Chapter 79

City towers loomed overhead, casting deep shadows across the pavement as Yvonne lingered beneath the glass front of TR Entertainment, giving Trevor a quick wave before he headed off.

She already knew her days at TR were numbered after everything that went down, but the deal with Julian still hung over her like a cloud. Figuring out how to quit gracefully weighed on her mind.

Just then, fortune gave her a nudge-Morton's familiar face appeared beside a parked car. He stood waiting,clutching a document bag and grinning like he'd just spotted an old friend.

Her eyes brightened instantly-inside that bag had to be the new project Julian promised. No matter how chaotic things got, Julian always followed through on his word.

With this project in hand, she could focus on one thing-earning as much as possible and finally walking away from her marriage.

Money held a special kind of magic, so she put on her brightest smile and strode right up to Morton.

"Have you grabbed lunch yet, Morton?" she asked, voice light.

Morton looked momentarily flustered, shifting from foot to foot before giving a sheepish nod. The truth was,she wasn't particularly interested in his answer.

"Good. Then let's head into that café and talk," she said, already walking toward the doors

Once inside, Yvonne ordered a coffee for herself and nothing more. She leaned back in her chair, her gaze settling on him. "You've got the film proposal, right? Hand it over."

Morton's eyes flickered with faint disappointment when he realized she wasn't ordering him anything. Still,he pulled the thick file from his bag and slid it across the table.

"Please review it, Mrs. Powell. If everything looks good, we can sign today," Morton said.

Yvonne met his words with an easy smile, imagining how smoothly this partnership could go. Flipping open the cover, she paused at the first page. The synopsis gripped her at once, and excitement flickered in her chest. For a split second, the resentment she held against Jufian faded. Maybe he did havea conscience, after all.

Each new page pulled Yvonne deeper into the story, leaving her more and more impressed.

This script didn't just have an original concept and a unique voice. The screenwriter's craft shone through,every line of dialogue ringing true and full of meaning. With the right team, she pictured this film breaking the box office wide open-maybe not just five million, maybe it could even crack a hundred million.

Nothing else in the proposal raised concerns either. For once, Julian had delivered something worthwhile.

Closing the folder with anticipation in her eyes,she leaned forward toward Morton."So tell me, what figure is Julian setting aside for me?"

She wasn't aiming too high. Since Julian never blinked at dropping a hundred million on Rita's projects,Yvonne figured she could reasonably expect at least a chunk of that. She would handle the film personally,keep costs low, and make sure Julian got his money's worth.

But when Morton met her hopeful stare, his gaze faltered, and his chin dipped toward the table.

Her smile wavered, stiff at the edges. She pressed her lips tight and asked evenly, "What is it then, ten million?"

Ten would be manageable. She would cast for skill instead of names. With a strong script as its backbone,audiences would come as long as the acting wasn't dreadful.

Morton slumped even further, and with a nervous hand, raised two fingers.

Her eyes narrowed, disbelief hardening her tone. "Two million?" Her teeth ground together as she spoke.

How could Julian splurge endlessly on Rita, only to pinch pennies when it came to her?

Even so, two million could be stretched. She had allies in the industry, and with enough bargaining and ruthless trimming, she might still scrape by.

But Morton's head shook again, and her expression chilled to stone. The thought struck her instantly-Julian was making a mockery of her.

In a tiny, shaky voice, Morton finally said,"It's two hundred thousand."