Chapter 109: Smart Business

Across the atrium, 30 animators and production editors watched the phone in Jude’s hand in dead silence.

Arthur Zhang’s bluster faded as he took the device, his fingers unsteady against the casing.

"Hello? Mr. Mercer?" Zhang said, pressing the phone to his ear. "This is Arthur Zhang, Vice President of Partnerships at Luminary VFX... Yes, sir, I’m currently on the 14th floor of Voyager Animation reviewing their rendering terms—"

Zhang stopped.

Within 2 seconds, the color drained from his face.

His posture stiffened, his knuckles white around the handset as he listened to the voice on the other end.

"Yes, sir... Understood, Mr. Mercer. I understand completely."

The line clicked off.

Zhang lowered the phone, staring at Jude with quiet shock.

"Chairman Lawson," Zhang stammered, bowing his head in a hurry. "I’m so sorry. I had no idea you owned the company. I was way out of line."

The atrium remained silent. Staff stood along the corridors, watching the executive reverse his stance completely after a 20-second call.

Jude took his phone back from Zhang’s hand and slipped it into his pocket.

"Personnel matters at Luminary aren’t my concern," Jude said evenly. "What I asked for was an apology to the room."

"Understood," Zhang said quickly. He turned toward Evelyn and the staff watching from the lobby. "Miss Chen... everyone at Voyager... I was completely out of line today, both in the meeting and out here. I’m truly sorry."

Jude looked past him toward Marcus Sun.

Zhang turned sharply on his assistant. "Marcus. Clear the air right now."

Marcus stood frozen. "Mr. Zhang, who is—"

"Quiet and apologize," Zhang snapped under his breath.

Seeing the tension in his superior’s expression, Marcus swallowed his pride.

He stepped forward, looking at the floor, and muttered a quick apology to Jude, Evelyn, and the front desk.

"You can head back to the Midtown office, pack your desk, and hand your badge to HR," Zhang added. "Mr. Mercer made that directive directly."

Marcus went pale, looking at Zhang for a moment before turning toward the elevators in silence, unable to salvage his position.

Zhang wiped his collar with a handkerchief. "Chairman Lawson, Mr. Mercer noted that our Chief Executive Officer is en route from Midtown right now to review the master rendering contract with Voyager Animation directly."

"He can wait in the conference room until we’re ready," Jude said, glancing at his watch. "Evelyn, let’s step into your office."

Leaving Zhang waiting by the front counter, Jude walked down the hall with Evelyn into the executive suite.

The door closed behind them.

Evelyn turned around, looking up at him with genuine curiosity. "Jude, what did Julian Mercer say to turn things around like that?"

Jude closed the distance between them, stepping close and placing a hand lightly at her waist.

"It’s been nearly a week. Did the studio keep you too busy to check in?"

Seeing her stand firm in the lobby earlier had confirmed her dedication...

Color touched Evelyn’s cheeks. The fatigue from days of production reviews and budget audits seemed to ease as she rested a hand against his sleeve.

"Not for a single day," she said quietly. "If the review decks hadn’t kept me tied to the desk, I would have stopped by the estate. Did you have any time to think about the studio?"

"A fair amount," Jude said with a faint smile, his eyes meeting hers.

Evelyn looked at him, her tone softening. "Are you free for dinner tonight?"

Jude looked down at her, pausing for a moment before answering.

He knew how demanding the Nezha schedule was; shifting focus tonight would only derail her momentum right before final approvals.

"Let’s hold off on tonight," Jude said, brushing a strand of hair back from her forehead. "I have a prior commitment with the homicide squad this evening."

Evelyn blinked in surprise.

"Keep your focus on finishing the movie. The night Nezha hits theaters, we’ll celebrate with that dinner for real."

Evelyn gave a slow nod, stepping back with a small smile. "Fair enough. Let’s see where we stand."

She walked behind her desk and pulled up the production files on her tablet.

"The final script and main character designs are done," she said. "Our biggest headache was rendering the massive fight scenes and effects for the final act. Luminary owns the fastest servers for IMAX quality around here, which is why Zhang thought he owned us. Ten minutes ago, walking away from them would’ve delayed us for months."

Jude leaned against the front of the desk. "What price were you aiming for?"

"Half of what he asked," Evelyn said. "I had someone check rates at six other studios. Half of Zhang’s price is the standard top rate in this city."

Jude gave an approving nod. "Smart business."

"Of course," Evelyn said, looking up from the tablet. "Just because you backed us with plenty of money doesn’t mean we throw it away. Every dollar saved belongs on the screen."

"You won’t have to argue over the price anymore," Jude said. "When their CEO gets here, the deal will be at normal market rate or lower."

Evelyn stopped, putting the tablet down. "You still haven’t told me. Why did one phone call to Julian Mercer change Zhang’s attitude like that?"

"You know Apex Media, right?" Jude asked.

"A bit," Evelyn replied. "I mostly stay in animation and publishing, but I know they run major movie releases in theaters."

"Apex is the boss behind Luminary," Jude explained. "And Julian Mercer runs the place."

"Then why would Mercer step in to help us against his own partner?"

"Because Lawson Capital owns Apex Media," Jude said calmly. "Julian Mercer works for me."

Evelyn stared at him, completely lost for words as she realized just how powerful he really was.

"You own Apex Media?" Evelyn asked, in complete disbelief.

"Finished the deal recently," Jude said evenly, keeping it casual.

Evelyn stood in silence, trying to process it.

Funding Voyager Animation was already massive, but finding out he controlled one of the largest media networks in the country was on a whole other level...

A knock came at the office door.

Evelyn walked over and opened it. Her assistant, Chloe, stood outside.

"Mr. Lawson, Ms. Chen... Preston Zhao from Luminary VFX just walked into the lobby."

"We’ll be right out," Evelyn said.