Titan 204

Chapter 204

Eric’s forehead slamined into the floor with a terrible thud, blood staining the floor bright red.

Yolanda had always been wary of Eric. The cops told her he was the obsessive type–once he decided someone was his enemy, he wouldn’t rest until he’d torn them apart.

Eric kept banging his head against the floor, his movements growing more erratic as he neared collapse.

Yolanda couldn’t bear to watch any longer. She said flatly, “The only reason I got you out was because your uncle handed me an eight percent stake. Aren’t you angry with me for that?”

Eric spoke weakly, barely holding himself together. “It’s myself I blame. I was just jealous of Jack. Why was I stuck in hell while he kept climbing higher and higher? He used to be no better than me. Why was my family torn apart, while he still had loving parents? I was jealous of him…”

Yolanda reached out, and it took her a bit of effort to finally get the rope untied.

The rope dropped to the floor, smeared with blood.

Eric slowly got to his feet, limping forward.

Yolanda paused before she spoke again. “You’re thinking about going after Edward Sinclair for revenge? Do you even know who he is? That’s Uncle Edward—not just anyone–he’s Charles’s uncle, and Charles is the CEO of Sinclair Group.”

Eric stopped dead, then turned back and sank to his knees before her. “Yolanda, please, show me the way. I’m begging you.”

Yolanda wasn’t a fan of these intense types. Back at the police station, Eric would rather go down with the ship than sell out the person pulling his strings–he’d rather rot in jail than let anyone else get burned.

Guys like him are trouble, but if you know how to use them, they’re the sharpest blade in your hand.

Yolanda went over several names in her head, then landed on Quentin. She grinned. “Come with me.”

Right next to them was a narrow alley–some things you just couldn’t say out in public.

Eric followed her into the alley, and just then, Frank’s bodyguard showed up. When he saw Yolanda, he instinctively stepped in front of Eric.

Yolanda was a little surprised. “Who are you?”

“Miss Grant, I’m Mr. Doyle’s bodyguard. He wants me to take Mr. Long abroad.”

Yolanda nodded. Truth was, she actually had some respect for Frank Doyle. Before she joined Starlight, she’d run background checks on all the senior men, and Frank was the only one who’d never gotten blood on his hands–he never actively pressured anyone, just chose to keep his distance. In a place as cutthroat as Starlight, only those with ice in their veins managed to survive.

She’d always known Frank Doyle was a tough player, but unfortunately, he had Eric Long as his Achilles heel -and Eric Long was seriously disappointing.

All of a sudden, Eric threw himself to his knees before the bodyguard. “I have to make them pay for what they did to my uncle!”

The bodyguard’s brow furrowed, his face cold. “Mr. Long, Mr. Doyle’s already taken care of everything. Come on–you’re leaving in three hours, there’s still time if we head out now.”

Eric stayed silent, still kneeling. Yolanda sighed. “If Eric’s family hadn’t fallen apart, he probably would’ve been the valedictorian that year. But life was too smooth for him, and Frank’s always been the silent type- never says a word unless he has to. Their misunderstandings just snowballed. If they’d just talked it out, Eric wouldn’t have turned out like this. Can’t you see? He’s stuck with all these unresolved issues. If he doesn’t handle it himself, he’ll just stay lost, even if he goes abroad. Back home we’ve got strict anti–drug laws, but overseas… it’s a whole other mess.”

People like Eric, born smart, either end up running the show or hit rock bottom–there’s no middle ground.

Fate gives them one gift, but doesn’t hesitate to slam shut every other door.

That’s what turned Eric into such an all–or–nothing kind of guy.

Yolanda glanced at her phone, sounding cool as ever. “Frank Doyle’s death is all thanks to Edward Sinclair. Now, Edward isn’t that hard to handle, but trust me–getting near him is tougher than it looks, especially with his two sons always around. So don’t go head–on–play it smart and work around the edges. Your best bet is to get close to Quentin Andrade at the Andrade manor. Right now, Edward’s teaming up with Quentin’s biggest rival, Cedric. But that partnership’s just a ticking time bomb. When things blow up, Edward’s gonna come for Quentin, and if you’re the one who steps in and saves Quentin’s ass, you’ll win his trust and get a place at his side. Honestly, I can’t stand Quentin, but right now, he’s set to be the next boss of the Andrade family. Once you climb up the ladder, getting a shot at Edward will be a breeze–though yeah, it’s a hell of a climb. Think about it carefully. And the reason I’m pushing Quentin? At least he’s got some sense of decency–he always repays favors. Plus, he and Edward’s sons are both chasing after the same girl. You’ll be seeing a lot of him, whether you like it or not.”

The relationships were seriously messy, but Eric picked up on the whole situation after just one listen.

“Miss Grant, I’m in. I’ll go to Quentin’s side.”

Yolanda nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. “Good luck, then.”

The bodyguard stood off to the side, brow furrowing as he watched Yolanda. ‘She’s definitely playing a deep game. Mr. Sinclair was right–she’s after something big!

But that wasn’t his business. Eric had made his choice, and that was that.

Yolanda handed Eric Quentin’s schedule, which she’d just gotten her hands on.

The land deal Edward and Cedric had cooked up was about to blow up in their faces. Once the Andrade family caught wind of it, they’d kick Cedric out of Beloris so fast his head would spin.

Eric took the schedule without another word to Yolanda and walked off.

Yolanda had swung by the studio to grab a few things. The online drama about Starlight was still going strong and now everyone was seeing through Sophie’s schemes—she was getting roasted all over the internet

As for that batch of artists who hopped onto the livestream bandwagon to cash in and stomp on Yolanda? They were all getting called out and dragged through the mud.

Netizens live for gossip–they weren’t about to let this slide. They put together a master list of every artist who went live to trash Yolanda, blasted it onto the trending charts, and sent it viral.

Seventeen artists had gone live to attack Yolanda. Now, a bunch of them couldn’t take the heat, and were rushing to pay back everything they’d made from Starlight, signing termination agreements, and hightailing it out of there.

Yolanda grabbed her stuff and was about to leave the studio when her phone rang–it was Simone.

“Yolanda, did you hire an assistant for lan?”

“Yeah, I asked a friend to keep an eye on him. He’s my golden goose–I can’t afford to lose him.”

She called Megan early this morning and told her to never leave Ian’s side on set from now on–he needed someone to watch out for him at all times.

Plus, things had gotten tense between them just last night, so some distance would do both of them good right now.

“Ian’s been absolutely crushing it lately–every shot is a one–take wonder. The kid’s a born actor. Oscar and I just finished a new movie script, and we’re planning on making him the male lead. For the female lead, Oscar

wants Joelle Monroe. Is that cool with you?”

Yolanda was about to say she didn’t care, but her expression shifted in an instant.

Simone continued, “There’s a bunch of intimate scenes in this one–including a few full–on bedroom scenes.”

Yolanda’s stomach turned.

“Ian just won’t budge. He’s been making a fuss about it all morning–that’s why I called you. How about you try convincing him? This is a major production–every A–list actor out there would give anything to land a part in it. That kid, I swear, sometimes he just doesn’t know how good he’s got it…”