Chapter 409 Stand Against Her
When Lysander brought it up, his face turned stormy. "You know, that might actually be true. Brenda's got the worst luck. She told me if I went for the second male lead, she'd get someone to help me snag the role. But now, not only did I lose it, Cassius blacklisted me. I'm starting to think Elizabeth found out about me and Brenda, and that's why she signed Quentin on purpose."
Lysander used to be into Brenda. But after that live variety show, he realized she was bad news. Being around her felt like it drained his luck. No wonder things always went south when they were together. So, he decided to keep his distance.
But then Brenda came back, promising she could help him get that second male lead role. Desperate, he patched things up with her. Turned out, her promises were all hot air. She wasn't the lucky Miss Clark anymore; she was a walking disaster.
"I need to stay away from her," Lysander muttered, feeling spooked. He'd worked too hard to become a popular star to let Brenda drag him down.
His agent nodded, "Yeah, steer clear of her. She's bad news now."
Meanwhile, at a high-level meeting at Clark Entertainment, the topic came up. Loren was under fire from two shareholders, hinting he should sort out his family drama. Elizabeth constantly targeting Clark Entertainment was a big problem.
Losing resources was one thing, but losing face was worse. Washed-up artists at Clark Entertainment were getting big breaks after signing with Elizabeth's studio. Some even shot to stardom. Emily bounced back with a variety show and a drama. Gilbert became famous with a song, outshining Arnold, the top singer. Elbert got noticed thanks to a TV series.
Now, another washed-up star, Quentin, joined Elizabeth's studio and landed a role in Cassius's movie. If he nailed it, he could gain more fans than the lead actor.
In Cassius's movie, the lead role went to a veteran actor in his fifties. The second male lead played the early middle-aged version of this character, during his most glorious phase.
It was a highly coveted role. Not just Clark Entertainment, but two other major companies were after it. Who would've thought a studio less than a year old would snag it? Cassius even spread the word in the industry, which was a huge slap in the face for Clark Entertainment.
"I didn't expect Elizabeth to sign Quentin and get him that role," Loren said, rubbing his temples after a business trip. He thought, 'What's Elizabeth's endgame? She ruined Brenda, got her kicked out of the Clark family by Dad. Richard still can't come back to the company, and even if he does, he probably won't be an agent anymore. What more does she want? Will this ever end?'
Loren had mixed feelings about Elizabeth. He looked at the execs and said, "I can't handle Elizabeth. What do you guys think we should do?"
Suppress her? She made a name for herself and ran her studio like a pro. Make peace? With her tough attitude, no way. Neither option seemed doable.
The execs were just as clueless. They all chimed in, "How should we know? You're the president, you decide."
Besides being a rising star in the industry, Elizabeth was also a top-notch fortune teller. In the past, their first move would've been to crush her. They figured a big company like theirs could handle one Elizabeth.
But now, no one dared to suggest it, worried it might leak and Elizabeth would strike back. The Clark Family brothers were a prime example of her wrath.
Loren found their response amusing. He coldly instructed, "Then don't give Elizabeth any chances. Have people comb through the company for any talented artists who are being overlooked or held back. Don't let her poach our people and target us."
Being humiliated by Elizabeth had made Loren a laughingstock in the industry. So, cutting off her opportunities was the best counterattack he could think of.
He added, "If we can't suppress Elizabeth, let's block and hinder the growth of her studio's artists. If that doesn't work, let's use other companies' artists to compete with hers."
Elizabeth's studio's rise not only hit Clark Entertainment but also posed a future threat as a competitor. She was exceptionally good at grabbing resources.
Loren sighed inwardly, 'Can't she just stick to being a popular star or a fortune teller? Why does she have to compete with Clark Entertainment for resources, forcing me to go up against her?'
Although Clark Entertainment was just a stepping stone for Loren to build his resume, if this stepping stone crumbled, it would hurt his future plans to join Clark Group and take over the company.
Loren's words made the execs' eyes light up. Yeah, if they couldn't suppress Elizabeth and didn't dare to, they could at least block her studio's artists from rising. And if she liked poaching their neglected or suppressed artists, they just wouldn't give her the chance anymore.
So, the execs all agreed. One of them said, "Yeah, the company should reorganize its artists. In the future, if Elizabeth's artists compete for resources, we'll back other companies' artists. As long as her studio's artists stay obscure, she won't be able to do much."
"By then, she might just close the studio and focus on becoming a star or a master fortune teller."
"Other entertainment companies probably don't want her studio to hog all the good resources either."
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