Signaling for Pete to lead the way, the group headed to the actors' department.
Inside one of the offices, a middle-aged man in a suit, looking arrogant and aggressive, was loudly berating one of the department's staff. On the couch nearby, a dignified woman calmly smoked a cigarette — none other than Whitney Frost, with whom they had a brief encounter before.
"Never thought I'd run into you here, Whitney!" Josh said as she walked straight into the office, greeting Whitney.
"Where did this brat come from? Who gave you the right to call Whitney by her name? Didn't your mom teach you any manners?" Before Whitney could respond, the middle-aged man was already shouting.
Josh and Margot's previously smiling expressions instantly turned cold.
Vito, standing behind Josh, reacted swiftly. He stepped forward and landed a hard knee into the man's stomach.
"Son of a—" The middle-aged man fell to the ground and tried to keep talking, but Vito stomped his face hard, sending teeth and blood flying. He couldn't utter another word.
Most people in the room were stunned by Vito's sudden violence.
Only Josh and the other bodyguards looked at Vito with admiration and appreciation.
Who would've thought that this seemingly refined young man was so sharp — and so ruthless.
"Vito, you should tone it down a bit next time. Don't make it so bloody, especially when there are ladies present!" Josh said as he patted Margot reassuringly — though there was no real scolding in his tone.
"It's fine, just a small scene!" Margot shook her head to show she was alright. Vito's sudden move had startled her, but now that she'd come to her senses, she looked at the groaning man on the floor with satisfaction, casting an approving look toward Vito.
To her, insulting Josh was no different from insulting her.
"Yes, sir. Madam. I'll be more careful next time," Vito said with a slight smile, respectfully stepping aside. He'd clearly made a good impression on both boss and madam.
"Who the hell is this guy?" Josh nodded, then looked at the middle-aged man groaning on the floor.
"My deepest apologies, Mr. Kane. He's my agent. He had a disagreement with the staff here and lost his temper. I hope you can forgive his rudeness." Before Pete or the scolded staff member could reply, Whitney had already stood up and answered, her expression one of fear.
Actually, from the moment Josh spoke, Whitney had already remembered this young tycoon from Chicago. But before she could react, her agent had already started yelling.
She cursed her useless agent inwardly — incapable of handling real business and only causing trouble.
Though she wasn't afraid of Josh, that didn't mean she wanted to make a needless enemy.
Indeed, her fear was just an act — this woman hid her true self far better than anyone there imagined.
"So he's just an agent? Heh, from the way he acted, I thought Mr. Chadwick himself had shown up!" Josh said coldly.
"...I apologize, Mr. Kane. This has nothing to do with Mr. Chadwick. My agent was only here to resolve my contract issue. He offended you — that's his fault. But let's not drag others into this, shall we?"
Whitney frowned slightly at the mention of Chadwick, but upon seeing Pete beside Josh, she seemed to understand something and spoke in a slightly aggrieved tone.
Josh didn't reply immediately. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Whitney for a while before sneering, "Ms. Frost is right. Let's not drag in unrelated people. In that case, have your agent apologize to my subordinate, and we'll call it even."
"Your subordinate?" Whitney paused and looked at Vito.
"I wasn't talking about him. I meant him." Josh twitched at her glance and pointed at the staff member who had been scolded earlier.
"So Mr. Kane has taken over this company," Whitney thought to herself.
"Is that a problem?" Josh said expressionlessly.
He didn't want to start beef with IsodyneEnergy out of nowhere, but that didn't mean he'd tolerate someone cursing him out to his face.
"No, no, not at all. Now that Mr. Kane is backing Sigel Pictures, the company's rise is just around the corner. Seems I was too hasty wanting to terminate the contract. Harvey, get up and apologize to Director Murdoch!" Whitney smiled ingratiatingly and kicked the man on the ground.
"S-sorry…Director Murdoch, Mr. Kane, it was my fault, please forgive me!" After the beating and seeing how Whitney treated Josh — plus hearing him mention Chadwick — the agent, Harvey, realized he'd messed with someone he shouldn't have. Despite his busted mouth, he kowtowed and begged for forgiveness.
