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“Personal revenge?” Elnora repeated the words casually, glancing up at Stella with a cold smirk on her lips.
“Adrianna, I haven’t had much contact with Stella. Where would a personal grudge even come from?” Elnora asked.
Adrianna had been about to mention Albert, but then she hesitated.
She was worried that if she did, it might just end up causing trouble for Stella.
After all, the way the media spun things between Albert and Stella was one thing.
But if she, as Stella’s assistant, actually admitted in a meeting like this that Stella and Albert still had something going on, that would definitely stir up a storm for Stella.
Even though Elnora and Albert had zero emotional connection, she was still the daughter-in-law handpicked by Reese.
At the end of the day, Reese had chosen her personally to marry into the family.
Starlight Entertainment was now under the Campbell Group umbrella.
If Adrianna’s drama today made its way back to the Campbell Group and Reese started putting on the pressure, Stella’s career might just get wiped out for good.
Everyone was just watching Adrianna dig her own grave, curious to see just how far she’d go.
But at the very last moment, Adrianna regained her composure.
She lowered her head, biting her lip.
She didn’t answer Elnora’s question.
Elnora locked eyes with her, giving a cool, burning look as she spoke.
“Stella asked you to stand in for her at today’s meeting, didn’t she?”
Adrianna nodded.
“Yes,” she replied.
Elnora asked, “Are you able to make decisions on Stella’s behalf?”
Adrianna was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Elnora. “What kind of decisions?”
Elnora’s lips curled into a faint smile as she said lightly, “Decisions about her career planning.”
As she spoke, Elnora pulled out the career plan the company had drafted for Stella back then.
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“This is the career plan the company made for Stella before I was in charge. If Stella has the guts to sign a performance contract with the company, then I’ll greenlight this plan for her career,” Elnora said.
Adrianna didn’t agree right away, worried there might be some kind of trap.
“So what’s actually in the deal?” she asked.
Elnora smirked. “Didn’t you say Stella should break into the film industry and have some big names back her up?
“Projects like that cost a lot to make and invest in. I want Stella to earn back Starlight’s investment within three years. If she can’t hit that target, she’ll be tied to Starlight for life, and the profit split will be 70/30-70% for the company, only 30% for Stella.”
Adrianna took a deep breath, a flicker of panic flashing in her eyes.
Stella didn’t come from a professional acting background.
She had never even appeared in a web drama before.
If she failed, she’d not only become a laughingstock in the industry, but she’d also be saddled with a mountain of debt.
Elara noticed Adrianna was silent and asked, “What’s the matter, Adrianna? Cat got your tongue?”
Elnora gave Adrianna a calm, steady look as she spoke. “I know you’re just an assistant. You don’t get to make decisions for Stella. Take the terms of today’s deal to her.
“If she agrees, come see me and sign the contract. If not, then just keep your mouth shut and do as the company says.”
Adrianna took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure as she replied to Elnora.
“I’ll let Stella know about this,” she said.
Elnora nodded. “If there are no more questions, let’s move on with the meeting.”
The meeting dragged on for two hours before it finally wrapped up.
Once it was over, Elnora got up from the head of the table and left.
The artists all followed suit.
Everyone was chatting in small groups, but nobody wanted to talk to Adrianna.
She was just too dumb. Nobody wanted her stupidity to rub off on them.
As Elnora left, she cast Adrianna a look.
Adrianna had finally calmed down, but when she remembered how she’d stood up to Elnora in the meeting, she couldn’t help feeling a chill run down her spine.
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She’d actually challenged Elnora right in front of everyone.
To her surprise, Elnora hadn’t even fired her.
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Elara gathered up all the documents. Seeing Adrianna still sitting there, visibly rattled, Elara scoffed and said, “Trying to stop a train with a twig, huh?”
Adrianna looked up at Elara when she heard her words.
But Elara didn’t even spare her a glance. She just walked out of the meeting room.
Adrianna waited until most of the artists had cleared out before finally getting up from her seat.
As soon as she stepped out of the meeting room, she immediately called Stella.
Stella had only flown out to Vuplariland this morning.
She’d received the news on short notice and had to rush over.
By this time, she’d already arrived in Vuplariland.
When Adrianna called, Stella was just stepping out of the airport.
“Stella, I think I got us into trouble,” Adrianna said.
When Stella answered, she could hear Adrianna’s distress right away.
Stella’s brows knitted instantly.
She had only asked Adrianna to cover for her at the meeting today.
She’d also reminded Adrianna not to let anyone steal her opportunities.
‘Stella was baffled. How did things get messed up?’ she wondered.
“Don’t panic. Just take your time and tell me what happened,” Stella said.
Adrianna explained the changes to Stella’s career plan, making sure to shift all the blame onto Elnora.
“Stella, I was just trying to fight for your resources, but Ms. Finley kept targeting me the whole time,” Adrianna
said.
“She told me to tell you that if you want to activate the previous career plan, you have to sign a performance contract with the company,” she added.
Stella pressed her fingers to her brow, exasperated.
‘I’m just a newbie, seriously, she thought to herself.
When Stella stayed quiet, Adrianna spoke, up again. “Stella, did I cause you any trouble?
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“If I did, I’ll go to Ms. Finley and beg for forgiveness. Everything that happened in the meeting today was all my doing, not yours.”
Adrianna bit her lip, remembering the icy look Elnora shot her as she left the meeting room. That stare sent a chill straight through her, and she couldn’t shake the feeling of dread.
If she went to grovel for forgiveness, with the way Elnora handled things, she’d be out the door in a heartbeat.
After that, landing another gig in this business would be next to impossible.
That’d be the end of her career for good.
Stella took a deep breath, trying to reassure Adrianna.
She said, “Take it easy. Walk me through what happened, step by step.
“When Ms. Finley mentioned the performance contract, was it in her office, or did she say it in front of everyone at the meeting?”
Adrianna barely managed to squeeze out the words through clenched teeth.
“Yeah… it was during the meeting. She said it in front of everyone,” she whispered.
Stella’s fingers clenched tightly around her phone.
‘Since she said it in front of everyone, if I don’t sign that contract, I’ll lose all my standing in the company. From then on, every decision about my career will be made by them, not me,’ Stella thought.
‘But if I really sign it… Stella thought. ‘I’m just a newbie.
Stella massaged her brow, and thinking about how Albert had been treating her lately, she felt a chill run through her heart.
“Adrianna, you were really reckless,” Stella said. “How could you argue with Ms. Finley right there in the meeting?”
Adrianna felt uneasy, her confidence wavering.
“I just wanted to help you fight for what you deserve,” she said softly.
“Stella, maybe you should talk to Albert and see if he can help out?” Adrianna suggested.
Albert always brought Stella along, even when he was traveling for work.
It was just a performance contract, nothing too serious.
Albert would totally have Stella’s back.
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