Free Web NovelChapter 30: Chapter 30: Premature Downfall
Caspian Rhodes barely kept his composure, then smiled faintly as if he’d just thought of something. "Miss Donovan, are you working as Best Actor Donovan’s full-time assistant now?"
"Oh no, not at all. My second brother just saw I was at home with nothing to do, so he brought me along to see the world. Once this project is over, I won’t be his assistant anymore."
"If you just want to get out and see the world, how about visiting my cousin’s company?"
"Huh?" Arabella Donovan stared for a long moment before she processed what Caspian Rhodes had said, her eyes widening in surprise. "Are you talking about Radiant Entertainment?"
"Yes, that’s the one."
Arabella Donovan grew even more suspicious. "Mr. Rhodes, why the sudden invitation to your cousin’s company?"
’This is weird. This is really weird. Even if he’s trying to score points with my brother, he shouldn’t be this warm toward a nobody assistant like me. Unless...’
Caspian Rhodes’s heart leaped into his throat. He thought he’d been too hasty and given himself away.
’Is Mr. Rhodes actually interested in my brother? He didn’t get anywhere with him, so now he’s trying a roundabout approach—getting close to me to get close to my brother?’
Caspian Rhodes: "..." ’Whoa, hold on! I swear on my honor, I am genuinely not interested in your brother. Not one bit!’
"Ahem. Actually, I was there the other day on set, when you were doing a character reading for that Mr. Young."
"Huh?" Arabella Donovan’s head snapped up to look at Caspian Rhodes. "You were at the set that early?"
"...Yes."
Realizing that Caspian Rhodes’s reason for inviting her might be different from what she’d imagined, Arabella Donovan touched her nose in embarrassment.
"So you heard everything that day?"
"Yes, I heard it all, from beginning to end. My cousin’s company has been having a lot of problems lately. I didn’t think much of it before, but when I saw you doing the character reading for Mr. Young on set, you were so articulate and logical. I thought you made a lot of sense."
Caspian Rhodes paused. "So I was wondering if you might have time to drop by and take a look for my cousin. See if there’s a problem within his company, or if he needs to adjust the feng shui or bring in a Buddha statue to ward off bad luck."
Arabella Donovan gave a dry laugh and asked tentatively, "Has he had anyone else take a look before?"
"He has. He hired someone to perform a ritual, but it didn’t seem to do any good."
’If a professional who does this for a living couldn’t find the problem, there’s no way a half-baked amateur like me can. But if I turn him down, who knows how long I’ll have to wait for another chance...’ ƒreewebɳovel.com
Arabella Donovan was torn. Should she politely decline the invitation to avoid exposing herself, or should she bite the bullet, go to Radiant Entertainment, and meet her fourth sister’s real family?
But she didn’t agonize over it for long. She quickly gave in.
"Alright, I’ll go with you. Consider it my way of thanking you for your help this time. But..."
"But?"
"But my skills are unrefined, so I might not be able to see anything. You and your cousin shouldn’t get your hopes up."
Since this wasn’t Caspian Rhodes’s true objective anyway, he naturally wasn’t going to be too demanding. freeweɓnøvel.com
"Just do your best. If you really can’t find anything, that’s just his luck. No one will blame you."
Arabella Donovan finally breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment’s thought, she asked, "Can I bring someone else with me?"
"Who? Your second brother?"
"No, no, it’s someone else. I promise I’ll keep her with me the entire time, and she won’t wander off. And after we leave, she absolutely will not go around gossiping about anything she sees at your company. Is that okay?"
A glint flashed in Caspian Rhodes’s eyes. He already had a guess as to who Arabella Donovan wanted to bring, but he replied impassively, "Of course. It’s not like we’re doing anything shady. You can bring as many people as you want."
"Then it’s a deal. When are you free?"
"I’m free anytime. It’s up to you."
Arabella Donovan blinked. Although she was puzzled by how accommodating he was, she hadn’t had a chance to discuss it with her fourth sister yet, so after some thought, she accepted his kind offer.
"In that case, let me go back and ask first. I’ll contact you once I have a time?"
"Alright."
And just like that, with his superb skills of deception, Caspian Rhodes managed to swin—ahem, obtain Arabella Donovan’s contact information on their third meeting.
Because of her chance encounter with Caspian Rhodes, Arabella Donovan was delayed for a while. She expected to be questioned when she returned, but when she found Hector Donovan and the others, they all looked so grim and preoccupied that none of them even had the mind to ask why she was late.
Arabella Donovan thought for a moment, then quietly sidled up to her second brother and whispered, "What’s wrong? What happened?"
Hector Donovan only then noticed his sister had returned, and the look he gave her was incredibly complex.
"Someone just called the director. There’s been another incident on set."
"Another incident?" Arabella Donovan was a little speechless.
’It’s only been a few days, and one thing after another has happened on this set. No wonder the dark cloud over the director’s head is so black. If this bad luck keeps up, they might as well rename the production to *No One Survives*.’
"Who is it this time?"
"Edward Pierce." The one who answered was the assistant director, who wore a miserable expression, looking as pitiful as if the sky itself had fallen.
And hadn’t the sky fallen? For a drama centered around a strong male lead, losing the main actor was a fatal blow to the production.
Hearing that name, Arabella Donovan couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.
’Edward Pierce’s career is imploding? Weren’t all his scandals supposed to be exposed a few months from now? How did it all collapse ahead of schedule?’
Before Arabella Donovan could ask more, Sheldon Webb, who was standing nearby, revealed the truth with a cold sneer. "He brought it on himself. Hector took this role in the first place as a favor to Director Grant, reluctantly agreeing to elevate this rookie’s status. But that guy? Not only was he not the least bit grateful, he actually came to resent Hector. What an ungrateful wretch!"
"Just because his company propped him up and fed him a few good roles, he got so full of himself he forgot who he was. He should take a good look in the mirror. If it weren’t for Hector, who would even know who this lousy idol from some talent show is?"
Sheldon Webb loved to talk, but he wasn’t usually one for such harsh words. To speak like this, he must have been absolutely furious.
After listening patiently for a while, Arabella Donovan finally understood that the incident stemmed from the online hate campaign against Hector Donovan a few days ago.
At the time, aside from the people arranged by Jacqueline Jennings, many others had taken advantage of the chaos, hoping to drag Hector Donovan down from his pedestal.
Edward Pierce was one of them. He not only paid for online trolls to side with the so-called "victims," but he also fabricated several stories of his own, using vague accusations to tear down Hector Donovan.
Unexpectedly, just two days later, the situation with Hector Donovan’s so-called "scandals" completely turned around, and the main culprit, Jacqueline Jennings, was swiftly apprehended.
This scared all the opportunists into retreating back into their shells, not daring to show their faces again.
Edward Pierce had also tried to act as if nothing had happened, but unfortunately for him, one of Hector Donovan’s superfans followed the breadcrumbs and tracked down his burner account.
