When they got home, Butler Ted pulled Sarah aside to discuss something in secret.
“You know, being the butler here is kind of boring. Mr. Holden has so many assistants, I spend half the month doing nothing but watering plants, feeding the fish, and sipping tea.”
Sarah gave him a look. “Butler Ted, are you bragging?”
“Well… maybe just a little,” he replied with a grin. “But what I’m really saying is-you still don’t have a manager. You’ve been handling all your business deals yourself. I could take on the role and manage you part-time.”
Sarah raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you afraid Mr. Holden will find out?”
Butler Ted blinked. “…”
What was there to be afraid of? This whole thing was Holden’s idea anyway.
Holden wanted to give Sarah some opportunities, but he worried it might hurt her delicate pride, so he had Butler Ted handle it instead.
He could tell that Sarah had her own ideas when it came to her career. But since he had the resources, why shouldn’t he use them to benefit his own? What was wrong with favoring his wife?
Butler Ted smiled. “Mr. Holden’s a good boss. As long as it doesn’t interfere with our main duties, he’s fine with us doing side gigs. But, you’ll need to pay me. I’m not working for anything less than $500, 000 a year.”
After all, more work deserved more pay. And, of course, Holden wasn’t going to foot the bill for Sarah.
Sarah didn’t want to short-change Ted. In the industry, the standard split between artists and managers was 80/20, with the artist taking the bigger cut. She figured that would work just fine.
Ted, knowing that most opportunities would come through Holden’s connections, wasn’t about to take too much credit. But Sarah’s fair attitude surprised him.
He grinned. “You don’t have to follow the standard split for a side gig. A fixed salary will do. After all, Mr. Holden is still my priority, and if I took too much from you, my conscience wouldn’t sit right.”
The first endorsement Ted set up for Sarah was with Circle Tech Company, promoting their game Alien Continent.
As one of the most popular games in the country, the company had never used a celebrity spokesperson before. But since the game was so popular, a lot of stars played it, with some even cosplaying characters from the game.
A few days before the official announcement, the game’s Twitter teased a celebrity endorsement, causing a buzz among fans.
“I’m sure it’s going to be Grace,” one fan posted. “She said she’s a big fan of the game and even posted photos of herself cosplaying Eve.”
Eve was a character in Alien Continent, a blonde, blue-eyed beauty adored by many players.
Soon, Grace’s fans shared photos of her cosplay. In the pictures, she wore a shimmering blue mini-dress, showing off her striking features and curvy figure.
As the star of several hit TV dramas, Grace’s popularity was undeniable, and she had a huge following on Twitter. Her fans flooded the game’s official Twitter, spamming her name in the comments.
Grace’s team had been trying to collaborate with Circle Tech Company for a while. The company, known for its exclusivity, either used no spokespeople or hired only top-tier celebrities.
If Grace could land this partnership, it would elevate her career even further. So, despite knowing Circle Tech hadn’t contacted them, her team encouraged fans to keep spamming the game’s Twitter.
Grace’s assistant even hinted in their group chat that Grace was playing the game in her spare time and was excited about the potential collaboration.
However, the team at Alien Continent found the whole thing odd.
“Grace’s fans are acting like she’s already got the endorsement,” one staff member remarked. “Plenty of celebs cosplay our characters-should we make them all ambassadors?”
“What do they think we’re handing out? Bottled water endorsements?” another joked.
Meanwhile, Sarah quickly finalized the schedule and location for her promotional shoot at Circle Tech’s headquarters.
The company wanted her to cosplay Regina, the Ghost Queen from the game. Alien Continent was set in two regions-an Eastern sanctuary and a Western continent-and Regina was a classic Eastern beauty, dressed in a bright red wedding gown.
But unlike traditional costume dramas, the game’s wedding dress was a short skirt that stopped at the knees, with jingling bells sewn into the fabric. The outfit was intricate, the makeup elaborate, and the hair took forever to style. The stylist put a black wig on her and added black contact lenses.
