Actually, even though Director Colby usually didn’t say much, he was pretty good at convincing investors. Half of his skills were in filmmaking, while the other half was in fundraising.
Right now, he was sitting across from Holden, struggling to find the words.
Holden’s tone was cold as he asked, “How much do you need?”
Director Colby hesitated. “Eighty million? Uh, sixty million would work too… if that’s too much, maybe thirty million?” He figured he could find a way to make up the difference; his reputation would help him secure the rest.
Holden stood up. “Tomorrow, Assistant Carl will get in touch with you.”
Director Colby was surprised. “Really?!”
Holden smirked slightly. “Money isn’t an issue. If you run short, just contact Assistant Carl. If you dare to give her any intimate scenes, you’ll be in big trouble.”
Holden didn’t care whether the movie made money or not; as long as Sarah was involved, he’d invest as her backer.
Director Colby felt a cold sweat break out. He knew that Holden’s “big trouble” wasn’t just some dramatic phrase; it was a real threat.
“Of course!”
As the biggest investor, Holden’s money was crucial to the film’s production, and Colby would definitely heed his advice. He wasn’t about to make any intimate scenes. Plus, the lead character was based on his own grandmother, and Colby had no plans for anything like that.
Most people talked about his grandmother not for her literary achievements or artistic contributions but for her beauty and romantic relationships. Colby wanted to break free from that superficial view and show the world her true self.
Sure, the film might flop, but Colby didn’t care; he just wanted to fulfill this long-held wish of his.
Meanwhile, no one noticed that Elisa’s drama had premiered. For her, this was a project she had poured her heart into. Ronald was also one of the investors, which gave her a significant say, even the power to tweak storylines she didn’t like.
Just when Elisa thought her show would blow up like Sarah’s and skyrocket her career, the premiere day came, and the viewership was disappointingly low. There wasn’t much buzz online either.
Elisa couldn’t believe it. Throughout her life, her hard work had always paid off. How was it that this time, after all the effort she put into the show, no one wanted to watch it?
Meanwhile, “The Mysterious Family” had been out for a while and was still crushing the box office, even getting extended screening time, with online discussions continuing to rise.
After being teased online as “Thief Elisa,” she didn’t post anything for days. Now she realized that without riding on Sarah’s coattails, no one seemed interested in her.
So, she secretly contacted the streaming platform and had her posters edited to look like Sarah’s. They both looked similar, and the photos she posted were so much like Sarah that viewers would likely click on them, thinking they’d been tricked. But Elisa believed that once they started watching, they’d see it was a good show.
Her character was perfect, and she was sure audiences would love it.
After adjusting the posters, many viewers mistakenly thought it was Sarah’s show and excitedly clicked to watch. However, after half an episode, they left in pain.
No matter how much the still photos looked alike, when it came to moving video, the two of them were still completely different.
Elisa could mimic the old Sarah, but she found it hard to copy the current Sarah.
The online backlash was intense.
“I thought it was a new show starring Sarah, but then I clicked in and saw this lead character was way too goody-goody! She got her maid killed just to save a bunch of criminals!”
“The lead’s all about being virtuous but ends up moralizing everyone else! This show is terrible! Don’t watch it!”
“Her acting is so bad! The lead can only widen her eyes and stomp her feet when she’s sad?”
“…”
Grace had a history with Sarah, and Sarah had issues with Elisa.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? Since Grace and Elisa had worked together before, Grace shared Elisa’s promotion and showed her support, “Being kind isn’t a flaw! Some people with blood on their hands shouldn’t be the norm!”
“Blood on their hands and no remorse,” was obviously a dig at Sarah’s character, Mollie. In the original story, Mollie was ruthless and had killed thousands of skilled fighters trying to claim the divine seal.
This time, Grace’s fans couldn’t drown out the angry fans of “The Mysterious Family.”
“What you call kindness is hiding behind a curtain while your lowly maid goes to face off against celestial soldiers to catch criminals. She only shows up after the maid gets killed?”
“Our Mollie only kills the bad guys who harm innocent lives. No matter how strong or weak her opponent is, she always goes in first to protect her friends.”
“Got it, so when the chaos starts, you’ll be the first to go, you selfish fake saint.”
“…”
Within an hour, Grace was getting roasted so hard that she deleted her Twitter.
Grace had way more resources than Elisa-she was one of the rising stars getting a big boost from the industry. Before the day was over, her studio announced her new endorsement deal with a top-tier joint venture car brand.
Car endorsements were the hardest to get, especially for a leading joint venture brand. Female artists who did it were few and far between; most just did promotional work. After all, luxury bags were often priced in the tens of thousands, while cars ranged from a few tens of thousands to sky-high prices. Even the lower-end model of the car Grace was endorsing cost over two hundred grand.
Grace’s fans were ecstatic, feeling like their girl was on top again, with some even pretending to be random bystanders to mock Sarah.
“She can only endorse clothes and makeup for the little girls who are fans of hers.”
“High-end products wouldn’t even consider her. People with real money buy cars and houses, not whatever she’s promoting.”
“…”
Sarah’s fans, furious, dug up Grace’s dirty laundry, even bringing to light the story about Grace being the mistress of her college president. Some fans with connections reached out to the president’s wife.
At that moment, a promotional video featuring Sarah for a top luxury sports car brand dropped. She was the brand’s first ambassador in the Asia-Pacific region.
Sarah’s fans couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.
Every time they tried to defend their girl, she’d pull out the most impressive achievements to silence everyone.
In the ad, Sarah wore a sleek black high-slit mini dress, her long golden hair flowing behind her, looking strikingly beautiful and exuding a powerful aura. When she stepped out of the car, it was pure luxury-a classic moment that ended up in countless videos.
As soon as the MV was released, it trended. Fans and bystanders alike were blown away.
“She’s gorgeous!”
“Every time I see her movies and ads, I think she couldn’t possibly get more beautiful, but then she surprises me again.”
“Honestly, Sarah is the top beauty in the entertainment industry right now; no one can compete with her looks and figure.”
Grace’s fans, who had been celebrating just a moment ago, were now embarrassed and scrambling to delete their tweets and comments.
Sitting at home scrolling through Twitter, Grace was feeling even more frustrated. She just couldn’t understand how Sarah always seemed to get so lucky.
Now, old dirt from her school days had resurfaced-stuff she’d spent a lot of money to bury when she first started out. Not only that, but Twitter was filled with people mocking her.
Grace didn’t dare to act out openly like Elisa did. She was smarter and more cunning, always manipulating her fans and agent behind the scenes to do the dirty work for her.
Feeling down, she shut off her phone. Let them laugh; this storm would pass eventually.
No matter what, she had secured her resources for Drug War. With that major project in her hands, she’d make a comeback.