Possessed No More: The True Star Returns to Claim Her Throne

Chapter 64: Blacklisted

Joanna: ’...Why is her voice so hoarse? And you can tell she just woke up.’

’But how is it still so pleasant to listen to? It’s even sexier than when she’s awake. Damn, it’s seductive!’

’If I were a man, I’d be hard by now just from hearing this voice!’

"Riley Perry, that variety show I lined up for you got snatched away."

Riley Perry asked in a raspy voice, "Which one?"

"Escape Room! The show’s pretty popular right now. If you hadn’t trended a few times before, the spot never would have gone to you in the first place. But now it’s gone to some rookie who just debuted."

Riley Perry had heard of the show. It was "pretty popular," but only relatively speaking. It wasn’t a top-tier variety show, and the regular cast was just a bunch of second and third-rate celebrities. Besides, even if she had signed on, it would’ve only been as a guest for one or two episodes. It wasn’t a big deal if she didn’t get it.

Still, she couldn’t just let someone who was blocking her from making money get away with it.

"What about my other jobs?"

Joanna said, "When that show fell through, I tried to find out why, but the staff over there just hemmed and hawed, unable to give me a straight answer. I knew something else was up. Later, I reached out about a few other opportunities, and the result was always the same: they wouldn’t use you."

"Then I did some more digging and found out that someone in Dragonspire put the word out that they don’t want to see you in the industry."

Hearing this, Riley Perry finally perked up a little. Wasn’t this just an attempt to blacklist her?

’Damn, that person’s finally making a move again, and they’re going straight for a blacklist.’ She sat up and leaned against the headboard. The blanket slid down, exposing her delicate skin to the air. Only then did she remember she wasn’t wearing anything. The pajamas she had taken off last night were gone; that man must have tidied them up.

She got up, went to the walk-in closet, picked out a new set of pajamas, and put them on. "So, what’s the company’s stance?"

"Do you know why they only dared to snatch your opportunities but didn’t dare to publicly announce they were blacklisting you? The company you’re signed with is called Stardust."

If the old Riley Perry hadn’t been so disappointing and failed to become popular, the other party would have had to think twice before even making a public declaration.

But for them to still dare to move against her, knowing she was a Stardust artist, they must have some serious backing.

"But I’m just an insignificant artist at the company. When it comes to business interests, I’ll probably be the one who gets sacrificed."

At this, Joanna snorted smugly. ’As if. Don’t you know who your agent is?’

"Don’t worry, I’ve got your back."

"I got the latest news from the president’s office. The company is preparing an S-class production, and every artist in the company will have a chance to audition. So you’d better get ready."

’So that means as long as I’m decent, I can probably land a suitable role.’

Riley Perry clicked her tongue. ’Something’s off about Nana!’

’Nana is definitely qualified as an agent. She’s responsible and doesn’t get involved in any shady business. But among Stardust’s top agents, she doesn’t even rank, because she’s never managed a single breakout star. She went to see the president, and he actually had time for her? And even told her about an S-class production?’

’And thinking back to how badly the "fake" her was being slandered, the company never even shelved her, and Nana was still able to find her opportunities. How?’

’It just doesn’t add up, unless Nana has a personal connection with the president!’

’Tsk. The people around me... every single one of them is a force to be reckoned with!’

"I’ll show no mercy to anyone who gets in my way. Don’t let me find out who’s messing with me, or I’ll destroy them."

"If you want to make money, you’d better lay low for the next few days and don’t cause any trouble. I’ll think of something and see if I can find you some other opportunities."

Riley Perry: "...Nana, you’re seriously the best agent in the world! Being signed under you is the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me!"

"But don’t worry about me too much. Filming for *Immortal Demon Tribulation* is about to wrap up, and there will be promotions before the release, so I won’t be lacking exposure. And then there’s *Starfire*. Even though I’m only the fifth female lead, my acting has definitely improved. There’s bound to be a lot of buzz. You think opportunities won’t come knocking then?"

Joanna thought about it and realized that was true. Still, she was incredibly touched that her artist knew how to appreciate and understand her. So, she couldn’t just sit back; she had to keep looking for more opportunities for Riley Perry!

"I mean, you have a sugar daddy, for crying out loud. Can’t you get him to send some opportunities your way? What’s the point of having a sugar daddy otherwise? Don’t tell me he’s no good, is he?"

She respected her artists’ privacy. If Riley Perry didn’t say anything, she would never ask, so she had no idea who Riley Perry’s mysterious sugar daddy was.

Riley Perry: ’If her great patron heard that, he probably wouldn’t just refuse to give her opportunities; he’d blacklist Nana along with her.’

That man was Cole Sinclair, the President of the Sinclair Group. Although the Sinclair Group’s main business wasn’t in entertainment, the country’s largest video streaming site, Starfruit, was one of its subsidiaries.

There was also the Lychee Live streaming platform, which was fully controlled by the Sinclair Group. The net profit from that platform alone reached tens of billions every year.

And as far as she knew, Cole Sinclair held shares in many of the country’s entertainment companies.

The country had three major entertainment companies: Stellux Pictures, Stardust Entertainment, and Zenith Music. Stellux was founded five years ago by the young miss of the Valentine Family of Dragonspire and was considered a rising star.

Zenith was an established entertainment company, currently run by the second generation of the Upton Family.

The Lynch Family held the controlling stake in Stardust.

But the Sinclair Group held anywhere from five to ten percent of the shares in all three of these companies.

Stellux was a special case, with Valentine Holdings owning a fifty-one percent stake. As for Stardust, although the Lynch Family held sixty-one percent of the shares, the heir to the Lynch Family only personally controlled twenty-five percent. The Upton Family only had a thirty-something percent stake in Zenith. For the Sinclair Group to hold five to ten percent in each of these companies was already quite a lot.

So, it wasn’t that Cole Sinclair was "no good"—he was far too good.

"Don’t rush, Nana. It’s just that I have faith in your abilities, you know?"

"Even when things were so bad for me before, you still managed to find me opportunities so I wouldn’t be left with no income. I’m sure you can handle a situation like this and lead me through the mud."

"But I’ll still have to trouble you to help me find out who exactly is trying to blacklist me."

On the other end of the line, Joanna was so flattered she couldn’t stop smiling. She agreed to Riley Perry’s request, and after a few more words, she hung up, ready to go work her tail off for her.

Riley Perry glanced at the time. It was already eleven o’clock.

Without a doubt, President Sinclair was already at the office. After washing up, she gave Cole Sinclair a call.

"You’re awake?"

Riley Perry hummed in agreement. "Just woke up. Mr. Sinclair, aren’t you tired at all? My back is still sore, and my legs feel funny. I don’t even want to move."

The man on the other end coughed. "Do you want to come have lunch with me?"

Riley Perry’s voice immediately brightened with excitement. "Really? I can come find you at work, Mr. Sinclair?"