Once the makeup artist finished Sarah’s look, the photoshoot began.
The manager, Clifford, from the game studio was quite pleased with Sarah.
The decision to select an ambassador for the game wasn’t made on a whim; they had been planning it for a while but struggled to find the right fit. Somehow, Butler Ted caught wind of this and recommended Sarah to Clifford.
Clifford watched Sarah’s performance in Heart Throb and reviewed her previous brand work, realizing her looks and vibe were just what they needed. The only drawback was that Sarah wasn’t that famous yet-just a rising star.
But Butler Ted assured Clifford that Sarah’s upcoming movie was with Director Colby, and once it hit theaters, the buzz would give her significant exposure. That convinced the studio to lock in Sarah as their spokesperson.
What Clifford didn’t expect was for Holden to show up at Circle Tech Company’s headquarters today.
The entire executive team was in a frenzy, discreetly messaging each other in their private group chat. While Clifford wasn’t too worried-Holden usually didn’t drop by the office and only discussed business with the higher-ups-he still felt uneasy. Just as he relaxed a bit, his assistant rushed over to report that Holden was, in fact, there.
Clifford’s nerves instantly shot back up. He scrambled to greet Holden and gave him a department-by-department rundown, even mentioning the latest game events.
Holden had two Circle Tech executives trailing him, both wearing serious expressions, equally surprised by the sudden arrival of their big boss.
Holden, of course, was there strictly for business-he wasn’t the type to slack off.
Meanwhile, the promotional shoot was still ongoing in the studio section, and Clifford regretted scheduling it for today. Having a celebrity on set while Mr. Holden was visiting wasn’t ideal.
All the other departments had their employees quietly working at their desks, but the photo shoot was bustling with activity.
From a distance, Holden glanced in Sarah’s direction.
Clifford quickly explained, “She’s the new spokesperson for the game.”
His assistant stepped forward to escort Sarah over to greet the executives.
When Sarah turned and saw Holden standing there in a tailored gray suit with that faint, amused smile, she froze.
Seriously? Of all days…
The higher-ups at Circle Tech Company were the kind of people even top celebrities wouldn’t dare mess with-every single one of them was a powerhouse in the business world.
Sarah wasn’t the type to grovel, but she knew how to maintain the proper etiquette when dealing with corporate bigwigs-polite without being servile.
She walked over and shook hands with each of the executives, maintaining her composure.
When it was Holden’s turn, she gripped his hand just a little harder than necessary.
Holden’s lips curved into a smirk. “You look beautiful today.”
One of the Circle Tech presidents glanced at Sarah, recalling a rumor.
Apparently, a few months ago, Holden had taken control of the company’s official social media account for a while. During that time, he didn’t do much-just followed Sarah’s main and alt accounts and liked several of her posts.
This led many people to believe the account manager was slacking off and fangirling at work.
But it was easy to see why Sarah caught Holden’s attention. Her fair skin practically glowed, her legs were long and slender, and the bright red outfit she wore exuded charm. The tiny red flower detail between her brows and her crimson lips made her look even more striking.
Even the in-game Ghost Queen, Regina, couldn’t compare to how stunning Sarah looked in real life.
Holden looked at Clifford and said, “You picked a great spokesperson. Can she wear this outfit home?”
Technically, that outfit was provided by the game studio for the shoot, and costumes like that for advertising were pretty expensive. She definitely had to return it after wearing it.
But-Mr. Holden was actually praising him in front of two bosses. Clifford nodded eagerly, “Of course!”
Sarah had only just begun to rise in the entertainment world, so she knew that even a little hiccup could cool her off, especially when working with a big company like Circle Tech.
It was common for small stars to get bullied during shoots, and even big names didn’t dare act up with such powerful corporations.
Holden came by to check if his employees were following company rules and making sure no one was abusing their power.