rising in his chest. Could he really admit he was unhappy because Jessie hadn’t even considered him?

But what was the point of saying something like that?

Even if he said it and she understood, then just smiled and made a request to please him, would that have any real meaning?

’In any case, I’m not the first person Jessie thinks of when she runs into trouble.’

Jessie was completely baffled.

She could clearly sense that Victor was a little upset, but he insisted it was nothing.

“Thorne Pictures is causing trouble now. Besides the investors pulling out, there are all those rumors out there. How do you plan to handle them?” Victor asked.

Although it was best not to get trapped in a cycle of self-defense, many rumors would only get worse if left unchecked. It wasn’t as if they would just disappear if you didn’t refute them.

A flicker of annoyance crossed Jessie’s face.

Spreading a rumor takes but a moment, while debunking it can take forever.

She felt that the person orchestrating this from behind the scenes truly understood the essence of a public opinion war. In that case, she didn’t mind playing a little game with them.

“How clean can a person who comes up with this kind of scheme be?” Jessie said.

She didn’t even think it was Arya Thorne’s handiwork. Arya wouldn’t play this dirty.

Slandering a woman, spreading lewd rumors—these were usually things men did.

“I refuse to believe I can’t dig up some dirt on them,” Jessie said.

In fact, Apex was already starting its investigation.

Just as Jessie said this, her phone suddenly rang.

She glanced down at it, a little surprised.

“Hello?” Jessie answered. “Cheryl Stuart, you’re looking for me?”

The person on the other end of the line said something, and in the next second, Jessie’s expression turned a little strange.

“Really?” she asked.

After a moment, Jessie nodded. “Thanks for your help this time.”

Cheryl Stuart’s voice came from the other end. “Don’t mention it. Didn’t you give me a heads-up last time? It’s mutually beneficial, just a small favor.”

Last time, when Nina Walsh wanted to expose details about Cheryl Stuart’s private life, Jessie had said there was no need to warn her, but in the end, she felt Nina’s methods were too despicable. Using a woman’s private life to stir up trouble… she had still given a subtle hint or two.

’They don’t dare go after the cheating man, only the woman.’ She couldn’t stand for it.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep