Camden didn’t immediately speak.

Seeing him hesitate, James knew he had guessed it right. His brows furrowed, and he couldn’t help but voice his concern.

"Fusion Entertainment might have the resources to help us out, but you seem to be forgetting something."

He paused, meeting Camden’s gaze evenly before continuing, "They are not in the industry to simply lend a helping hand. They would only agree to invest if they see their own interest in it."

After a moment of thought, he added, "Jasper Warren has openly shown his admiration and respect towards you several times, but he won’t simply agree to invest without considering what he gains in return."

"He runs one of the country’s leading artiste management companies. What will you do if, in return for the investment, he asks you to favor his company’s artistes? You would find it just as intolerable as before."

He exhaled, shaking his head at the thought. "So ... I’m not really sure if that would actually be able to help us."

Camden’s brows knitted as well. He pondered for a long moment before picking up his phone with a decisive thought. "He might look for his interest," he said calmly, "but he won’t try to negotiate against mine.

What he meant was simple —so long as Jasper didn’t make excessive or unreasonable demands, Camden would still be willing to accept the deal.

Polson understood that, but he still wasn’t very convinced.

After all, Jasper Warren was known to be one of the most difficult figures in the industry —second only to his older brother. He wasn’t someone who would agree easily.

"Are you going to give him a call now?" he asked, noticing Camden already scrolling through his contacts.

Camden didn’t look at him. He simply responded, "What’s the point of waiting when we already know we don’t have many options?"

That was true.

But still ...

Polson thought they would think a little more before deciding on it.

Soon, Camden found the number and dialled it. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

After just a few rings, the call was connected.

Camden was never one to beat around the bush. After exchanging brief pleasantries, he went straight to the point, explaining the purpose of his call.

Polson sat there, listening.

And the more he heard Camden list out the compromises he wasn’t willing to make, the more convinced he became that they would receive nothing but rejection.

However —

He paused when he noticed the expression on Camden’s face. A quiet ease spread across it, looking almost ... satisfied.

He couldn’t hear what Jasper was saying on the other end, but Camden’s reaction alone told him everything.

"Sure. That’ll do," Camden said before finally pulling the phone away and ending the call.

Placing the phone back on the desk, he looked at Polson.

Polson stared right back, waiting.

But when Camden didn’t speak even after a long moment, he finally lost his patience.

"Come on. Tell me —what did he say?"

"He said he’s okay."

"Okay?" Polson repeated. "Okay with what? The investment?"

Camden nodded faintly, giving a small hum. "Mm. He agreed to invest. But we’ll need to meet and discuss the details further. The call alone wasn’t enough."

Polson frowned slightly. He thought for a moment before asking with a serious, concerned face. "Did he ask us to replace our selected cast with his company’s artistes?"

"No," Camden replied. "He didn’t make any such request. In fact, he said he’s willing to act as the strongest financial backer for the project’s production. His only condition is that the quality must not be compromised at any cost."

Polson was genuinely taken aback.

Not just because Jasper had agreed —

But because he had done so without asking for an obvious return.

Why would he do that?

What could be his interest?

—————

Jasper, on the other hand, had certainly not agreed without expecting profit,

It was just that this time —

The gain he was looking for ...

Was very different from usual.

A little personal —for a change.

"We’ll be investing in Director Rhodes’s upcoming project," he said, placing his phone on the desk as he turned to his secretary. "Do we have enough funds?"

The secretary hesitated.

Instead of answering immediately, he lowered his gaze to the tablet in his hand, scanning through the financial reports before speaking.

"Sir ... our current liquidity is limited."

Jasper’s gaze sharpened slightly, though his expression remained calm.

The secretary continued,

"The majority of our allocated investment funds have already been distributed across multiple ongoing projects. Some are mid-production, while others are in post-production stages. Pulling out from them would not only incur losses but also damage our credibility in the industry."

He paused before adding, "At present, we do have some funds available ... but they are not sufficient to fully support a project of Director Rhodes’s scale."

"So, we don’t have the required funds?" Jasper asked evenly.

The secretary shook his head.

A brief silence followed before he spoke again, more cautiously this time.

"Sir ... if you don’t mind, may I ask something?"

Jasper looked up at him and gave a small nod.

"Go ahead."

The secretary hesitated, but eventually asked,

"Why are we insisting on investing in this project when we already have so many strong ones in hand?"

"What do you think?" Jasper replied, clearly not intending to explain directly.

The secretary looked confused.

Still based on his understanding, he answered carefully,

"I understand Director Rhodes’s capability and reputation. His works always dominate the charts. But this time ... his decision seems somewhat driven by insistence. He —"

Jasper raised his finger, cutting him off.

"If you think that, you’re wrong."

The secretary fell silent.

"Director Rhodes isn’t a man driven by such shallow impulses," Jasper said. "If he’s choosing someone with such certainty, then he must have his reasons. Doubting his judgment would be foolish."

The secretary fell silent.

Jasper didn’t elaborate further either. He owed no one an explanation. The fact that he had already said this much was only because he happened to be in the mood.

"Then, sir, should arrange ways to raise additional funds?" the secretary asked.

Since the decision had already been made, the only option left was execution. So, the secretary promptly asked.

However, Jasper simply shook his head at him.

"That won’t be necessary," he said.

Then, he stood up, grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair and draped it over his arm.

He checked the time on his watch.

It was already close to evening.

"Get my car ready. I’ll be leaving early today."

Though confused, the secretary nodded.

By the time Jasper stepped out, his car was already waiting at the entrance. He didn’t waste a second before getting in and driving out of the company premises.

After a while, his car entered Sanctuary Heights.

As the gates opened, he drove straight toward Dylan’s house.

Pulling up in front, he stepped out —only to pause when he noticed a familiar sports bike parked to the side.

Just one glance, and he knew.

Karl was there too.

"This punk never learns, does he?" he muttered under his breath before heading inside.

The living room was empty, which only meant one thing —

Dylan was in the study.

Without waiting or thinking much, he took the stairs and headed straight upstairs.

Stopping at the door, he knocked,

"Come in," Dylan’s voice came from inside.

Jasper pushed the door open —

But the next second, he halted mid-step.

His gaze landed on Karl, who was once again kneeling on the floor.

When their eyes met, Jasper frowned.

"What did you do this time?"

Karl instantly looked offended. Turning slightly on his knees, he snapped, almost in frustration.

"Why do you assume I did something wrong every time? Can’t i live in this world without causing trouble? Can’t I be here simply?"

His tone alone was answer enough.

Jasper didn’t bother asking further. "You can be," he said calmly, walking in and taking a seat across Dylan’s desk, "but not on your knees like this."

Karl glanced down at himself —only then realizing he had been kneeling this entire time.

Suppressing his embarrassment, he scoffed, "So what if I am? I’m kneeling in front of my older brother. What’s wrong with that? Given how much I love and respect him, I could stay like this for the rest of my life."

Jasper raised a brow. "Really?"

Then, turning to Dylan, he added casually, "Big Brother, since he is so willing, why not give him the chance to prove himself. Make him kneel like this for the rest of his life? It would save us all a lot of trouble."

"You —" Karl stared at him in disbelief. "Are you really my brother?" He then shook his head, refusing dramatically. "No, you can’t be. You can’t be my brother. Who are you exactly? Tell me ..."

Jasper ignored him completely.

He has had enough of his antics already.

Turning to Dylan, he instead said,

"Brother, I have a project I want to invest in. But i don’t have enough funds. Can you help me?"