Reborn With a Money-Making System: Ruined Actress to Nation's Treasure-Chapter 163: The Price of Saying No to a Monster

[Ding! Ding!]

[Congratulations, Host! Quest complete: Change your clothes in front of Lando!]

[Reward: $100,000 has been added to your balance.]

[Total Balance: $1,787,888]

I let out a sigh of relief because I finally managed to change my clothes. Aside from feeling relieved that I could complete the mission, I also felt relieved because I finally felt more comfortable.

The clothes I wore last night were already dirty with sweat and leftover makeup, so I had been feeling very uncomfortable before this.

Well... taking a shower would be better, but for now, just changing clothes was already enough.

"Husband, thank you," I said with a small smile after Lando helped me take off and put on my clothes. His face was a little red, and he kept looking away shyly.

No matter how careful he was, sometimes his fingers still brushed against my skin by accident. Luckily, he didn’t touch anything inappropriate, or it really would have become awkward for both of us.

"And I’m sorry for troubling you," I added.

Lando nodded slightly, then placed a small pillow on his lap. "You’re not troubling me at all," he said. "I’m only taking care of you... as your husband."

There was a moment of silence before I spoke again. "So... it was Kai, right?"

"Yes, it was Kai." Lando finally turned to me, looking at me with deep concern. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let you go with him in the first place."

I reached out and held his hands. "Husband, don’t say that. I can be here instead of in a basement because of you," I assured him. "You promised I would be safe, and you were right. I don’t blame you, I’m actually glad... because I have you."

Lando squeezed my hand, and finally, he moved from sitting in his wheelchair to sitting beside me. "Helcia... Kai is my brother."

"I know." I scooted closer to him and wrapped my arms around him again, placing my head on his chest. "But you’re nothing like your brother."

I didn’t understand it either, but it felt like I had become addicted to being hugged by him now. After all, he held me all night yesterday, and there was no place warmer than his embrace.

"I asked Dr. Mina to check your blood," he said softly, "but whether we can put Kai in jail... is another story."

It was because, apparently, Kai was such a meticulous person. I was sure he had erased every trace that could link him to this crime.

He probably melted the glass, hid the waiter who served my drink somewhere far away, and deleted every CCTV recording in the grill bar that night.

Besides that, people who were at the scene probably only thought I was drunk and didn’t know that someone had put drugs into my drink.

You could say... it was such a perfect crime, and even if Dr. Mina was able to prove that there were drugs in my blood, most likely the law would end up pointing their knife at me.

There was no trace of anyone spiking my drink, so the only reasonable explanation would be to accuse me of consuming drugs on my own.

I didn’t want something like that to happen to me twice, especially not before I fully stepped into the entertainment industry.

On the other side, Lando took a deep breath and spoke with such desperation. "I’m sorry... I’m such a useless husband."

I lifted my head and tapped his cheek—maybe a bit harder than I meant to—trying to snap him out of it. "No, you’re not! You’re a great husband to me!" I said as I held his cheeks in both hands. "Even if I could choose another man to marry, I would still choose you! Because I don’t want any husband other than you!"

My poor husband... he was probably torn inside right now.

After all, Brix Entertainment was still above Zentra Entertainment. It was because Brix Entertainment was still under the Brixton Holding Group.

If Lando tried to fight back by revealing who he really was, all his plans could fall apart. His family wasn’t the type of people who wanted him to succeed, so they would definitely do anything to bring him down.

Therefore, for now... it would be better if he stayed low, and as for my current case... whether I liked it or not, I had to let it go.

For now. I kept repeating it to myself—it was only for now.

My future could still be bright, so the best thing I could do was focus on staying alive. Who knew? Maybe one day I really would get to cut off Kai’s dick and put it in a jar—no, that was too gross. I would throw it into a piranha pool instead.

"Lando, it’s okay," I said softly as I looked into his eyes. "You’ve helped me so much. So... if we can’t win this case, it’s alright."

"No." Lando clenched his jaw, and his eyes turned sharp, sharp enough to send a shiver down my spine. "I’ll find a way to teach him a lesson. Even if we can’t put him in jail, I’ll make sure he never touches you again."

I frowned. "What? If you want to do something dangerous, then—"

"No, it won’t be that dangerous." Lando placed his hands on my shoulders and spoke more seriously. "I’m not completely sure yet, but I think I know a way to make him regret what he did last night."

"But Helcia, I don’t think it’s safe for you to keep working under him," Lando said, sounding a bit hesitant now. "Kai is not someone who forgives easily, especially when the person has taken something he really wanted."

In this case... what he desired was to taint me, or maybe lock me in the cold, dark basement.

Since he didn’t get what he wanted, he would feel upset, and eventually, he would probably try to sabotage me.

"I don’t know what kind of thing he will do to sabotage you, but I’m sure..." Lando took a deep breath before continuing, "... I’m sure he won’t let you play your current role."

I gulped, my eyes widening. "Are you saying... he’s going to replace me? Even after I already finished the script reading with the producers and the crew?"

Lando nodded slightly. "There’s a high chance he will."

Well, I had already guessed that something like this would happen to me. After all, this wasn’t the first time my role got taken away by another actress because of politics and connections.

But dear heaven, it still hurt!

I worked so hard to get that role—even though I didn’t even like it that much—and Marissa had fought so hard just to make sure I could get a decent payment.

I hadn’t even received the payment yet, but still... the whole thing felt so wrong.

"If he didn’t replace you now, he might have done it in the middle of filming," Lando continued. "Or worse, he could have thrown dirt on your name. I know it sounds like I’m thinking too negatively, but Helcia... I’ve known that bastard for years."

I was about to say something, but then his phone suddenly vibrated. Lando picked it up, then looked at me seriously. "It’s Marissa."

He answered the call and put her on speaker. "Marissa, Helcia is with me now."

Marissa, who was usually so composed, suddenly cursed. "Fuck! Your brother is a fucking asshole!"

She added before anyone could respond, "Mr. Donelly just contacted me, and you know what? He said that Mr. Brixton wants to use another actress as Mia."

My chest tightened, but I stayed quiet.

Marissa sounded furious, more furious than I had ever heard her. "He didn’t even bother to give a proper reason! He just said the decision came from ’above’ and told me to stand by for further instructions."

Lando asked calmly, though I could see the fury in his eyes. "So it’s confirmed."

"Oh, it’s confirmed alright," Marissa snapped. "That bastard didn’t even hide it. He wants Helcia out, and he wants his ’chosen actress’ in. This is bullshit!"

I let out a small breath. "So... I really got replaced."

"You did," Marissa said, her voice dropping slightly, still angry but softer when she spoke to me. "And it wasn’t because of your acting, Helcia. You did well at the reading. This is all politics. Nothing more."

It wasn’t just politics, this was Kai’s way of showing that I was nothing more than a chess piece he could throw away whenever he wanted.

It was a warning for me, and for Lando, because we stopped him from getting what he wanted.

Lando rubbed my back gently, as if he was afraid I would break.

I forced a small smile, even though it hurt. "It’s okay. I kind of expected it."

"No, Helcia. It’s not okay." Marissa’s voice came through the speaker again, calmer but still shaking with anger. "You worked so hard for that role. Kai only did this because he couldn’t hurt you in the way he wanted, so now he’s trying to hurt your career instead."

"Marissa," I said softly, "it’s okay... just let it go."

I wasn’t calm because I accepted it, but I was just too tired to get angry anymore.