Sammy’s smug look vanished right away.
This guy was the boss at Phoenix Entertainment?! It was the top entertainment company around! Sammy owned Joy Media, a small company that only made a few shows. Recently, one of their shows became really popular, and Sammy made some cash from it. That’s why he was acting so cocky.
Lately, Sammy had been trying hard to get in touch with Phoenix Entertainment. But they seemed to think small companies like Joy Media weren’t worth their time. They didn’t reply to his messages for ages. Sammy couldn’t even get a meeting with their marketing director, let alone the big boss!
Now that he realized the guy in front of him was the big boss, Sammy was totally shocked. If he upset a company as big as Phoenix Entertainment, he’d be in big trouble!
Sammy was so scared that his legs almost gave out. He quickly put on a fake smile and kept saying sorry, “I’m really sorry for bothering you, Mr. Wilson! If I had known it was you earlier, I wouldn’t have said anything. It’s all my fault. I’m really sorry.” He even lightly tapped his own face to show he was serious, but not too hard.
“As for the problem-” Justin began, giving Sammy a suspicious look.
Pretending he didn’t know, Sammy glanced around and acted clueless, “Problem? What problem? Everything’s fine today.”
Then he remembered Dave, who had been silent all this time. It dawned on Sammy that Dave was probably Justin’s buddy. Sammy went up to Dave with a big smile, “Thanks for the punch, sir. It woke me up. Because of you, I’ll get home safely tonight!”
Then he turned to Justin with a flattering smile. “By the way, I’m so honored to meet you, Mr. Wilson. How about a drink? My treat.”
Justin rolled his eyes and refused immediately. “I’m busy.”
The corners of Sammy’s mouth twitched in embarrassment.
“Anyway, I have other matters to attend to.” Justin winked at Dave in secret and then left with the manager of the club.
Flustered, Sammy fled the scene in a hurry.
When it was just the two of them, the manager asked Justin, “Mr. Wilson, who was that other guy?”
Justin shot him a meaningful look and said, “Don’t mess with him, or else you won’t be able to keep this club.”
At this, the manager trembled in fear. ‘Who on earth was that big shot?’
Bianca guided Jessica out of the club. Once they got outside, Jessica dashed to a tree and threw up.
After she finished, Bianca kindly gave her a tissue and asked, “Are you okay?”
Jessica was starting to feel more clear-headed. She glanced at Bianca with mixed feelings.
But Jessica was still wobbly on her feet. Bianca led her to a nearby bench and said, “Take a break here. I’ll take you home when you’re ready.”
“Don’t you want to ask me something?” Jessica asked.
Jessica looked down, feeling embarrassed.
“It’s your personal stuff,” Bianca replied. Even though she was curious, she understood it wasn’t her place to ask.
Jessica forced a smile. “Actually, it’s about work.”
“Work?” Bianca was confused.
“You once asked why the company was so determined to promote Jasmine, right?” Jessica lifted her head and gazed at Bianca, her eyes holding an emotion Bianca couldn’t quite grasp. “It’s because she’s got a powerful supporter.”
“What? Who?”
Bianca was even more confused now. If Jasmine had such a big supporter, why did Stacey obediently serve Peter for years and desire the Scott family’s property so much?
Jessica shook her head. “I’m not sure. But what I do know is, the company has signed too many artists like Jasmine. In this industry, if an artist doesn’t have a powerful supporter, they won’t make it big, no matter how talented they are. Just like you, I graduated top of my class from a great university and even got a master’s degree. I thought I’d have a successful career if I joined Phoenix Entertainment. But it’s been ten years now, and I’ve achieved nothing to be proud of. I’ve only worked with unknown artists as an agent. I haven’t even been promoted to director. People younger and less skilled than me are agents for A-listers because they have connections. But I…” Tears filled Jessica’s eyes, and her voice broke.
Maybe it was the lingering effects of the alcohol that made Jessica speak so openly.
“So tonight, you…” Bianca’s brow furrowed.
“I fell for that guy’s lies. He’s from Joy Media and said he had connections with Mr. Wilson. He promised to help me if I met him tonight, so I went along with it. But he just wanted to get me drunk and…” Jessica’s voice trailed off as she covered her face in despair.
Bianca placed a hand on Jessica’s shoulder, trying to offer some comfort, but she felt awful for her.
She had the same dreams as Jessica when she joined the company, but reality had been harsh.
“It’s not your fault, Jessica,” Bianca said softly, trying to reassure her. “The world can be really unfair sometimes.”
Jessica couldn’t hold back her emotions any longer. She burst into tears and cried uncontrollably until she was out of breath.
Suddenly, someone handed Bianca a bottle of water from behind. Surprised, she turned around to see Dave standing there.
He also handed her a pack of hangover relief pills. “It’ll help her feel better.”
Bianca had assumed he had left, but it turned out he had just stepped away briefly to get some water and hangover relief pills.
Bianca accepted the pills and offered them to Jessica.
“Thanks. I feel a bit better now,” Jessica said, managing a weak smile. Then, she glanced at the man behind Bianca and asked, “Is he your boyfriend?”
Feeling embarrassed, Bianca quickly waved her hand and clarified, “No, no. We’re just friends!”
Dave’s expression hardened at this. In a gruff, indifferent tone, he said, “Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll leave.”
But after taking a couple of steps, he suddenly turned back and added, “Don’t stay out too late, or you’ll be locked out.”
Huh? Bianca was puzzled. Locked out?
Jessica chuckled knowingly. “So, you two live together, but he’s not your boyfriend?”
“He really isn’t-”
“Okay, okay. You don’t need to explain,” Jessica interrupted. “I’m feeling better now, and I can go home on my own.” She stood up and glanced back at the club. “Did you come here with your ‘friend’?”
It was only then that Bianca remembered she had come here to celebrate Diana’s birthday. Her expression fell as she realized Diana would be upset with her for being gone so long.
“Well, if you’re sure you’ll be okay, I’ll go back inside,” Bianca said, feeling guilty.