Twisted Ties of Love

Secretary Hansen said, "Art students are more obedient and it's easier to train them once they step into the corporate world. It's perfectly normal and reasonable for us to sign college students. You might not know, but some companies start scouting talents from a very young age, especially looking for child stars. Nowadays, people have a preference for youthful artists, and many companies are signing groups made up of middle school students."

The current plan of the Maple Group was to focus on TV series and movies, and all Izabella wanted was to be a straightforward producer. She didn't even consider setting up a band or group.

"Sign those who have a solid acting foundation."

Following the release of "Ghost Snatchers", which set new domestic box office records, the company's reputation and popularity have surged. This success was likely to draw the interest of other movie and TV companies, leading them to extend their olive branches.

Izabella preferred to sign in-house artists and allocate resources to them. As the saying goes, "Why spill water beyond your own field?"

If Casey was still planning to develop his career in the entertainment industry and making movies, then those good film productions and excellent scripts at the Maple Group would undoubtedly be his first choice.

The moment Casey crossed Izabella's mind, she immediately ignited her ambition. She had numerous good scripts, and with the successful experience of their first movie, the next movie would be easier to manage.

There were both pros and cons. Their current achievement could be a double-edged sword. If the next film encountered any slight problem and received a poor response, then the advantage brought by the success of "Ghost Snatchers" might have been depleted.

Netizens only focused on the results. If the results were not satisfactory, they would mark you down and use it as an excuse to attack you.

If there was any mistake, the Maple Group would suffer losses.

But should she retreated just because of an unknown result? Izabella was not that kind of person. The more afraid she was, the more determined she was to overcome it, especially considering that she wasn't alone any more.

Making a movie wasn't a one-person endeavor. Apart from finding the director and crew, and the appropriate actors and actresses, as the producer and investor, she also needed connections. She loved continuously breaking her own limits.

Izabella's goal wasn't confined to the the domestic market; it was international. She wanted to make Casey become an international superstar and best actor.

The sky was the only limit for him.

Izabella felt an unexplained sense of pride as if she had sponsored a major movie actor.

For the next movie, Izabella had already planned to make a science fiction movie.

The domestic movie market did have sci-fi movies, but they tended to flop even more than horror movies. None of them stood out, and they were the worst of the worst.

The main problem with sci-fi movies was centered around the special effects.

Foreign sci-fi films were well-produced because they didn't lack funding.

The movie, Blood Ties, was recently released. Taking advantage of Izabella's recent popularity, Brad made the movie release ahead of time.

Blood Ties was highly sought after by various satellite channels, and it was finally sold to Pineapple TV at a high price. It was broadcast every night from eight to ten during the prime time slot, with simultaneous updates available on mobile video platforms.

There was still a month before the release. Shortly after the marketing account released the news, the official Blood Ties Twitter account posted a promotional trailer.

In the trailer, the second female lead, Megan, was played by Izabella. Though she only have a few frames on the screen, her fleeting appearance in those few moments caught everyone's attention.

The character she portrayed in the TV series was entirely different from the female ghost she played in the movie. If Izabella's portrayal of the female ghost was icy and beautiful, the female lead in the TV series exuded an air of elegance and pride, especially when she was dressed in a robe. In that appearance, she was like a real-life Venus.

Netizens cut out the scenes played by Izabella and watched them over and over again. And a ten seconds clip could be watched a hundred times.

They somewhat knew about Izabella's beauty, but they didn't expect her to look this stunning in classical costumes. Just for her beauty, it was worth sitting in front of the TV.

A lot of things happened during the filming of Blood Ties. Firstly, during the casting process, people didn't understand why the director insisted on casting Izabella for the role of the second female lead, but now it was clear.

If Izabella ranked second among the actresses who were both beautiful and slay, no one would dare to claim the first place.

In the original story, after Megan's death, she became the one the King love. When he met the female lead, Malia, who looked like Megan, he brought her into the palace as a "substitute".

In the original book's fanbase, the number of people who liked Megan was second only to those who liked the female lead.

If she wasn't beautiful enough, why would the King remember her for so many years and make such an effort to find a substitute?

So, the casting for Megan was more difficult than for the female lead. Since the audience had already accepted that Kristin would be the female lead, their attention was switched to the casting for the second female lead. And none of them knew Izabella would play the role.

During the filming process, there were various challenges, including the cat cruelty incident, Kristin's scandal, the replacement of the female lead in Blood Ties, and the bankruptcy of X Entertainment, among others. The TV series had a tumultuous journey, and now it was finally about to air.

In the beginning, many netizens criticized Blood Ties, saying that it was a hyped-up show that was doomed even before it started shooting. But now, with just a short promotional trailer, it had captured everyone's attention.

Brad organized the set to promote the series in various cities. He called Izabella and asked whether she could attend.

Izabella couldn't spare the time, and it wasn't necessary for her to attend the promotion, especially since the success of the promotion largely relied on the male and female leads, making her presence as the second female lead less critical.

"Mr. York, I'm currently busy in R City and can't spare the time, but I will definitely be there for the promotion in R City."

Brad was understanding and immediately agreed. It was already very good for Izabella to take the time to attend the promotion in R City. She was now the executive director of the Maple Group, and the movie she recently released had broken the box office record. He had watched the movie, and he believed that it was of definitely award-winning quality. By then, Izabella would become the highest-grossing actress in history. What was even more impressive was that she was only twenty-four years old now.

"Okay, it's fine. Just come when you have the time. I'll send you the address and schedule. If you're busy, you don't have to make it."

So, Izabella continued with her work in the following days. She worked during the day and stayed with Casey in the afternoon and evening.

