Possessed No More: The True Star Returns to Claim Her Throne

Seeing the two of them had finally finished talking, Rhona quickly brought up her own matter. "Ria, the endorsement contract for Chloe Sterling has been signed. She insisted on doing the promotion for free, refusing to take a single cent, but I didn’t agree to that."

The company planned to start with just some packaging ads to test the waters, so all they needed were a few sets of photos. It was very simple and could be done in half a day. Chloe Sterling had used this weight-loss pill before, so one could say she had tested it in advance and was quite familiar with its effects.

Plus, she wasn’t short on cash, and more importantly, she was on great terms with Riley Perry, so she had wanted to turn down the endorsement fee.

"When will the weight-loss pills go on sale?"

Rhona replied, "The current schedule is for October 8th. Because you mentioned it on the show, a lot of people have been asking about it on Chloe Sterling’s social media page. I’m guessing sales won’t be too bad after the launch."

Riley’s tone was light and cheerful. "Mhm, it’s fine if sales are slow. This kind of product spreads by word-of-mouth. If it’s effective, even the pharmacy clerks will be our salespeople. If it’s not, we could plaster ads everywhere and no one would buy it.

Let’s just take it slow. Making money isn’t that easy. I’m already prepared for the long haul."

Rhona said, "How could that be okay? Our product is definitely going to make a ton of money. I won’t allow any mishaps."

’My dad is super optimistic about this project and has told me over and over to do a good job. I can’t screw this up.’

"Tsk~ It hasn’t even been that long, and our little Rhona is already giving off powerhouse vibes. Keep it up. Whether or not I can just kick back and be a freeloader in the future is all up to you."

Samson Sinclair snorted softly. ’How does she look like a powerhouse? She barely even looks like a woman!’

Rhona immediately shot him a death glare. ’What are you hmphing about? Were you a professional grumbler in a past life?’

Rocco cut in with a warm smile, "Alright, alright, stop fighting. Hurry up and eat. The meat in the pot will get tough if we don’t eat it soon."

The two of them snapped in unison, "Who’s fighting with him (her)?"

After speaking, they glared at each other, then simultaneously turned their heads away and reached for the meat in the pot. Then, their chopsticks bumped into each other again...

Such chemistry! The other three at the table all had fond, knowing smiles on their faces.

Samson Sinclair rubbed his nose and retracted his chopsticks. ’I really didn’t do it on purpose,’ he thought. ’It makes me look so petty. Heaven knows we just happened to go for the same piece of meat! I’m not so low as to fight with a little girl over food.’

After that, the table finally quieted down. Riley filled a large bowl with noodles, paired with tender slices of fatty beef, slightly curled abalone, and a few leafy greens. Drizzled with sesame sauce and a bit of chili oil, the flavor was so good it was impossible to put her chopsticks down.

So, by the end of the meal, Riley Perry was stuffed, a rare occurrence for her.

The two men went to wash the dishes while the three women sat on the sofa, leaning against each other and chatting idly. Joanna looked at the interior decor and remarked, "I have to say, the furniture you picked is surprisingly easy on the eyes."

Riley leaned into her embrace, her head bouncing gently. Unable to resist, she snuggled against her again, sighing internally, ’Ah, this is so comfortable.’

Joanna thought, ’You little brat, taking advantage of me. Don’t think I don’t know it.’

’But, since you’re so easy on the eyes, I’ll let you snuggle for two seconds... three at most, not a second more.’

"In that case, why don’t you just stay the night?"

’My taste is on full display here, so of course the things I pick are good,’ Riley thought. ’The furnishings in this house aren’t extravagant, but every detail is exquisite. After all, this place is for my family to live in. If it were too flashy, I’m afraid my mom wouldn’t be comfortable.’

Rhona protested, "Ria, what about me?"

"You can stay too. It’s not like we’re short on rooms."

The apartment was over 180 square meters with five rooms in total. Aside from one furnished as a study, there were four bedrooms. It would be big enough even if Shane Perry got married and had kids in the future.

"That’s more like it. I’m over here slaving away for you, managing the company. You can’t just dote on Nana and not me."

Hearing this, Riley chuckled, puckered her lips, and planted a kiss on Rhona’s forehead. "I’m only kissing you, not Nana."

Rhona’s face flushed red. ’That’s not what I meant!’

"I-I’ll go wash some fruit!" With that, Rhona fled.

Riley and Joanna watched her frantic retreat and burst out laughing.

Just then, Riley’s phone rang again.

At first, she thought it was Director Chenning, but a glance at the screen told her otherwise.

Joanna saw the smile vanish from her face and couldn’t help but ask, "Who is it?"

Riley answered the call and put it on speaker. "Hello, Holly. Aren’t you on set filming? What’s up? Why the sudden call?"

The moment Joanna heard the name, she pursed her lips in distaste.

’Holly Summers is an artist under Sandra Holloway. Banking on her status as a Stardust veteran and the fact she’d successfully managed two A-listers, the woman is insufferably arrogant. She’d snatched countless resources from the company’s other artists in the past, and even I had lost out to her on several occasions.’

’But who am I? Joanna Norgrove!’

’After I lost out once, the second time that old hag tried to steal one of my gigs, I immediately went and slept with Thomas Lynch. After that, it was all about pillow talk!’

’As for whether Thomas Lynch would think I was scheming, or whether Sandra Holloway would be pissed? What did that have to do with me? All that mattered was that I got my satisfaction!’

’After that, Holloway never gave me a pleasant look, but there was nothing she could do. Every time she tried to bully me, she’d end up suffering some misfortune. Gradually, she learned to back off.’

’And those artists under Sandra Holloway—not a single one of them has a decent bone in their body. If I were the boss, I’d fire them all. A bunch of hacks who only know underhanded tricks. It’s one thing if they remain unknown, but if they ever get famous, they’ll be nothing but trouble.’

’When this Holly first got close to Riley, I warned her that Holly was devious and that she should keep her distance, but Riley wouldn’t listen. If I said it too many times, I was afraid Riley would get annoyed, so eventually, I just dropped it. Instead, I just arranged more gigs for her so the two of them wouldn’t have a chance to interact and cause trouble.’

’Now this Holly woman is looking for Riley again, and she’s definitely up to no good.’

Holly Summers’ delicate voice came through the speaker. "I just got back from the set; I’ve wrapped up my scenes. I don’t have any gigs lined up, right? So I was thinking of asking you out for a drink. What do you say? You coming?"

"Where are you?"

Holly Summers named a bar.

"Who all is there?"

"I also invited a couple of my besties. Hurry up and come on!"

Riley let out a soft laugh. "Holly, if you have something to say, you might as well just say it."

In the dim light of the private room, the smile on Holly Summers’ face suddenly turned somewhat eerie. "What are you talking about? What could I possibly want? I just wanted to chat with you. A girl’s got it rough, you know."

"I won’t hide it from you. Things haven’t been going well for me lately. That old hag Sandra Holloway is a real piece of work. She has several artists under her, but her resources are limited. By the time anything gets to me, it’s just the leftovers. But I can’t turn them down, because then I won’t make any money."

"But taking on too many garbage dramas and variety shows is basically career suicide. I... I’m really struggling."

"Right now, I’m most envious of you. Look at your agent—even when you were drowning in scandals, she never gave up on you and always looked out for you. Now she’s even gotten you into Director Warren’s variety show. You’re bound to blow up..."