Chapter 987

Randy gave Oscar a thumbs-up. “Well said. Next year, I’m nominating you for the Top Ten Youth Role Models award. You’ve got my vote.”

“Yeah, right. Like it’s your job to hand out awards,” Erica snorted, smacking Randy on the back of his head.

Randy winced, rubbing his head. “Erica, could you not hit me every time I say something?”

Chace stepped forward and addressed Debra. “Ms. Frazier, we’re returning to Booton to take care of the Odom Group. We’re here to say goodbye.”

Debra nodded. “Okay. Seamar City has been chaotic lately. You might be better off staying away for now.”

Oscar hesitated. “Michael wanted me to pass on a message. The entertainment industry has seen an influx of fresh talent recently. They’re all incredibly skilled—too polished to have come out of nowhere. Someone’s been grooming them for years. No one knows who’s backing them, but each one is rising fast. If they make it to the top, the capital behind them will reap unimaginable profits. Michael thought you’d understand the stakes here.”

Oscar had spent months observing the chaos in the industry. It was nothing like he’d imagined. The entertainment world wasn’t clean or fair. Hard work didn’t always lead to success. It was just another arena where the powerful ruled.

Debra fell silent, her thoughts drifting. She had entered the entertainment world not for fame or personal ambition, but because the situation at the time demanded it.

Back then, Andrew had promised to make her a superstar. But every step of her journey, from her time as a trainee at the Potter Group to everything that followed, now seemed like a premeditated game.

Meeting Oscar at the Potter Group gave her a lifeline to take down Edgar. Later, attending the Lowe Group’s banquet as an actress led to her first encounter with Drake. Then came the island survival show, where she and Juan faced danger, only for Drake to whisk her away.

Looking back, it was all connected. Andrew was the chess master, and she was the most crucial piece on the board.

Andrew had long understood the entertainment industry’s impact on capital. By having her take the Potter Group’s carefully trained trainees, he had laid the foundation for the McKinney Group’s future.

One idol could command millions of fans. One ad could make a product sell out instantly, boosting the McKinney Group’s reputation and sales. The sheer influence of the entertainment industry was unmatched in any other sector.

Chapter 987 425 BORS

Even if artists were merely tools for capitalists to profit from, their relationship was symbiotic. One couldn’t exist without the other.

Andrew’s strategy had been in motion long before anyone realized it.

“Babe?” Marion’s voice broke her reverie.

Debra blinked and looked around. “Did I zone out?”

“Zone out? We’ve been calling you for ages,” Randy said. “You sure the drugs are completely out of your system? Maybe it messed with your brain?”

Erica glared at him. “Will you shut it already? Why do you always have to say the worst possible thing?”

Randy raised his hands in surrender. “I was just worried about her. If something happened to her, what would Marion do?”

“Even so, you can’t just talk about people’s brains like that. Seriously, I can’t expect anything smart to come out of a fool’s mouth,” Erica sulked.

Randy retorted, “Come on. Don’t act like anyone’s spitting out wisdom here. No one’s that sharp.”

Chapter 988