Chapter 264: He Won’t Go Easy on Adrian Either

’Just like Claire Sheffield. I’m just a tool, part of the background,’ Jane thought with cold detachment.

Perhaps it was because winter was coming, but she suddenly felt the wind cut straight to the bone.

"Jay!"

Jane vaguely heard someone call her name, and for a moment, she thought she must have imagined it.

When she looked up, she saw someone getting out of a car, holding an umbrella.

The wind and rain were fierce, whipping up a corner of his overcoat. He exuded an intimidating aura, an inviolable presence that made it hard to look him in the eye.

But the moment those charming eyes met her gaze, they softened, shimmering like a tranquil spring pond.

"What are you doing here?" Before she could even process it, she was already running toward him.

As she got closer, however, she stopped short.

Jasper Sterling lowered and closed his umbrella.

He noted her hesitation, but his expression remained impassive.

"I had some business in the area and heard you were visiting the set, so I thought I’d come see you."

He knew Jane never did anything without a reason and had been worried something might happen at the film set.

Fortunately, he’d found out on the way that while there had been an incident, it wasn’t anything major.

"Is that guy crazy? Accusing you of having a sugar-daddy arrangement with Adrian?" Gavin had been monitoring the situation online all day, expecting some huge bombshell.

He never expected the evidence the guy threw out would be so completely underwhelming.

But the guy was good at stirring the pot. Too many clueless netizens were still online, clamoring for a ’smoking gun’.

Gavin didn’t even know what to say. A cunning villain is less terrifying than an idiot with a sudden burst of inspiration.

Jane turned to look at Adrian. "Well? Are you going to issue a clarification?"

"Huh? Is that even a question? This guy is serving his own head on a platter!" Gavin said, confused.

The corners of Jane’s lips curled up slightly.

’You’re wrong about that. Adrian is the one who wants to cut ties with me the most. There’s no way he’d publicly admit I’m his sister.’

’How could he possibly be willing to let me leech off even a sliver of the glory he worked so hard to build for himself in this industry?’

’As a celebrity, he has to maintain his image. Once he acknowledges me as his sister, he’ll have to put on a show of a doting older brother everywhere he goes.’

’How could he possibly stand that?’

Adrian: "..."

He clenched his fists, forced to admit that her inner thoughts were spot on.

He had always been disciplined and fiercely protective of his reputation. He’d built his cold, aloof persona not just because it was his nature, but because it was an effective way to ward off clout-chasers trying to stir up scandals.

To think that after all this time in the industry, the one time he was willing to let someone ride his coattails, they would stab him in the back.

But this guy had basically served up his own face for a good slapping. It would be even more absurd if he didn’t oblige.

Adrian rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Have the studio release a clarification. Announce that Jay is my biological sister."

His manager’s face lit up. "Perfect!"

He paused for a moment but didn’t leave.

Adrian snapped, "What are you looking at me for? Get it posted!"

The manager replied, "Send me a childhood photo of you and your sister. That’ll be the nail in the coffin and will shut down all the arguments."

Quincy Usher wants the attention, so he’s definitely hoping for a back-and-forth exchange, but getting into a mud-slinging match would be beneath them.

The studio should only need to issue one statement. It needs to be decisive and cut right to the heart of the matter. We can’t get into an online shouting match with a lunatic; it would just make us a laughingstock.

Adrian froze for a second, then scrolled through his phone. He had forgotten; his sister had been in a coma for three years. He no longer had any photos of her.

His manager was stunned. ’Aren’t you family? How can you not have a single picture of her?’

Jane shrugged. "Don’t look at me. My phone’s broken."

Even though she had two phones.

Adrian pressed his lips together and had no choice but to call Julian Lanscaster for help.

Julian quickly sent the photo over, and the manager hurried off to make arrangements with the studio.

——

Quincy Usher stared at the trending topics, several of which were about him, and drifted into a daydream about his impending stardom.

Several MCN agencies had already contacted him, wanting to sign him.

He had taken a huge gamble this time. An act like this would surely end his acting career; no one would cast him for another role.

Too many celebrities were having their careers implode over scandals these days, dragging entire productions down with them. As a result, film sets were full of restrictive, annoying rules.

But he didn’t care about that anymore.

Quincy Usher knew he was born for the spotlight. He reveled in the chase and the flattery.

He couldn’t stand being an obscure supporting actor, constantly having to put up with one thing after another.

The more Adrian showed his appreciation for him, the more jealous he became.

What was so special about him? Why was he so famous that everyone fawned over him?

Why did being famous mean Adrian got an RV while he got nothing, forced to wait for his scenes in the biting winter wind?

Now, the tables had finally turned. It was his turn to get a taste of fame.

With this much buzz, he could switch careers, become a livestreaming influencer, and easily make a billion or two a year.

When he saw that Adrian Studio had issued a clarification, he rubbed his hands together, ready to keep hammering them and drive the hype even higher.

But the next moment, he froze.

That woman was Adrian’s biological sister? How was that possible? Wasn’t he on bad terms with his sister, to the point he refused to even mention her?

This was a completely unforeseen development. Quincy Usher slumped onto the sofa.

If he’d known, he would’ve just pinned the whole thing on that Joy Larson. What was he supposed to do now?

Now, the comments were all mocking him for being so thoroughly debunked, and his private messages were flooded with curses.

The contacts from the MCN agencies that had been negotiating with him all sent messages backing out of their offers.

He’d gambled his entire acting future on this. Was this pathetic outcome all he had to show for it?

Quincy Usher couldn’t accept it. If this was how things were going to be, then he wouldn’t go easy on Adrian anymore.

——

Once the studio’s clarification was posted, the comments section absolutely exploded.

[OMG, for the first time in my life, I feel so vindicated! The studio finally did something right for once!]

[Wow, that clarification was fast. Keep this pace up in the future, don’t make me beg you.]

[SOB, I almost cried! Thank god our boy’s comeback was so strong, otherwise we fans would have been flamed into oblivion.]

[All the fans who didn’t say anything bad about his sister, gather here!]

[I’m so sorry, sister-in-law! I totally misunderstood and thought you were just some clout-chasing actress.]

[They’re so obviously siblings! Their eyes and brows are so similar. They totally look like a rich brother-and-sister duo who’ve run away from home.]

[I’m obsessed with the sister’s looks! How can she be so gorgeous!]

[Look at the photo, the two of them seemed so close as kids. We’ve never heard him mention a sister before; he must have been trying to protect her.]

Reading these comments, Adrian felt a complicated mix of emotions.

He hadn’t mentioned his sister in the past, but it certainly wasn’t to protect her.

Jane said, "Well, since that’s settled, I’ll be going."

"Wait!" Adrian called out to her.

He hadn’t forgotten that he still had another objective for the day.

"It’s almost time for dinner. I ordered takeout for you all. Why don’t we eat in my RV?"

Jane: "..."

’Is he crazy? I’m not eating with him. What if it’s poisoned?’

’You let that Quincy Usher hang out in your RV all the time. Who knows what kind of germs he’s carrying?’

Adrian’s brow twitched. ’Perfect,’ he thought. ’A clue!’