"Ghost Snatchers" had successfully premiered in the overseas market and received a good response. It grossed one billion in just one week and was still growing. The overseas reviews were also overwhelmingly positive, with over ninety percent approval. Many people exclaimed they didn't expect that Z country could actually produce such an excellent horror movie.

A top-tier luxury brand from abroad had contacted the Maple Group, hoping to collaborate with the female lead from that movie.

Secretary Hansen handed the freshly printed materials to Izabella.

If Izabella accepted this brand endorsement, it would be beneficial for both the company and her personally. After all, a rising tide lifts all boats, right?

Secretary Hansen had assumed that Izabella would be thrilled to accept this endorsement opportunity, as this brand was popular among many top celebrities, and even an ordinary wallet from this brand could cost a fortune.

The brand wanted Izabella to be their domestic ambassador.

Izabella had always been cautious, especially when it came to luxury brands. She would investigate thoroughly before deciding whether to collaborate or not.

"Do a investigation of this brand and check if there are any scandals."

As soon as Secretary Hansen left, Izabella immediately messaged the information to Casey.

Casey, who knew little about luxury brands, forwarded the message to Wendy and Bunny.

Wendy had Izabella's contact. When she learned about the luxury brand's offer, she immediately sent Izabella a message.

[Izabella, you cannot accept this endorsement.]

[Why?] Izabella asked.

[They've insulted our country. The foreign ambassador for this luxury brand has insulted our country, openly usingOffensive language on social media, including derogatory. comments about Downstar. The brand didn't stop her, which clearly suggests a connection between that ambassador and the brand. Now they want you to endorse their brand, likely because your film has received positive feedback in international markets, and they want to cash in. If they truly want to collaborate with you, they must terminate their contract with that

ambassador,] Wendy quickly replied.

Afraid that Izabella might not believe it, Wendy directly accessed the ambassador's social media account and, took screenshots and sent them to Izabella.

[I used to like this brand, but due to this incident, I burned all the products I had.]

Izabella's face darkened as she read the screenshots. She felt a sense of relief for having taken the investigate to research beforehand.

If she had carelessly accepted the endorsement and when the public found out about these issues later, she would have been marked as unpatriotic. No amount of explanations would clear her name.

Izabella took a deep breath and finally replied to Wendy, [Thank you, Wendy.]

She put down her phone and asked her secretary to reject the brand's offer.

Secretary Hansen was surprised, "Ms. Salotti, are you not even going to consider it?"

Izabella show the screenshoots, "Take a look at this."

Secretary Hansen read the messages and her face mirrored Izabella's earlier expression.

But she also felt a sense of regret, saying, "Actually, the situation isn't that bad. That statement was posted a year ago. It's old news and probably won't draw much attention."

In the past, many foreigners might have looked down on Downstar, and with the Downstar growing stronger, they still refuse to let go of their pride.

"Ms. Salotti, how about we negotiate? If they really want to collaborate with us, we can ask them to delete those posts or terminate their contract with that ambassador."

Izabella replied, "The brand didn'tProperty belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

address it a year ago and hasn't

removed those statements now that

they've contacted us. That says a lot

about their attitude. And I have my

own attitude. Just considering those

offensive statements against

Downstar, I can't even stand to talk to them."

"Ah, I see," Secretary Hansen sighed, agreeing with Izabella's perspective.

"Don't be overly optimistic. My decisions are not made to please others. They are guided by my conscience and morality. And they have crossed my line," Izabella said, her eyes displaying a cold resolve. Secretary Hansen was the sole audience, and she felt somewhat daunted by Izabella's forceful presence. "I understand, Ms. Salotti."

Izabella's refusal to collaborate took the brand by surprise, leaving them thinking that she might be a bit unappreciative.

When asked for the reason, Secretary Hansen simply replied, "We don't collaborate with those who disrespect Downstar."

With this statement, there was little left to be misunderstood. They thought it was not worthwhile to terminate their contract with a current ambassador for a potential collaborator. They were willing to consider removing the old posts, but Izabella didn't give them a chance to negotiate.

The matter was closed, and they couldn't understood the patriotism of Downstar's citizens. They couldn't believe that a casual post from a year ago could still be significant.

Just as things were settling down here, the production team faced a minor issue in their promotions.

Becasue Izabella did not join the set for promotions in different cities, rumors began to circulate that she was acting like a diva.

Some thought that she had become arrogant after making a movie. They said that Izabella had forgotten it was the TV series team gave her the opportunity as the second female lead and contributed to her recognition in the movie industry.

In contrast, Vivian, who played the

third lead in Blood Ties, managed to

rebuild her previously damaged image. She was traveling with the team for promotions and she

exuded a strong sense of charm and approachability, leaving no room for distance. Her naturally winsome appearance, along with her efforts to

appear warmly engaging and to indulge fans, resulted in video and photo materials that went online and effectively removed many of her bad

reputation.

The host on the scene of the promotion intentionally set a trap, asking, “Izabella isn't joining you all today. Is she?"

There was a chill in the air when the question was asked. Brad frowned in his chair; he had made it clear to the host not to raise the topic of Izabella. Why had he suddenly brought her up?

Vivian took the microphone, saying, "Izabella might be busy. I've texted and called her, but she didn't respond. But I get it. I've heard she's talking with an international luxury brand."

"Wow, let's extend our congratulations to Izabella in advance." the host exclaimed, trying to dig for more information, "Can you give us any hints about which brand it is?"

"Well," Vivian paused, pretending to be mysterious, “Izabella is still negotiating with the brand, so I can't reveal much. Let's leave it to speculation for now. You'll know when the brand officially announces it."

"It seems like you and Izabella are quite close. You even know such a secret."

"We get along alright. I occasionally text her, but she never replies," Vivian joked.