Chapter 88
Sienna's decisive rebuttal caused Jamar and the others to turn their attention toward her. Realizing her reaction had been a bit too intense, she bit her lip and said, “If we withdraw now, it will look like we’re afraid. Moreover, it would only reinforce the negative narrative surrounding Reece and me.”
“I have nothing to feel guilty about, so I’m not afraid. I want to continue participating to prove that Phoebe has misunderstood us and to clear my name.”
Sienna had never told the Jenkins family that she occasionally had prophetic dreams since childhood. For instance, when she dreamt that Elliot would be seduced into infidelity by another woman, she took Lydia with her to catch him in the act, preventing the betrayal. When she dreamt that Ollie would accidentally fall from upstairs, she arrived just in time to have him taken to the hospital. If she dreamt that a script would become a hit, she advised Cain to snatch it from the original director first. Sienna dreamt of a song that would become popular and suggested Joshua buy it from the songwriter in advance. When she dreamed that a certain idol trainee would explode in popularity, she encouraged Jamar to participate.
She even dreamed that Leon possessed a celebrity who would be criticized for intruding into another talented actress’s romance, causing him to face backlash that would force him into seclusion. Sienna advised Leon to act swiftly, framing the talented actress as the intruder, ensuring she would be blacklisted. Thus, since Sienna was young, she had always been their lucky star. Her dreams never provided intricate details, only vague hints. For instance, she dreamt that the live show Phoebe was participating in would become a sensation, predicting that Phoebe would gain fame as a result.
Sienna realized she had to seize the opportunity. Even if she couldn’t take it, she would still participate. She had previously dreamt of a show that would be this year’s dark horse hit and urged Leon to secure the lead role for her. After finishing the show, she planned to act in it. As for the original lead, who would have gained fame because of this show, that just meant the person was out of luck. If Sienna snagged it, it was hers.
The industry was, at its core, a ruthless game of survival of the fittest. Sienna knew that if others had caught wind of this sooner, there’s no way they’d have let a chance like this slip through their fingers. Not even her five brothers were privy to this secret. Thus, she sought other reasons, using the chance to take a jab at Phoebe. Sienna firmly believed that Phoebe had exploited the situation in the first episode, but she would reclaim her standing in the second. She considered herself the favored one by fate.
After hearing Sienna’s words, Jamar abandoned his plan to withdraw from the show. He sighed and said, “Then let’s keep participating.” It was a good chance for him to work on reconciling with Phoebe in the next episode, aiming to make her less antagonistic toward them. At this point, in his view, Phoebe was completely out of control, relentlessly targeting them. It had been Jamar and Sienna earlier, but now it was Leon.
Joshua suggested, “Sienna should continue participating. Otherwise, people will think she’s feeling guilty.” Cain chimed in. “Yeah, keep going. It’s also good to clear up any misunderstandings people have about Sienna.” When Sienna heard their support, tears welled in her eyes, but a radiant smile broke through. “Thank you, guys! I knew you were the best!”
The four of them huddled together on a sofa, brainstorming ideas on how Sienna could shine in the next episode. They sat close but didn’t embrace, and the female housekeeper turned a blind eye to it all.
On the other side, Phoebe and Brenda finalized their targets and began discussing the development strategies for the three stars. They strategized how to secure resources for them. Phoebe was aware of the dramas and movies set to explode in popularity over the next year. She knew which stars would suddenly gain fame due to various shows.
Chapter 88 (continued)
However, whether for herself or the three stars she planned to mentor, she had no intention of snatching opportunities from others. Instead of stealing from others, they would create their own opportunities. Having previously worked as a producer, investor, director, and leading actress in different realms, Phoebe had a keen eye for identifying which shows and films would succeed. Some shows and movies that hadn’t succeeded actually had the potential to become hits. It was often due to improper casting, insufficient funding, or poor post-production that they ultimately flopped. They could work to rescue these projects, transforming them from failures into successes, which would bring them greater satisfaction without resorting to unethical means to steal opportunities from others. With sufficient funds, they could invest in their own shows, movies, or even variety programs, giving a significant push to the stars in their studio.
Phoebe and Brenda discussed late into the night, formulating a detailed plan before finally going to sleep. The next day, they sought a location for their new office.
Meanwhile, Brian approached Ollie. Brian planned to resign along with his team, but Ollie was naturally opposed to the idea. When Brian stood his ground, Ollie demanded he hand over any materials he possessed before they could leave. Brian played the recording he had made the night before for Ollie to listen to. He threatened that if they didn’t let them go, he would post the recording on Twitter, exposing the dark and disgusting practices of Jenkins Entertainment. Brian emphasized that he had backups of the recording and warned that if Jenkins Entertainment tried anything against him, his friends would reveal everything online.
Ollie was taken aback that Brian had obtained such evidence, cursing the new director for being foolish. He felt apprehensive about the recording Brian held. After some negotiation, Ollie had no choice but to let Brian and his team leave. Once Brian’s resignation letters were approved and everyone had departed, Ollie called Leon into his office and played the recording Brian had passed to him. “Look at what your people have done,” he said.
After listening, Leon’s expression darkened. “Not only are they having affairs in the company, but they are also treating such crucial matters like casual conversation. And Brian just happened to overhear them. What a fool.”
Leon felt incredibly annoyed. Nothing had been going right for him lately. Ollie wore a grim expression as well. “Let’s promote someone new to the director position. We don’t need useless people like this hanging around.” Ollie narrowed his eyes. “Brian’s gotten bold, thinking he can threaten me. Does he really think that just because he has this recording, I won’t act against him!”
“We won’t resort to underhanded methods against him, but we can make it impossible for him to find work in this industry.” Leon shared the same sentiment. “He doesn’t know how to appreciate our kindness, let’s make sure he’s out of this business.” They prepared to use their connections to cut off Brian’s path to other entertainment companies.
Ollie said, “I’ll spread the word that if anyone hires Brian and his team after they jump ship, they’ll be going against Jenkins Group.” Leon nodded. “As long as no entertainment company wants to confront Jenkins Group, I believe they won’t accept them.” Even their archival, Remy, wouldn’t take them in. After all, Jenkins Group had considerable backing. Neither of them thought highly of Brian, planning to block his path first and force him to change industries. After some time had passed, when Brian was no longer on guard, they would find an opportunity to retrieve all the backups of the recording completely. They were determined not to leave any lingering problems.
What they didn’t know was that after resigning, Brian, although leaving the company, secretly contacted the three stars from the company. He had arranged to meet the three of them at a nearby cafe to discuss their potential transition to another company.