Moreover, Jane felt like these things weren’t just aimed at Maria. But the most important thing right now was to deal with the media outside. Suddenly, Jane remembered the eerie smile on Florence’s face when she was taken away at Mike’s birthday party. Thinking of something, Jane immediately called Patrick, but she didn’t know what Patrick was busy with and he didn’t answer right away.
At this moment, Maria had already returned to the company with her agent and came straight to Jane’s office.
“Miss North,” Maria’s agent said solemnly as she pulled on Maria’s wrist and brought her forward.
Maria wasn’t in a good state; she wore a black cap that covered up all of her facial expressions.
Jane looked up and said softly, “Sit down first. I have already arranged for someone to handle everything regarding the press conference so don’t worry; there won’t be any problems.”
The agent spoke up again, “Miss North, I feel like something is off about this whole thing. How could someone like that get into our press conference?”
To be honest, the agent had been working in show business for many years and had experienced all sorts of situations, even situations like today at the press conference. However, times were different now; Star Entertainment held a significant position in show business and those who could manipulate things behind-the-scenes were not simple people.
Jane knew all too well about these things which made her coldly chuckle.
But just then, Maria took off her hat revealing a tired expression as she looked towards Jane, “Jane… I want to quit show business.”
This statement surprised not only Maria’s agent but also Jane herself.
“Maria, what are you saying?” The agent looked at Maria in disbelief, never expecting her to say such words.
Initially, when Maria arrived, Jane thought she was just silent because she was in a bad mood. But she never imagined that Maria had been thinking about these things.
“I have been thinking about it for a long time. I really want to quit the entertainment industry. I feel like it’s not suitable for me here.”
Maria let out a slow sigh, wearing an expression on her face that Jane had never seen before. In Jane’s impression, Maria always dealt with everything cheerfully, no matter what she faced. Could such a trivial matter now break her?
“Maria, why do you feel this way?” Jane asked seriously.
She thought Maria was a rare and talented actress, and she certainly didn’t want to lose her.
“Actually, when things were just average, I didn’t feel much. As long as I had daily acting jobs, it was enough.”
Maria’s words paused slightly, and when she reached this point, she seemed to chuckle lightly.
“But I don’t know when exactly, everything seemed to change.”
No one dislikes attention, no one dislikes fame, but Maria felt that she didn’t deserve these things anymore.
“I only bring more trouble. The company had already resolved so many things for me last time, and I feel like it’s all my fault.”
Maria sighed and spoke softly.
“So, is that why you want to quit the entertainment industry?” Jane glanced at the documents in her hand, her cold gaze falling on Maria’s face.
“To be honest, do you like being an actress?”
Maria pursed her lips, took a long time before a bitter smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
“Of course, I like it. I love acting, and being an actress is my dream. But I realized that I’m not suitable for realizing this dream.”
Maria felt that she was too sensitive as a person, as if she couldn’t handle any grievances. She used to often read the posts that criticized her, her anti-fan pages, to see why they didn’t like her.
But reading those abusive words, Maria couldn’t just let it go. It only made her more upset, and there was even a time when she almost broke down.
Maria would also read the comments from her fans, seeing their positive encouragement. But in the end, Maria felt like she could only disappoint them.
“Jane, the company has done so much for me, yet I still keep causing trouble for them.”
“Maria, don’t say that.” The agent couldn’t help but frown.
However, in the next second, Jane looked up casually, “In that case, I think it’s good for you to go back and calm down.”
“Consider what you’ve said, think about whether you want to continue down this path. But for now, you’re still an artist in my company, and I’ll definitely handle your matters.”
Saying that, Jane stood up and walked over to Maria, “Maria, nothing in life goes smoothly.”
Maria’s mouth turned down, but after hearing these words, her eyes immediately welled up with tears. She reached out and hugged Jane, starting to cry.
Jane gently patted Maria’s head. Upon careful consideration, she realized that this girl had experienced things in the industry that others might never experience in their entire lives. She couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
The agent watched from the side. She had initially wanted to bring Maria back, but Jane shook her head, allowing Maria to cry in her embrace.
After a while, Maria finally stopped her tears.
“Go back and rest for a few days. When you’ve figured things out, come back and talk to me, okay?” Jane spoke gently. Maria sniffled and said, “Jane, why are you so good to me?”
“If you know I’m good to you, then listen to me.”
Maria nodded solemnly after hearing Jane’s words of advice. After giving a few more instructions, Jane let the agent take Maria away.
Just then, Patrick called Jane’s phone back.
“Hello? Patrick?” answered Jane.
“Sorry, there was a meeting just now.”
Patrick said on the other end of the phone, and Jane suddenly remembered that he had a very important meeting today.
“What’s wrong?” Patrick asked softly.
“Earlier, at Mike’s birthday banquet, you had someone take Florence away. Where is she now?” Jane asked.
“Florence?” Patrick pondered for a moment and continued, “That night, I had someone directly send Florence back to her family.”
During this time, Patrick hadn’t inquired about the situation with the Doyle family. He had only sporadically heard from his grandfather that the Doyle family seemed inclined to send Florence away.
After all, Florence caused quite a commotion at the banquet that day, leaving others with plenty of fodder for gossip.
No family would disregard their external reputation, especially not a prestigious family like the Doyle family.