The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress-Chapter 1049 Clawing Her Way Back In

After the plagiarism scandal in Paris, Alice had been treated like a plague, blacklisted, and shunned by the industry. Her behavior hadn’t helped, and she was even removed from the zombie apocalypse movie she was supposed to star in alongside Xavier and Hera; the director didn’t want an actress dragging the entire crew down because of her scandal.

She hated Hera even more, but what could she do? Unlike Hera, she had no powerful backer. She seethed with jealousy, wondering why Hera was surrounded by top-tier men while she was treated like a plague, a helpless mouse trapped in the gutter, mocked and avoided by everyone around her.

Alice couldn’t take her defeat lying down, but luck seemed to be on her side; someone had taken an interest in her and treated her better. He might not have been as handsome as Hera’s lovers, nor as powerful as they were combined, but he was a stepping stone for Alice.

If she could seduce Hera’s men, she could clip Hera’s wings and turn the tables. Until then, she just needed to play the game and capture their attention. After all, Alice believed she was just as beautiful and capable as Hera, and she was confident she could command their focus.

And in fact, Alice’s confidence wasn’t baseless. In the original novel, she had made all five men fall head over heels for her, so utterly devoted that they would obey her every command, even if it meant destroying someone’s family or legacy.

Their love for her was so intense that they were willing to share her among themselves, despite each being as possessive as the others. She might not have consciously known that she was the female lead in this world, the favored child of heaven, but instinctively, she could feel it.

That was why she was so confident. Even after everything that had happened, there was still a man of power willing to support her. He stood beside Alice now, although he was gaudy and flashy in appearance, yet he was radiating a menacing aura, the unmistakable aura of a natural villain.

Before Hera could respond to Alice, her phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, which was none other than the director of the movie she was about to act in, Hera ignored Alice, making the latter’s lips twitch in annoyance.

But with Rafael and Zhane present, Alice couldn’t afford to lose her composure. She swallowed her irritation, masking it behind a calm facade, and watched as Hera answered the call.

"Hera speaking..."

"Good... good..." Hera heard the director’s giddy voice. Though he tried to sound composed, she could tell immediately that he had received her investment and was ready to move forward with filming.

"I actually called because I just received the full investment for the movie, and I’ve already sent all the staff to continue working. I also heard from Betty that your treatment could accelerate your recovery, so I wanted to report the progress on set."

"After all, you’re not only the female lead in my movie but also our biggest investor. Oh, and I just remembered, I received another investment. I had planned for you to be the sole investor, but since someone else offered, I couldn’t let you bear all the risk on your own... It’s just that—" The director trailed off, hesitating.

"What is it? Please, tell me," Hera said patiently, sneaking a glance at Alice, who clearly had no intention of leaving just yet.

"Well, the other investor put in twenty million dollars. Their only condition was allowing Alice to continue as a supporting character; they didn’t ask to change her role or make any major demands, just to give her a chance."

"Since that was their sole request, I came to ask your opinion. I’m currently holding the contract they offered, and one of their assistants is here with me, waiting for my response. But since you’re now our biggest investor, I wanted to know what you think..."

His voice carried a hint of nervousness as he waited for Hera’s reply. After all, he had already seen the videos circulating overseas showing Alice’s actions, and countless accounts had shared them in his country. He knew full well the tension between the two women.

At the same time, twenty million dollars was no small sum. Hera had already invested one hundred fifty million, and with all the effects and props he planned to use in the movie, he knew the expenses would be enormous.

Even with Hera’s investment, it might still not be enough, and there was no guarantee that the film’s box office returns would fully cover the costs.

Although he was called a box office director with a strong track record, he wasn’t omnipotent; he had his own concerns and couldn’t act as if everything were perfectly under control. He also couldn’t let Hera shoulder all the risk, so bringing in a second major investor was only reasonable.

Knowing that the director was acting in her interest, Hera didn’t feel angered by Alice clawing her way back despite being blacklisted. After all, she knew Alice was the world’s favored child, the female lead of this novel they were living in, so sidelining her was never going to be easy.

Alice was like a cockroach: hard to kill, and that wasn’t the director’s fault. In fact, this might simply be another arrangement of the world’s consciousness to assist Alice.

As for the man before her, he could very well be Alice’s new backer, the one investing on her behalf. Since Hera held the larger investment, his hands were tied; he couldn’t demand too much.

He might not even know who the biggest investor was, as the director had been tight-lipped on Hera’s instructions, but he was well aware of what he could and couldn’t do, especially given his uncertainty about the other investor’s identity.

From this alone, Hera could already deduce that he was cunning and quick-witted, adept at navigating the upper echelons like a rat. He was careful not to offend either the director or the investor.

Given that the investor could provide such a huge sum with ease, he likely recognized the other investor’s power and thus treaded cautiously. He avoided being domineering or demanding, limiting his request to the simple allowance for Alice to continue in a supporting role, and nothing more.

Hera glanced at Alice again, a glint flashing in her eyes, though Alice didn’t notice, because she was too focused on Zhane and Rafael. Hera took a deep, steadying breath, trying to calm the turmoil in her heart.

She didn’t like how this was going, but she couldn’t run away or let Alice claw her way back in. She had to be the one to cut Alice’s path once more, especially knowing that Alice wouldn’t let this go so easily. Her rival was probably already scheming another plan to deal with Hera.

Keeping her enemy close was far better than letting Alice strike unexpectedly; that would leave her unprepared. Now that Alice had already shed her facade in front of Hera, turning them into real enemies, Hera was certain she wouldn’t hold back when she acted.

"It’s alright," Hera whispered into the phone. "You just have to do what you have to do..."