Reborn Rich: Prices Dropped, My Savings Didn't novel Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Chapter 78: You Have to State Your Requirements

At least, judging by the online feedback, everyone seemed to really approve of her playing Flora.

This, more than anything, made her happy.

Finn was tidying up when he said, "At lunchtime, I’ll go buy some extra dishes Lily likes. We should have a proper celebration."

"No..." Lily Sterling looked at Finn and shook her head. "Let’s not be too conspicuous. It wouldn’t be a good look."

"What’s the harm in celebrating by ourselves? Lily, you’re being way too cautious," Yuna said.

Lily Sterling pursed her lips. "I’m new here. I should keep a low profile."

Finn and Yuna exchanged a look and could only nod in the end. Finn said, "Actually, Lily has a point. I just passed by Jessica Reynolds’s dressing room and heard her throwing a fit. I think it was about the promotional stills. If Lily is spotted celebrating right now, she’ll definitely offend Jessica Reynolds."

Yuna’s excitement gave way to realization. "That’s right. I thought the production would release Jessica Reynolds’s photos this round. How did it end up being Lily and Andrew Sutton? Jessica Reynolds and Sophie Grant are the two second female leads. Sophie’s were released, so why weren’t Jessica’s?"

Finn shook his head, indicating he didn’t know.

Hearing this made Lily Sterling even more alarmed. She quickly asked Yuna, "Does this mean I’ve offended a senior actress?"

"Of course not. This is a matter for the promotions team. What has it got to do with us? It’s not like you had any control over it." Yuna gave Lily Sterling a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry about these things. The show’s promotion is run by a professional team, and they certainly know more than we do. Just look at the effect it had today. That proves they’re professionals."

This reassured Lily Sterling somewhat.

She just wanted to focus on her acting. She didn’t really care about getting famous, and she certainly didn’t want to steal anyone’s spotlight.

Meanwhile, Mia returned with news.

"What did you say?"

Jessica Reynolds stared at Mia in disbelief, as if she hadn’t understood a single word. "Say that again!"

Mia lowered her head, her voice trembling. "The promotions team said... your set of promotional photos is lost. They can’t find them."

"What about the negatives? Are there no negatives?" Jessica Reynolds pressed.

Mia shook her head. "No, the negatives are gone, too..."

"How is that possible!" Jessica Reynolds glared, her expression turning vicious. "It just had to be *my* photos that got lost? The negatives are gone, too?"

No one in the room dared to breathe. The whole thing sounded incredibly fishy.

If they’d really been lost by accident, someone would have informed her team much earlier. And knowing Jessica Reynolds, she would have absolutely squeezed in the time for a reshoot.

But instead, there had been no news at all; they’d simply not released her photos.

Jessica Reynolds had been in the entertainment industry for years; she couldn’t be so easily fooled by an excuse like that.

As her anger subsided, the more she thought about it, the more something felt off. Finally, she turned to Mia. "Impossible. Go contact someone on the promotions team and get a clear answer. Aren’t you on good terms with that guy, Mu? Go ask him. It’s fine to sweeten the deal a little. Just get to the bottom of this for me."

’I’d like to see just who has the audacity to sabotage me!’

「At ten in the morning」

Cecilia Sterling finally arrived at Starwood Film Base.

She had contacted James Lockwood in advance, hoping to borrow a professional from Locke Entertainment’s legal department. To her surprise, when she arrived, James Lockwood was there in person.

"Mr. Lockwood?" Cecilia Sterling said, a little surprised to see him.

Before Yuna could say anything more, James Lockwood simply gave a slight nod, then walked past her and headed straight for the film set.

Connie smiled at Yuna and followed him.

Only Cecilia Sterling and Lawyer Lynn were left standing in the same spot.

Yuna blinked in confusion, then turned to greet Cecilia Sterling. "You must be Lily’s sister, right? Please, follow me."

The moment she saw her sister, Lily rushed over to hug her, looking both happy and apologetic. "I’m so sorry for making you come all this way for me again."

"Don’t worry about it. I’ve never seen a film set before, so it’s a new experience for me," Cecilia Sterling said, then asked, "Has Iris Underwood not arrived yet?"

Lily Sterling shook her head.

"Perfect. This is Lawyer Lynn. Quick, give him that contract template and have him see if there’s anything wrong with it."

Then, while Lawyer Lynn was looking over the contract, Cecilia Sterling pulled her sister to sit down to the side. "Let me ask you something," she said in a low voice. "Do you have any thoughts about your career path after you sign?"

Lily Sterling paused, then shook her head. "Not really... As long as I have roles to act in, I’m happy. Sis, I’m a newcomer. I can’t really make too many demands, can I?"

"If you have requirements, of course you should bring them up! That’s the whole point of a ’negotiation.’ Why else would I come all this way? It’s to give you the backing to make your own demands!"

At this, Lily Sterling looked troubled. "I don’t want people to think I’m acting like a diva before I’ve even made a name for myself," she said hesitantly.

"But a contract is a partnership. They have expectations of you, and you have the right to state your own requirements. A partnership only works when both sides can reach an agreement. You can’t just give up your own rights because you’re new!"

Cecilia Sterling gripped her sister’s hand. "I’m here, so don’t be afraid. If you aren’t clear about what you want now, you’ll have no choice but to obey later when the company assigns you to projects you don’t like."

Lily Sterling looked at her sister, contemplated for a moment, and then nodded.