Chapter 96

The villa hushed briefly before bursting into mocking laughter.

Vince, chuckling, clamped his cigar between his teeth, took a puff, and muttered through squinted eyes, "And you are? If Andrew had said this, I would have listened. But he just left."

Learning that Andrew had slipped away, Yvonne felt a mix of surprise and frustration, annoyed that Andrew would bring her to this strange place only to abandon her without a word.

But that was irrelevant now. Taking a steadying breath, she kept her cool. "This project is unrelated to Andrew. It is a Powell Group venture."

"Powell Group?" Vince's gaze sharpened briefly,but upon eyeing Yvonne, his expression shifted to scorn."You think I'm an idiot, young lady? The Powell Group sent a young girl like you to negotiate alone? I think you're just tossing their name around to scam your way in!"

"Mr. Greville, I'm telling the truth. You saw my script and said it intrigued you!" Yvonne pressed.

"Oh, that was your script.." Vince murmured, his tone soft.

A spark of hope flared in Yvonne's eyes, only to be snuffed out as he smirked. "I was just messing with you. I never even read your script."

Her optimism crumbled, leaving her stunned. How could this be?

Andrew's cryptic warnings echoed in her mind, and she realized seeing was indeed different from hearing.

The crowd watched her like she was a circus act.Vince exhaled a plume of cigar smoke, sneering,"Even if it's a Powell Group project, it's some tiny,irrelevant thing, right? I'm about to sign for their blockbuster. Why would I pick your little gig?" Yvonne clenched her jaw, her eyes blazing. "You haven't read my script, so you have no right to dismiss it! I believe my script is strong enough to win over anyone who cares about real cinema!"

"Oh, really? Now you've piqued my interest." Vince's eyes glinted with mockery, his lips curling in amusement.

Yvonne's heart lifted for a moment, but his next words cut through. "With such big talk, how much can you.offer me? And what's the budget for this little project of yours?"

The questions struck her where it hurt most, and Yvonne went quiet, words failing her.

The crowd's jeering laughter swelled, their skepticism about her ties to the Powell Group deepening. After all, the powerhouse Powell Group was known for its financial swagger, never hesitating to throw around its wealth.

The evening had been a relentless assault on Yvonne's assumptions, exposing her idealism as painfully naive. Still, she couldn't hold back. "You said you would work for free if the script was good enough...

"What, you think this is some fairy tale?" Vince cut her off, his tone dripping with scorn. "I'm not handing out freebies. You don't know how this business works,do you?"

The laughter around her grew louder, biting. Yvonne stood rooted, chewing her lip, feeling like the butt of a cruel joke.

Vince had closed the distance, now looming in front of her. He took a long pull from his cigar and exhaled a cloud of smoke directly into her face.

Then he said, "Tell you what, spend the night with me, and I'll do your film for nothing."

The foul stench of tobacco choked her, sparking a coughing fit. Rage surged, and she glared at him,her hand flying out to deliver a sharp slap across his face."In your dreams!" Julian always refrained from smoking around her, yet Vince had the audacity to puff smoke directly in her face, an insult she refused to endure.

Her fleeting triumph, however, ignited his fury.

"You've got some guts, hitting me on my own ground!" he snarled.

At his command, the crowd inched closer, their presence suffocating. Yvonne's fists tightened, and she spun toward the exit, adrenaline pumping.

This was an exclusive club, but as long as she left,she believed these high-profile figures wouldn't stoop to violence.

"Stop her!" Vince's voice was ice-cold.

A group of people rushed after her as she bolted for the door. Just as escape seemed within reach, a sickening thud echoed.

A bloodied figure plummeted from the second floor,crashing to the floor right in her path.