CHAPTER 435: CHAPTER 435: ROMAN CAME TO VISIT CHANTELLE

Chantelle pinched his earlobe and said, "We’ll see after you pass the exam."

When Kane noticed she wasn’t angry anymore, he hugged her and said, "Mommy, if you don’t want Daddy anymore, just dump him. I’ll protect you from now on!"

Chantelle was stunned for a moment, then her heart softened. Everyone thought Kane was reckless and mischievous, but only she knew how thoughtful he could be when it came to her. He had already sensed her hesitation about leaving Daniel for the triplets’ sake.

"Mommy, even though I think Daddy isn’t such a jerk anymore, you still have the right to leave him if he makes you sad. I don’t want you to be hurt."

"Brat, don’t think I’ll forgive you just because you said that. No computer games for a month."

Kane burst into tears and pleaded, "Mommy, can’t you change the punishment? Why don’t you hit me instead?"

"Mrs. Wilson, Mr. Wilson will never betray you. You can rest assured."

The sudden voice startled Chantelle.

"Why are you here?" she asked, looking around the car. It was just a regular taxi she had hailed on the street. However, the driver was indeed the same witty driver from this morning.

The driver smiled. "Mrs. Wilson, please calm down. These are Mr. Wilson’s instructions. He said anyone who drives you will get a thousand dollars, no matter the distance."

Chantelle couldn’t stand how Daniel treated her.

"Mommy, there’s food. All your favorites," Kane said, pulling out a box filled with different snacks.

Chantelle hadn’t eaten lunch since morning, and the smell made her stomach growl.

She wanted to refuse, but in the end, she grabbed one of the snacks and ate it angrily. It felt like she was biting into Daniel’s annoying face.

"Mr. Wilson called me and told me to buy all these snacks. He picked them himself through a video call," the driver said.

The food didn’t taste the same anymore as Chantelle ate, though Kane seemed to enjoy it.

Then Chantelle’s phone rang. It was Clinton. "Ms. Chantelle, have you seen the comments online? I’m worried about Stephanie..."

Chantelle had just seen the posts about Stephanie, but they disappeared before she could react. When she searched Stephanie’s name again, all she found were positive articles praising her.

"I don’t think she knows about it yet. As long as it’s removed from the trending feed, everything will be fine. Don’t worry," Chantelle assured him.

"But everyone is calling our movie an imitation. They’re trying to boycott it."

"Just ignore it," Chantelle said before hanging up. She then called one of the actors from Camille’s cast.

She suspected Camille only had a verbal agreement with them. The article online only mentioned their involvement, which was enough to make the actors’ fans boycott Stephanie’s film. Chantelle was certain none of them had signed a contract yet.

"Hello, this is Isabella. I’d like to speak to Mr. Ferguson."

"Ms. Isabella, it’s been a long time. Please hold on."

It was noisy on the other end of the call, and Chantelle thought that Corey Ferguson was probably in the middle of filming. He was the most famous actor in Camille’s movie cast. Two years ago, she met him while helping Ciara with her business. If she could get his support, he could convince the other actors to cooperate.

"Isabella, I didn’t expect you to call me. What a surprise," Corey’s excited voice came from the other end.

He had joined the entertainment industry to make money. Two years ago, he worked hard to break into the spotlight, and it was Chantelle, known to him as Isabella, who helped him land his first major role. That role made him famous in Easthan and brought him great success. Because of that, he would never dare offend her.

"I need your help. Can you do me a favor, Mr. Best Actor?" she said.

"Stop teasing me. I know my limits. Tell me, how can I help you? I’m willing to do anything," Corey replied.

"It’s nothing big. I heard you recently joined a movie project."

"You know about that, too?" Corey sounded surprised and began to wonder why she was calling.

Chantelle didn’t waste time. "That movie is a copycat made by someone trying to provoke me. I’m sure it won’t get good reviews once it’s released. I suggest you ask for as much money as you can. Otherwise, if it ruins your reputation, you’ll have a hard time getting good scripts later."

"I haven’t signed the contract yet. Should I just turn it down?" Corey asked. They had only offered him a bit more than his usual rate, and he didn’t think it was worth offending Isabella for such a small profit.

"That’s up to you," Chantelle replied. "But if you can make them overpay for their actors, you’d already be helping me a lot. I’ll owe you one."

"This is nothing. I still owe you for helping me last time."

After hanging up with Isabella, Corey contacted all the actors in Camille’s movie and subtly suggested they demand higher pay. Since it came from him, everyone agreed.

Not long after, Camille got a call from Anthony. When she learned what had happened, she was furious. "Didn’t we already agree on everyone’s pay? Why are they suddenly asking for more money?"

"It seems like they all planned it together," Anthony told her. "They’re blaming inflation and said they won’t act unless their pay is increased. Also, the shooting schedule for Chantelle’s movie has been moved forward."

Anthony might have been loyal to Camille, but his loyalty wasn’t unconditional. He had worked for her for years, yet she never appreciated or paid him well.

So, when the actors asked for a raise, he didn’t bother to warn her that something was wrong. The more they got paid, the more he would earn too.

Camille was a spoiled and sheltered rich daughter. But even with all her savings from the past twenty years, she couldn’t come up with that much money at once.

Still, she refused to give up. She had already spent millions on the project.

That was why she started plotting to get money from Steve. He was unimaginably wealthy, and taking a few billion from him wouldn’t hurt, right?

Just as Camille was plotting how to swindle money from Steve, Roman went to see Chantelle.

"Why are you so thin now? Has Mr. Wilson not been treating you well?" Roman asked. He was dressed in shabby clothes and stood stiffly outside the Western Hill Villa. He looked completely different from before.

The concern in his eyes made Chantelle feel uncomfortable.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, trying not to talk to him any longer.