Ophelia cut straight to the chase. "Mr. Martin. I''ve looked at your previous casting choices. You have an excellent eye for talent. So why the sudden change? Is it a funding issue?" William''s silence was as good as confirmation.


    "Then let''s talk investment Ophelia said, skipping the niceties. She had two motives. First, she didn''t want this ssic y ruined, and second, she had a personal score to settle with Emily Besides, investing in a y destined for sess was a sure win,


    Her terms were simple rece Emily. She''d not only cover Emily''s investment gap but also throw in an additional three million dors.


    That brought her total investment to 10 million dors, a 45% stake, making her the most influential investor.


    William had ulterior motives when he said, "Well, there are some scheduling issues with our previous lead actress..." In fact, he was hoping Ophelia would take on the role.


    Seeing through William''s intentions, Ophelia responded bluntly, I''m not interested in acting, but I can rmend


    someone to you


    ""Who?" William asked.


    Sharon. Ophelia replied without hesitation.


    William immediately frowned, shaking his head vigorously. "No, no, that won''t work. Sharon''s a good actress, sure, but she''s just right for Josephine. Gwen? Absolutely not. We''d be better of sticking with Emily than casting Sharon" "I trust my choice. Let her try out for the role." Ophelia''s tone left no room for argument.


    William furrowed his brow, ncing at his watch. He wondered if he had just traded one headache for another. If he hadn''t invested so much time preparing for this production, he wouldn''t let some clueless people meddle in his work. Reluctantly, William sent someone to fetch Sharon. Without exining the situation, he simply asked her to act out the female lead''s scene from that morning.


    Sharon hesitated, ncing at Ophelia, who gave her a slight nod


    Taking a deep breath, Sharon closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her entire demeanor had transformed. She stood there, poised and dignified. In her mind, she knew how deeply Josephine loved that man. If Josephine were to learn that the bowl of soup had been sent by the Emperor himself, it would devastate her even more than she already was.


    Sharon endured silently, willingly bearing this burden alone. Even as tears streamed down her face and her voice broke with sobs, her expression of restrained anguish was perfectly conveyed


    Ophelia''s lips curled into a subtle smile. "Well, Mr. Martin? What do


    you


    think?"


    William cleared his throat, trying to hide his embarrassment at being proven wrong. He had to admit that some people really could be whoever they portrayed. He had clearly underestimated Sharon., "Fine, we''ll do it your way," William conceded. "Let''s exchange numbers. I''ll reach out once things are settled."


    Ophelia nodded. "Sounds good. And one more thing - Kimberly doesn''t fit Irene''s character at all. You might want to consider auditioning Amanda Shelby for the role instead."


    In her past life, Amanda had indeed yed the part. After the show aired, it came to light that Kimberly had thrown a diva


    D


    58%


    fit mid-filming and quit. The director had brought in Amanda asast-minute recement, resulting in Irene bing a beloved character.


    William was taken aback by Ophelia''s suggestion. Despite her age, she consistently hit the nail on the head, seemingly able to read his mind. He felt she was truly something special.


    After exchanging numbers, Ophelia didn''t even get a chance to say a word to Sharon. Keh promptly grabbed her by the shoulders and whisked her away.


    Emily stepped out of the break room, feeling pretty pleased with herself. But her smug grin vanished as she caught sight of a familiar figure. Is that Ophelia? Why is she with a man?''


    Their bodynguage suggested an intimate rtionship, and the man''s silhouette was clearly not that of the old man from Rosewood Manor.


    Emily swiftly pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of Ophelia and the mystery man from behind. Her eyes glimmered with poorly concealed triumph


    Initially, Emily had worried that if she turned Ophelia over to the police, the old man would protect her. But now, those concerns evaporated.


    She believed if Ophelia kept a young lover behind the old man''s back, not only would he fail to protect her, but he might even turn against her. ''Ophelia,'' she thought with a smirk, ''your days are numbered"


    On the way back to Rosewood Manor, Ophelia called Chloe, "Chloe, how much money can we pull together right now?*? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Ophelia''s delicate brows furrowed involuntarily at Chloe''s response.


    The money they''d earned from the stock market had mostly gone into investing in Christopher''spany and operating La Reverie. They''d just purchased a batch of rough stonesst week, leaving them with only about three million dors avable. As grand as Ophelia had been while negotiating with William earlier, she now felt equally desperate.


    Ophelia scrolled through her contacts, considering reaching out to James. She figured maybe he''d be willing to invest in this production


    Keh watched her with a prating gaze. Even though her expression revealed little, he could read her like an open book. "What are you up to?" he asked.


    "Trying to secure some investment for this film," Ophelia replied, her tone casual but her mind racing.


    Keh let out a cold snort. He removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair, his expression darkening.


    Ophelia thought he was upset about her looking at her phone. She leaned in with a sweet smile, intending to give him a peck on the cheek


    To her surprise, the usually easily pacified Keh turned away. He''s not falling for this now? she wondered.


    "What''s wrong? Are you upset? I''ll make it up to you when we get home, okay?" Her tone was reminiscent of someone coaxing a child.


    "Why didn''t youe to me?" Keh asked abruptly.


    Ophelia raised an eyebrow. "Come to you?"


    "What? You don''t think I can afford to invest in a film?" Keh snorted.


    14:51 Mon, Nov 11 uw ti


    958%


    She''d rather run herself ragged chasing investors than ask me for a dime, he thought, shaking his head in disbelief. Tm sitting on a fortune here, but she''s looking for help from others Good luck with that


    Ophelia''s eyes lit up, and she smiled like a sly fox. "So, Mr. Sinir, how much are you nning to invest?"


    "Who said I''m going to invest?" Keh replied tly.


    Ophelia''s face fell. His mood swings were giving her whish.


    Keh leaned back in his chair, legs crossed, clearly not in a mod to negotiate. "Give me one good reason why I should."


    It was clear Keh wouldn''t do anything unless there was something in it for him. He never made unprofitable deals.


    "Well... Ophelia said, choosing her words carefully. "First off, this drama aligns perfectly with the current market trends. It''s an adaptation of a popr IP. Secondly, the production team is highly experienced, and the director has a cutting-edge vision. In andscape saturated with period dramas and family sagas, this show has the potential to be a dark horse once it


    airs.


    Ophelia was being conservative in her pitch. She vividly remembered how this drama had taken the entire country by storm in her past life,


    Keh''s face remained expressionless.


    Ophelia, at a loss, kept praising the show over and over until her throat went dry. She reached for the bottled water in the car and took a few sips. Bút Keh still wasn''t buying it.


    Is he still not satisfied with what I have said?'' Ophelia sighed. This big boss is truly the toughest nut to crack.


    Even after they returned to Rosewood Manor, Keh remained unmoved by her words.


    Upstairs in the room, Ophelia took a deep breath. "How about this? I can throw in a contract guaranteeing that your investment will bring you substantial returns. If it doesn''t, I''llpensate you double."


    That should be enough to show she meant business, Ophelia thought. If this wasn''t enough, she''d have no choice but to give


    1. up.


    "You''ll need to try a bit harder to convince me," Keh replied his tone unimpressed.


    "After all I''ve said, you''re still not convinced?" Ophelia froze, caught off guard as she watched Keh remove his coat and unfasten his wristwatch. The grace of his