CHAPTER 47: PRIVILEGED WIFE (1)

"You’re worth every dime of Mr. Brixton’s money, Ms. Orszebet." Marissa suddenly let a smile form on her face, even though her tone still sounded a little cold. "Your portfolio might not show all of your talents yet, but my eyes will never deceive me."

"You have the aura of a star," she went on. "It’s not just about your appearance, though yes, you’re beautiful, and people will notice you the moment you walk into a room. What impressed me most was your personality in the audition tape I watched. Talent is important, yes, but what makes a true star is presence, and you, Ms. Orszebet ... you have it."

For a moment, I just stared at her, speechless.

I never imagined that a single tape from such a small audition could move the heart of a top-notch manager.

"You really think so, Ms. Hale?" I asked again, needing to hear it one more time.

"I never joke when it comes to business, Ms. Orszebet," she said firmly. "I meant every word, and for the record, Mr. Brixton didn’t pay me extra. He paid me exactly my fees; fifteen thousand dollars a month, plus five percent of your deals."

Fifteen grand?! I had thought her fixed payment was twelve thousand! Still, at least she only asked for five percent instead of six. That one percent might sound small, but to me, it meant a lot!

"H-how long is our contract going to be?" I asked, this time sounding completely serious.

"Since you’re a rookie, I might need more time to polish you, so let’s say ... three years," Marissa said. "Normally, my contracts only last one to two years, but most of my former clients already had promising careers, so I didn’t need to wait that long."

Three years?!

If her fixed fee was fifteen thousand, that meant the total I’d have to pay in the future would be around five hundred and forty thousand dollars!

Fucking hell!

Just thinking about that number already gave me a headache.

[Actually, you don’t need to worry too much, Host.]

[The more missions you complete, the greater the rewards will become.]

[Right now, your rewards may only be in the tens of thousands of dollars, but in the future, you could receive a mission worth millions.]

Millions?!

I swear, my eyeballs nearly popped out of my head the moment I heard that.

But then again, Penny had promised me an unlimited source of money if I could finish my two main missions, so ... maybe hiring Marissa Hale wasn’t the worst idea in the world.

In fact, it might even be one of the smartest investments I could make for something bigger down the line.

"That sounds wonderful, Ms. Hale!" I said brightly, unable to hide my excitement. "I really look forward to working with you."

Marissa smiled faintly and pulled out a contract, setting it neatly on the table. "Please sign this to make our deal official, Ms. Orszebet. Don’t worry, Mr. Brixton was the one who prepared it, so everything is safe."

Even so, I flipped through the pages quickly, making sure there wasn’t anything unusual hidden inside.

Once I signed my name, Marissa spoke again. "I heard from Mr. Brixton that you’ll have a photoshoot for Rosélle Beauty tomorrow. Since I’m officially your manager now, let me come with you. I can also find someone to work as your assistant."

"Assistant?" I shook my head lightly. "That won’t be necessary, Ms. Hale. I’d rather handle things on my own for now."

It wasn’t that I couldn’t afford an assistant—though part of me did want to save money—but showing up to my very first job with both a high-profile manager and an assistant would only make me look like a spoiled nepo baby.

Even though Madeline’s awful video had already gone viral, the truth about Gideon—the man who hurt Helcia’s mother and once abandoned her—hadn’t been revealed yet.

To outsiders, Madeline only looked like a brat throwing a fit because her father brought another daughter home. But in reality, it was Gideon himself who encouraged her to act like a cruel sister toward me.

He might never have told Madeline outright, but his silence was even worse than the abuse Madeline inflicted on Helcia.

Anyway, with the truth still unclear, people might assume Gideon was trying to make amends with me by letting me step into the entertainment world, while Madeline was left to drown in her own mess.

That rumor could spread even faster since DN Entertainment was already crumbling, most of its artists were trapped in scandals, and the worst case of all was me, Helena Moore, whose death still remained unsolved.

That’s why I needed to watch my every move carefully, or people would start whispering more bad gossip about me.

"And Ms. Hale—"

"You can just call me Marissa," she cut in with an easy smile. "I’m not that strict."

I blinked, a little surprised. I thought she was the type of woman who kept everything strictly professional. Maybe her closeness with Lando was the reason she made an exception for me.

"Alright then," I nodded with a small smile. "You can also just call me by my name." I hesitated for a moment, then added, "About earlier ... I want to ask you something. You don’t have to agree if it sounds rude."

"Go ahead," Marissa encouraged.

I took a deep breath and said, "Your reputation is too good. If I walk around introducing you as my manager, people will definitely think I’m a nepo baby."

"Nepo baby?" Marissa let out a soft laugh, though there was no trace of mockery in her eyes. "That’s a label for people who get pushed to the top by their parents or family. You, on the other hand ... I’d say you’re more of a privileged wife. But really, what’s so wrong about that?"

Hearing her say that, I suddenly felt certain that Marissa and Lando were closer than I thought. It was enough to confirm that she knew Lando was far more than just the Brixtons’ illegitimate son.

I shouldn’t focus on that part, but for some reason, it truly left a bitter taste in my mouth.