Chapter 260: Chapter 260

In the end, Anna Thornton couldn’t catch up to Lola.

Because her car was intercepted halfway!

Surrounded by dozens of black Mercedes affecting traffic, Anna had no choice but to turn off the engine and get out. She walked up to the lead Bentley and knocked on the window.

"Young Master Grant, since when do you brand of business cars?"

Finn Grant got out from the driver’s seat, confidently nodding at Anna, "Why? Conrad Sterling can drive this, but I can’t?"

"You can! But the road is so wide, why choose here to test drive your new car right in front of me?"

"I stopped you to remind you that you were speeding just now."

With Finn Grant’s carefree and unruly nature, reminding Anna not to speed felt like a rascal serving as an anti-smoking ambassador.

The memory of his late-night car race with Conrad that left Anna sick was still fresh.

"What were you in such a hurry for just now?" Finn Grant asked Anna, "If you tell me, I can give you a ride and help you catch up."

"No need, it’s too late now." Anna sighed.

Seeing her so down, Finn Grant became even more curious, "Exactly who are you trying to catch? Man or woman?"

"A man! Someone I like! Satisfied?"

"Could it be Conrad Sterling?"

Hearing it wasn’t Conrad Sterling, Finn Grant felt relieved.

But when did a new rival appear? Was it because he’d been too busy and neglected this?

"Besides Conrad Sterling, who else? Is that guy more handsome than I am? Richer than I am?"

"In my eyes, he is a little more handsome than you." Anna objectively assessed, "As for wealth, that’s not important. I can support him."

Just as Finn Grant was starting to feel a sense of crisis, he let it go after hearing Anna’s response.

"Impossible, there’s no man in the world more handsome than me, let alone a pretty boy? You’re lying, right?"

Anna: "...Young Master Grant, if you’re done, I’ll be leaving now."

"Hey, wait!" Finn Grant grabbed Anna’s hand, "We haven’t discussed business."

"What business is there between us?" Anna was puzzled.

"Who said there isn’t!" Finn Grant teased, winking at Anna.

He then returned to his car, brought out a contract, and handed it to Anna, "Sign this."

Anna was afraid it was a marriage license for a moment, but upon closer look, it was an artist contract.

"What does this mean?"

"I’ve started a new entertainment company and plan to sign you."

"You? Start an entertainment company?"

"If Conrad Sterling can do it, why can’t I?"

Recently, Finn Grant had been busy with this! Starting an entertainment company for Anna to prove his sincerity and seriousness about pursuing her.

The strategy of ’the near water gets the moon first’ was something Conrad Sterling used to pursue Marilyn Ford.

If it came down to proper competition, Finn Grant wouldn’t lose to him.

"But... Young Master Grant, I’ve already signed with a company."

"I know, a small subsidiary of Sterling Group, right? Terminate the contract, and I’ll pay the penalty. I’ve assembled the best team for you, ready to make you the next big film star, even bigger than Marilyn Ford!"

"Why not? Do you think the resources I personally tailor for you can’t compare to that small company?"

The conditions Finn Grant offered were indeed tempting.

But unbeknownst to him, Anna was actually the hidden owner of Starlight Entertainment, the company he referred to as small—a company she couldn’t simply leave.

Finn Grant lacked neither ability nor courage; he just always seemed to act one step behind Conrad Sterling.

But that wasn’t his fault; the opponent was just too cunning!

Failing to get the contract signed, Finn Grant originally intended to invite Anna out for dinner. The rıghtful source is Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

However, Anna declined with the excuse of having work.

Suspecting her reason was just an excuse, Finn Grant followed Anna with his entourage of bodyguard vehicles, only to find the young woman indeed returned to the company.

He then received an urgent text from Henry Willow about a meeting to discuss plans for Anna’s career future.

Yet when Anna and Mary hurried back to the company, they found an unexpected person in the conference room besides Henry Willow and some staff.

Conrad Sterling rarely came to the entertainment company, but this was likely the second time this year.

The man sat with a commanding presence at the head of the conference table, leaving the tense and sheepish staff making small nervous gestures.

Only Anna dared to break the atmosphere, "Am I in the wrong place? Is this Starlight Entertainment, or Sterling Group headquarters?"

"Our company is part of Sterling Group, so as the big boss, President Sterling is here to offer guidance. Everyone, let’s welcome him!" Henry Willow led with a teasing tone.

Anna couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him, disdaining Henry’s attempts to smooth things over.

Clearly, they all knew that Starlight Entertainment now essentially belonged to Anna, having little to do with Conrad Sterling.

This man was only the nominal big boss, poking his nose into things without reason. Why meddle in her work? Facing Conrad at home was annoying enough, and now he wanted to intrude at her job too—is there no sanctuary left in this world?

"Anna, have a seat with Mary, and we’ll start." The meeting, primarily led by general manager Henry Willow, began, "First off, let’s commend Anna for her recent film release, which broke into the domestic box office top ten despite being out for just over a month without any major holidays. Excellent, excellent!"

"President Willow, you’re too kind. The film’s success was primarily due to the team’s hard work; I just got lucky. But seeing as President Sterling is here, I’d love to hear any guidance he has." Anna turned her gaze to Conrad Sterling.

Someone who knows nothing about entertainment trying to show off here? Really?

Indeed, Anna intended to criticize him deliberately!

"President Sterling, have you seen this movie? What do you think?"

"I’ve seen it! Music got four stars, visuals three, script two!" Conrad Sterling was always conservative with ratings, considering his high standards.

Yet a script given two stars by President Sterling had been wildly praised by audiences, hailed as a resurgence of domestic screenwriting logic!

This film was exhilarating for the company, especially after Marilyn Ford’s departure, which had unsettled the staff. Anna’s rapid rise acted as a stabilizing force.

With Conrad Sterling’s critical demands, Henry Willow was about to mediate.

However, before he could speak, Conrad Sterling added, "But your acting deserves ten stars!"

It seems he worried too much—who said Conrad Sterling couldn’t be sweet? Praising his wife with flair and balance was indeed his style.

"Only two stars for the plot? President Sterling, may I ask what issues you saw with it?"

"Too many male leads, too many intimate scenes, and unnecessary physical contact exceeded twenty-five times! The confessions in the film by those male leads were overly cheesy, too sentimental!"

Anna hadn’t expected Conrad Sterling to actually watch her movie, counting how many times the leads had physical contact. Wasn’t he recovering in the hospital during that time?

However, his count of physical contact included hand-holding and shoulder-patting.

The scene where the expiry date of the robot female lead approached and each male lead’s heartfelt confession was the most touching part—yet Conrad Sterling’s lack of romantic sentiment saw it as cheesy.

His personal bias was too strong; without understanding movies, his evaluation held no reference value.