The Amazing Strike Back: Mommy Wants To Revenge!-Chapter 367: Surprised? Unexpected?

When Anna Thornton arrived at the address Director Nash had sent, she found it was a restaurant outside the central district of Aethelgard.

Director Nash was sitting comfortably in a private room, along with several other main crew members.

And sitting next to Director Nash was Finn Grant!

It had been a while since she last saw Finn Grant. He was still the same, sitting with one leg crossed over the other, leaning casually on the chair. He only reacted when Anna walked in, raising an eyebrow in a lazy, roguish manner to greet her.

"Director, what’s the big news you mentioned?" Anna asked.

Finn Grant answered her, "The crew is going to replace the lead actor. Is that big news?"

Director Nash lowered his head apologetically, unable to look Anna in the eye.

The message had been sent to Anna on behalf of Director Nash by Finn Grant.

Originally, Sean Nash wasn’t one to lie or beat around the bush; he was straightforward and honest.

But there was no stopping Finn Grant from grabbing his phone. Using his current status as an investor to issue orders recklessly, these capitalists are becoming increasingly audacious.

Sigh, it’s so infuriating!

But what’s the deal with replacing the lead actor?

The drama Anna was currently filming was a historical palace drama featuring women.

The male lead didn’t have many scenes and thus would join the crew relatively late.

The focus of this drama was mainly on the main concubines, and the director had intentionally chosen a relatively unknown actor for the male lead.

Anna hadn’t met the male lead yet, so it didn’t really matter who it was switched to.

But she still curiously asked, "Who will it be?"

"Me!" Finn Grant answered before Director Nash could speak.

Director Sean Nash: "..."

Anna: "You?"

"Yeah, I’m going to play the Emperor. Any issues with that?"

Judging by Anna’s skeptical expression, Finn Grant pointed at the director next to him: "If you don’t believe me, ask him?"

"Director?"

Director Nash took a deep breath, nodding in acknowledgment of Finn Grant’s statement: "Yes, Young Master Grant will play the male lead."

"Letting Finn Grant act? Has the director lost his mind?" Anna’s eyes betrayed her internal thoughts at that moment.

Director Nash had always held high standards for his work, so why would he make such a decision?

As if to prove that he wasn’t crazy, Director Nash took out his phone and sent Anna a video: "Anna, actually, Young Master Grant’s acting isn’t bad, just watch this!"

The video Director Nash sent was a segment of Finn Grant’s audition.

In the video, Finn Grant wasn’t wearing a costume or wig; his hair seemed unkempt, suggesting he had just gotten off a plane and rushed over to audition.

But his acting... surprisingly wasn’t bad.

Perhaps for people of their stature, capturing an emperor’s presence is somewhat easier.

Individuals without professional training often feel uneasy in front of the camera, showing awkward expressions and uncertainty about where to look.

But Finn Grant showed none of that! Based on the audition footage, his performance was quite fluid and natural.

No kidding, Finn Grant, having been stuck abroad with nothing better to do, had been honing his acting skills. This was the result of his practice.

He had been thwarted twice by Conrad Sterling, both times being exiled at crucial moments, with no opportunity to approach Anna.

This time, Finn Grant concealed his return and planned a surprise counterattack.

The surprise being... he was about to parachute into the crew of "Step by Step" as the male lead, to film alongside Anna, and spend a great deal of time with her.

Conrad Sterling probably didn’t know about this yet, and Finn eagerly anticipated his reaction once he found out.

Would he be surprised? Shocked?

Forget Conrad; everyone was rather surprised.

Why would Finn Grant, who was doing well as the CEO and heir of the Grant Family, suddenly want to experience life by investing in and starring in a film?

Could he endure the hardships of filming a TV drama?

Director Nash wasn’t entirely sure, but there was no other option at the moment.

Mason Hawthorne, a primary investor in "Step by Step," had been embroiled in scandals and wasn’t likely to focus on this drama.

Now, The Grant Group had agreed to invest, addressing Director Nash’s urgent funding needs.

Then Finn Grant proposed to star in the drama as the male lead, and initially, Sean Nash thought he was joking.

But Finn Grant insisted he wasn’t joking!

Since Young Master Grant wasn’t joking... refusing wasn’t an option.

In Aethelgard, who hasn’t heard of Finn Grant’s fearsome temper?

So, under the weight of capital, Director Nash compromised once again.

What else could he do?

Nearly half of the drama had been filmed, with significant money and effort already invested; failure at this stage was not an option.

Trying to play a game of patience with Finn Grant to secure funding first?

Unfortunately, Finn Grant was too experienced in the business world to be outmaneuvered.

Rumors suggested Young Master Grant had mental health issues, but that didn’t mean he was dumb.

If Finn Grant weren’t astute, how could he maintain the Grant Family’s standing in the cutthroat business world of Aethelgard?

Moreover, he was known for his straightforward and forceful approach, so he bluntly laid out his terms for Director Nash.

"If you let me play the male lead, I’ll invest in your drama. Just say the word for anything you need, and don’t worry about post-production marketing funds. But if you don’t agree to let me be the male lead... I’ll sabotage your drama!"

Director Nash: "..."

Director Nash initially wanted to uphold the integrity of a principled artist and stand his ground.

However, after watching Finn Grant’s audition, he found a reason not to berate himself as being too spineless.

It was rather ’surprising’ and quite ’delightful’!

Now, he wanted to hear Anna’s opinion as the lead actress; that’s why he arranged this dinner.

Director Nash knew Anna had standards similar to his own when it came to her work.

If Anna had any concerns about Young Master Grant, he’d need to find a way to mediate between them.

Dammit, being a director nowadays sure isn’t easy.

Anna was a great actress, always cooperative with the crew, and her scenes usually passed in one take, making things efficient and stress-free.

In front of Anna and Finn Grant, Director Nash almost forgot his usual temperament of criticizing anyone who didn’t perform well, no matter who they were.

To be honest, Sean Nash had seen many young actors who thought they could mix in the film industry just because they had some looks or fame.

Those performances were truly painful to watch!

Besides, their looks and fame couldn’t compare to Young Master Grant’s anyway.

Director Nash consoled himself with this reasoning and used it to reassure Anna as well.

Back at the Sterling Residence—

Conrad Sterling ultimately didn’t get to have that birthday dinner with Anna!

As the food on the dining table grew stone-cold, the patience in his eyes wore out.

The only consolation was Pop, who was the happiest one enjoying the dinner.

After finishing, the little one proudly held up an empty bowl to show off to his dad, waiting to be praised.

"Good job!"

The compliment from President Sterling was short and sweet.

But Pop was content as he put down the bowl and went off to play with his brother.

Conrad received a call from Ethan Hawthorne, saying he’d prepared a surprise birthday party for him tonight.

The Hawthorne Family had been in turmoil recently, with Mason Hawthorne’s scandal being exposed by Ethan.

Seizing the opportunity as Mason faced backlash and struggled for a foothold, Ethan was actively networking and securing alliances. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Of course, he knew that his strongest backing would be President Sterling.

To win his favor, he became the second person, after Granny Chandler, to remember President Sterling’s birthday, preparing a surprise to curry favor.

Oh, wait!

Twenty minutes earlier, Conrad had received a birthday wishes text from Aunt Murray.

So Ethan was the third, and indeed the only third one.

Putting down the phone, Conrad’s expression grew cold.

Then, he grabbed his car keys and headed out.