The banquet hall was a scene of clinking glasses and lively chatter.

  Men were dressed in suits and leather shoes, while women adorned themselves in evening gowns.

  Even in her previous life, Grace had never attended such a cocktail party. But she wasn't the least bit intimidated. After all, this reception was specifically for investors, and today, she was here to invest.

  Fortunately, the dress Scarlett had lent her was quite presentable. Even if it wasn't as flamboyant as those worn by other women, it didn't seem out of place.

  "Honey, let me introduce you. This is the Miss Dorothy I mentioned." As soon as they entered, Mr. Jones's first task was to introduce Grace to his wife.

  "Miss Dorothy, this is my wife, Paulina."

  Paulina was radiant, her dark green evening gown lending her an exceptionally elegant and poised air. She enthusiastically extended her hand to greet Grace. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Dorothy. You are indeed as young and beautiful as my husband said."

  Grace naturally withdrew her slender hand from the crook of Mr. Jones's arm and shook Paulina's hand with a smile. "You flatter me, Mrs. Jones. It's a pleasure to meet you."

  "Miss Dorothy, shall I first introduce you to some new friends?" Mr. Jones suggested at the right time.

  At such high-society cocktail parties, most invitees were notable figures. Many used the opportunity to make new acquaintances and expand their networks.

  Mr. Jones's offer was clearly well-intentioned.

  But Grace wasn't particularly interested. She smiled at Mr. Jones and said, "That won't be necessary, Mr. Jones. I came with a purpose today. I assume you've been waiting for my response? Shall we discuss the investment matter?"

  Upon hearing this, Mr. Jones's eyes lit up, and he instinctively exchanged a glance with his wife, Paulina.

  "Miss Dorothy is truly straightforward," Mr. Jones remarked with admiration.

  Paulina was thrilled and quickly gestured an invitation. "Miss Dorothy, let's move to a quieter spot inside for a detailed discussion."

  Sitting on sofas in the corner of the banquet hall, facing the couple, Grace got straight to the point. "I've spent the last few days reading 'Destined to Be Queen' in one go. The content is indeed very captivating. I'm very interested in its adaptation for film and television."

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  Seeing that there was potential, Mr. Jones was instantly overjoyed.

  "Does that mean Miss Dorothy intends to invest?"

  Grace nodded without denying it and didn't beat around the bush. "I can invest, but I have one condition."

  Mr. Jones smiled, unsurprised. Every investor had their reasons for putting money in; there were always additional conditions.

  "Please, go ahead, Miss Dorothy."

  Grace took out her phone, found a photo of her sister, and placed it in front of Mr. Jones and Paulina. "This is my younger sister. She's a freshman this year at Aethelburg Film Academy, ranked in the top fifty in the national arts entrance exams."

  "My condition is simple: my sister must get the role of 'Daisy'."

  Using investment as leverage to get someone a role was commonplace in the entertainment industry, so Mr. Jones wasn't overly surprised by Grace's words.

  However, with filming about to start, the actors for the main roles were basically already finalized, and contracts had been signed. It was unlikely to change someone at this stage.

  Paulina looked at the photo of Chloe on the phone and nodded with a hint of admiration. "Miss Dorothy's sister has excellent qualities. She has the bone structure of a classic slender beauty."

  Mr. Jones pressed his lips together, lost in thought for a long moment before looking up at Grace and asking, "How much is Miss Dorothy planning to invest?"

  Grace smiled. "If you can agree to my condition, I can cover the remaining shortfall in your funding, Mr. Jones, no matter its size."

  A twenty-thousand-dollar project—how much could it possibly be lacking?

  Grace was indifferent to the amount, but Mr. Jones and Paulina were momentarily stunned upon hearing this.

  They had never encountered an investor who stated no upper limit right from the start.

  Paulina gently poked Mr. Jones's waist, giving him a look that only the couple understood.

  Mr. Jones nodded, stood up, scanned the banquet hall, and finally waved over Director Adam, who was socializing in his suit. "Adam, come here for a moment."

  Director Adam put down his glass and came over quickly. As he approached, he immediately noticed Grace's stunning appearance, then glanced unobtrusively at Mr. Jones. "What is it, President Jones?"

  Mr. Jones first introduced Director Adam to Grace, clarifying his role as the casting director for the production crew.

  Then he asked, "Who was cast for the role of 'Daisy'?"

  "Uh, it's Linda," Director Adam said, his face showing difficulty. "But President Jones, Linda's team is still haggling with us over the pay. Probably because Bunnie is getting paid for 850 Dollars, and she's only getting 600, she's a bit unwilling. But Bunnie is playing the female lead's second supporting role, while 'Daisy' is the fourth female lead. Different screen time means the pay can't possibly be the same."

  Paulina couldn't help but sneer upon hearing this. "Although they are competitors who debuted around the same time, Bunnie just won the Golden Leaf Award for Best Supporting Actress in May. Isn't it natural for her salary to be higher?"

  Both Linda and Bunnie were moderately popular actresses in the current entertainment business. They debuted around the same time and had always been neck-and-neck, with their pay in the same range.

  Until this year, when Bunnie won the Best Supporting Actress award at the Golden Leaf Awards for a period drama, directly putting distance between herself and other actresses from her cohort.

  Grace also recalled the actress Linda. In her previous life, she was indeed the one who played 'Daisy,' and later, because the role was so charming, she gained countless fans, causing her popularity to skyrocket and propelling her to become a top-tier young actress.

  Unfortunately, she later made a fundamental error, was named and banned by official media, leading to the entire series "Destined to Be Queen" being taken down from all platforms.

  A once-promising career was ruined by a single misstep completely.

  "Stop haggling with them. We have another candidate for this role."

  As Mr. Jones spoke, he tapped the table. Director Adam then noticed the phone on the table displaying Chloe's photo.

  "Eh? Isn't this Chloe from the Film Academy?" Director Adam was startled, completely baffled.

  "You've seen this young lady before?"

  Director Adam nodded and then explained to Mr. Jones about the situation where two rookie roles had to be swapped due to a five-hundred-dollar investment.

  Mr. Jones naturally knew about securing the investment and the role swap between the two students, but he didn't know that the person who lost her original role was Miss Dorothy's own sister.

  "Miss Dorothy, I'm truly sorry. You see... I really didn't know the details, didn't know this young lady was your sister."

  Mr. Jones was somewhat fearful. After all, sitting across from him was his major potential investor, and he had inadvertently caused Miss Dorothy's sister such significant grievance.

  Grace smiled gracefully, not seeming to mind. "No blame for the unaware. There's no need to apologize, Mr. Jones. Moreover, I wouldn't have agreed to my sister playing that maid role anyway."

  As she spoke, she put her phone away and looked at Mr. Jones. "So, are we in agreement?"