Who said Westerners don't kneel or bow their heads? This guy looked pretty practiced at it.
"Enough. Get lost!" Josh waved him off, not even bothering to look.
The agent instinctively glanced at Whitney.
"What are you waiting for? Get out!" Whitney snapped, furious.
Only then did the agent flee like he'd been pardoned. As he passed the doorway, someone tripped him — he tumbled multiple times but didn't dare make a sound, scrambling to his feet and stumbling away.
Judging from how the two bodyguards at the door were staring at the ceiling, it was obvious they were the culprits.
"I sincerely apologize, Mr. Kane. I didn't expect our reunion to happen under such circumstances. I've thought it over. I had a good working relationship with Sigel Pictures before. The reason I wanted to cancel was due to Mr. Sigel's passing and the company being left leaderless. Now that you've taken over, there's no need for termination."
After Harvey left, Whitney tried to make amends by backing off the contract termination. For her, being an actress was just a stepping stone and a good cover. Which company she signed with didn't matter much — though making more money would certainly be nice.
Still, compared to making an enemy of Josh, money was the lesser concern.
"You're too kind, Ms. Frost. It's only natural for people to pursue better opportunities. I don't blame you." Josh waved it off.
"Mr. Kane is truly magnanimous. And actually, you can just call me Whitney," Whitney said, her expression slightly relaxed. Still, aside from that first "Whitney," Josh had only referred to her formally — clearly, he wasn't fully appeased.
"It's better to keep things formal when discussing business. But since you're not canceling the contract, let's hope for a smooth partnership." Josh extended his hand.
Originally, he wanted her to just terminate and leave, but since she was willing to stay in exchange for forgiveness, he didn't mind giving her an out.
Besides, while he planned to focus future promotions on Angela and Sabrina, they were still green. Having an established star like Whitney to lead them would accelerate their growth.
"Of course, we'll definitely work well together!" Whitney forced a smile and shook Josh's hand. "I'm sure you're busy, Mr. Kane. I won't take up any more of your time. I'll treat you properly next time we meet."
"Please do," Josh nodded.
Only then did Whitney breathe a sigh of relief and leave the office after nodding to Margot, Pete, and the others.
But before leaving, she shot a glance out of the corner of her eye toward Vito, who had remained silently in the corner.
That young man's fierce, agile actions had left a strong impression on her.
"To the lab!"
As soon as she stepped out of Sigel Pictures, entered her waiting car, and closed the door, her expression and demeanor shifted drastically. She shot a glare at the agent in the passenger seat and gave the order to the driver.
"Alright, now that the outsiders are gone, let's talk business." Back in the office, Josh convened the execs.
"From now on, Rose Entertainment and Sigel Pictures will officially merge and be renamed DreamWorks. For the time being, the general manager will be my deputy, Mr. Lyndon Schneider. Brad and Pete will serve as deputy managers."
As Josh finished, Lyndon Schneider stepped forward, greeted the group, and announced his presence.
This appointment made Pete and Brad frown. They knew things would change under new leadership, but that didn't make it feel any better.
"No need to be discouraged," Josh smiled. "Lyndon's post is temporary, mainly to help with the initial integration. Later on, it'll be up to you two. I'll assess your performance based on the tasks I give you. Whoever does better will lead the company, and the other will assist."
His words instantly reinvigorated the two managers.
Lyndon then pulled out two screenplay outlines from his briefcase.
One was The Sound of Music, the other was The Seven Year Itch.
The former was for Sabrina, the latter — a classic Marilyn Monroe film — was for Angela.
Technically, Roman Holiday would've been the best fit for Sabrina, being Audrey Hepburn's signature role but Sabrina was still very young, and as a maid with no training, she'd struggle to convey Princess Anne's grace.
The Sound of Music, on the other hand, suited her perfectly.
Its anti-war message and historical context also aligned well with Josh's background.
Clearly, Josh valued Sabrina more than Angela.
While The Seven Year Itch was a good film, its artistic merit was questionable — it was mostly remembered for Monroe's seductive image and not much else.
Two scripts, two actresses — the two managers could pick for themselves.
In the end, Pete chose The Seven Year Itch, and Brad picked The Sound of Music.
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