Chapter 83
Brian wasn't planning on delaying it. The situation disgusted him too much. He called someone to investigate which hotel those two went to and then pulled up their records to scrutinize carefully. After some deliberation, he sent Phoebe a list of names and relevant details. Finished, Brian gathered the trusted members of his team who were ready to leave with him and invited them to his house.
He hadn't told them the woman involved had been placed by the new director specifically to monitor him. He couldn't bear the shame of being so carefully set up to be cuckolded. Instead, he informed them that he'd discovered his wife was having an affair with the new director, and those two had been behind his recent setbacks by conspiring with Leon. They wanted not only to bring him down but also to get him and his team out entirely.
Brian edited the recording, removing the beginning, and played the segment where those two spoke about getting rid of all of them. His team members were furious, condemning the Jenkins brothers as ruthless. They were the founding members of the company. They played a significant part in the company's development. And now they were being cut off without mercy.
“If the Jenkins brothers and the new director have no decency, then why should we?”
“They’ve crossed a line!”
Having stirred up everyone's anger, Brian used the moment to reveal his plan to join Phoebe's studio. Every one of these team members had weathered countless storms with Brian and trusted him deeply. They knew there was no future left for them here. Jumping to another company could mean facing suppression or struggling to fit into an established team, making success unlikely. Phoebe's studio, though, was offering compensation packages that truly spoke to their needs; high salaries and excellent performance bonuses were hard to refuse when they had families to support. So, they all agreed to leave with Brian.
Brian had been quietly copying and deleting key documents, leaving no trace of his plans within the company. Now, he had everything sorted with Phoebe and was ready to confront Ollie the next day. With nothing left to hide, he waited for a message from his contact confirming the hotel location of those two, then headed there with his team to catch them in the act. If they thought they could manipulate him, he'd make sure they felt the sting themselves.
Abigail, usually a mild mother-in-law who didn’t interfere in her daughter-in-law’s personal life, had reached her limit. She called her fellow dance group friends and a few close neighbors to join her in confronting them. Since they wanted the divorce, they needed leverage to ensure that the woman was left with nothing. Though Brian hid the full extent of how thoroughly they’d been set up, he made sure not to downplay the betrayal of his wife’s affair. Without that, he couldn't rightfully reclaim what was his.
When they all arrived at the hotel, they successfully caught the two of them red-handed. Before entering, Brian took out his phone, started a video, and then kicked open the door, capturing the scene on camera. He and his team gave the new director a well-deserved beating, while Abigail and her friends dragged his wife aside, giving her a sound scolding. Their commotion attracted hotel staff and guests nearby. Upon learning it was an affair, onlookers cheered as they watched the lover get what he deserved. After venting his anger, Brian declared he was filing for divorce, paid for the damages to the hotel room door, and left with his team. They walked out, leaving behind the stunned new director and Brian’s tearful wife, clueless that Brian had uncovered their previous schemes. They did not know that Manager Wu had found out about what happened at the company. They suspected someone might have spotted them at the hotel and tipped him off. Without informing the Jenkins brothers, the director began planning his response. As a result, the Jenkins brothers were still oblivious that they had, once again, been set up by Phoebe.
Chapter 83
In her apartment, Phoebe and Brenda were reviewing the talent roster. They pulled up a particular file on a young actor whose popularity stemmed from a viral campus heartthrob photo, leading Jenkins Entertainment to sign him. His agent had cast him in a popular idol drama, where his looks gave him the campus crush appeal that made him briefly famous. But when his style clashed with that of a new talent Leon wanted to promote, his projects were cut off. After his idol drama, he’d only received minor roles, effectively being shelved.
In the entertainment industry, when fresh faces weren’t in the spotlight, even a former star could quickly be forgotten. Phoebe queued up a few episodes of his idol drama. “His acting is a little raw, but he’s not bad. He’s got plenty of potential and room for growth.”
“No scandals in his file,” she noted. “Even though they’ve sidelined him, he’s kept up acting classes, working on his skills. He will have a solid prospect.”
“We could definitely bring him over and turn him into a headliner for the studio,” she concluded.
Brenda smiled at the picture of the dashing, elegant young man on her screen. “He’s got a unique kind of charm.”
“Then he’s set.” Phoebe marked his file with a checkmark. She then pointed to another file. “This singer here could work too. He got a brief moment of fame in a singing competition thanks to an original song.”
“But after joining Jenkins Group, he clashed with Joshua and got sidelined,” Phoebe explained. “Now he’s performing at bars just to make a living.”
“I’ve listened to his music. His voice and tone are fantastic, and he has serious potential.” She played one of his tracks for Brenda.
Brenda’s eyes lit up. “He sounds amazing! Way better than Joshua. Let’s take him! Let’s get him on his feet and set him up to go head-to-head with Joshua, knock him down a few pegs.”
Phoebe chuckled. “That’s exactly what I had in mind.” She marked the file with a checkmark.
The last choice was a woman in her twenties, a former leading actress. Once a top starlet, her reputation crashed when she was accused of being a mistress, breaking up a popular young couple from the same company. She’d been blacklisted for over a year now, with only minor or antagonistic roles, as if destined to play mistresses or unlikable villains.
“She’s among the best actresses in her tier, able to play either leading or villainous roles,” Phoebe said, examining the file. “Her look is highly versatile. She can come off as sweet and demure, or as sultry, mature, or even aloof.”
“Brian’s notes actually say she dated the popular young actor first and helped him establish his career, only to be betrayed by the pair and used as a stepping stone.”
Phoebe added, “I happen to know the actress who backstabbed her. Leon’s the one who’s backing her. She puts on a virtuous front but treats her assistant terribly and acts all high and mighty toward less-famous female stars.”
Phoebe said, “When the stars had a meeting, she even had the nerve to order me to fetch her coffee. I just ignored her. This blacklisted starlet… if we bring her over, we can clear her name.”
“Play to her strengths as an actress, and I think she could make a major comeback in time for the Best Actress awards.”
Phoebe smirked. “Plus, it’ll be satisfying to watch Leon squirm when he realizes the true quality of his choice.”
Brenda shook her head in disbelief. “Leon’s character is a mess, and the people he promotes are just as despicable. Of your brothers, he’s the worst, nastiest, and most ruthless of them all.”
She added, “Not that the rest are any better, of course.”