Chapter 720 - 716: A Lot of People Have Come

James Lockwood hesitantly agreed, but he couldn’t shake the strange feeling in his gut.

Miss Sterling certainly wasn’t short on cash, but based on his understanding of her, she had clearly been angry just now.

’She was angry, yet she still agreed to a deal with them?’

’That’s not Miss Sterling’s style at all!’

But James Lockwood warned himself not to guess what Miss Sterling was planning or how she would do it. He just needed to diligently carry out the tasks she had assigned him.

After finishing the call, Cecilia Sterling returned inside. The sudden change from cold to warm made her shiver involuntarily.

"Sis."

Lily Sterling looked up and said softly, "Hannah and Nina invited me to dinner tonight."

"Do you want to go?" Cecilia sat down beside her sister, reminding her, "All the trending entertainment news topics today are about you. If you go out, you might be secretly photographed, or something else could happen."

She wasn’t stopping her sister from going out, just giving her a heads-up.

But Lily Sterling just smiled calmly, not worried in the slightest. "I already said yes to them, Sis. I don’t think I need to hide. I haven’t done anything wrong."

Cecilia was very relieved to hear her sister think that way. "That’s the right way to think. You don’t need to take responsibility for anyone else’s mistakes."

Lily nodded. "I know, Sis. My head is very clear right now. We’ll find a place with good privacy to avoid any unnecessary trouble."

"I also know you’ve been staying with me all day because you were afraid I’d be home alone, letting my mind wander. I won’t. I already thought through everything I should and shouldn’t have last night. I’m not going to think about it anymore."

A smile touched Cecilia’s eyes. She gently squeezed her sister’s hand. "Then go have fun, but come back early. Call me if anything happens."

"Okay. I’ll go upstairs and change into something more low-key."

Watching her sister run up the stairs, Cecilia breathed a small sigh of relief.

James Lockwood quickly sent Cecilia the information he had found on Stellarwind Media, which included details about the company’s owner and the editor-in-chief of its entertainment department.

"Miss Sterling, I haven’t been able to identify the specific reporter who did the interview and filming yet. The company has dozens of paparazzi."

Cecilia stared at the message on her phone, her gaze deep. ’It doesn’t matter if he can’t find out. I have my own ways of getting the answer.’

By five-thirty in the afternoon, Mason Hughes was at his workstation, glancing at the time every so often.

It was already dark outside, but the boss still hadn’t told him to edit the video. The peak traffic period for the entire day was just an hour away. ’Are we posting this video or not?’

Mason Hughes was on pins and needles. A colleague next to him couldn’t help but ask, "Mason, what’s with you? You’ve been squirming in your seat all afternoon. Did you crap your pants?"

"Screw you. I’m waiting for the boss’s orders."

Mason Hughes couldn’t stand it any longer. He got up and marched straight to the editor-in-chief’s office.

"Boss." As soon as he entered, Mason Hughes blurted out, "It’s five-thirty, Boss. If we don’t edit the video now, we won’t have time to post it."

The editor-in-chief was sitting leisurely on the sofa, brewing tea. He looked up at him. "What’s the rush?"

He poured a cup of tea and pushed it forward. "Sit down, have some tea. Wait with me."

Mason Hughes was confused. ’Wait?’

’Wait for what?’

"Boss, what’s going on?" Mason Hughes asked, looking lost. "Are we still posting the video?"

The editor-in-chief stopped hiding it. "Whether we post it or not depends on the other party’s attitude. You get what I mean, right?"

Hearing this, Mason Hughes immediately sat up straight.

"Boss, you talked to them?"

"Mhm." The editor-in-chief raised an eyebrow and smiled smugly. "I wasn’t planning on hiding this from you. At noon, I just wasn’t sure if we could close the deal. Now that it’s settled, I can tell you. You’ll get the main credit for this. I definitely won’t treat you unfairly."

That got Mason Hughes all excited.

"How much, Boss?"

"Don’t ask about that just yet." The editor-in-chief took a sip of tea and glanced at the time again. "They said they’d be here before six. I’d say it’s about time."

But the moment the words left his mouth, the office door was suddenly pushed open from the outside. An employee rushed in, panicked. "Boss!"

Startled, he shot the employee an irritated glare. "What’s wrong with you? Don’t you know how to knock?"

The man pointed outside, his voice trembling. "Boss, people are here! A lot of people!"

Mason Hughes instinctively stood up to go see what was happening, but as he reached the office doorway, a large hand from outside pushed him back in.

Mason Hughes was small and thin. Caught off guard, he stumbled back two steps and fell right on his butt on the floor.

Looking up, he saw a giant of a man in black, at least six-foot-three, walk into the office with a murderous expression. Behind him, six more men filed in, each one looking just as fierce.

The editor-in-chief was scared to death. He stared in horror at the scene unfolding before him. Just as he was about to ask what was going on, he heard a sudden BANG! BANG! BANG! from outside the office.

Each sound made them flinch.

Just as he was wondering what on earth they were smashing, the lead giant suddenly pulled a baseball bat from his waistband.

Seeing this, Mason Hughes scrambled to his feet and ran to his boss’s side. "B-Boss, what’s happening?"

The editor-in-chief didn’t know either. He thought the man was about to beat him, but the giant just walked over to the corner with the baseball bat, swung it, and smashed the security camera on the wall with a loud CRASH.

It was the same sound they had heard from outside, which meant all the internal security cameras in their company had likely just been destroyed.

"Which one of you is Leontis Howard?"

Finally, someone spoke. Duane was leaning against the doorframe, his sharp gaze sweeping over the people in the room.

Mason Hughes subconsciously looked at his boss. "Boss, I... I think they’re looking for you."

Leontis Howard shot him a glare, then reluctantly raised his hand. "I... I’m Leontis Howard. Gentlemen, is there some kind of misunderstanding?"

Duane let out a cold snort, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes on his face. "Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding could there be? Weren’t you sitting here waiting for someone to bring you money?"

Leontis Howard was taken aback. "Are you from Goldman Golding?"

"Goldman Golding, Silver Crest, what’s all that?" Duane walked forward impatiently, held his hand out in front of Leontis Howard, and crooked his fingers. "Where’s the stuff?"

Leontis Howard played dumb. "What stuff?"

"What do you *think* I mean?" Duane’s eyes flared, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop five degrees. "When I’m talking to you nicely, you’d better show some damn respect. Where is it!"

How could Leontis Howard bear to hand it over just like that? That was part of a deal they’d settled on for one thousand dollars.

His face showed hesitation while his heart was filled with fear, giving him the pathetic look of someone who was both unwilling to comply and terrified of getting beaten up.

The next second, the man in black standing by the desk swung his baseball bat, and with a loud SMASH, he shattered the computer monitor on the desk into pieces.

Leontis Howard was so scared he nearly jumped out of his skin. His mind cleared instantly, and he quickly said, "I’ll... I’ll get it for you. I’ll get it for you right now."