Chapter 355

Chapter 355

"I recently invested in two entertainment companies. This show approached them to recruit talent but got rejected." Arthur nodded, pushing the lunch he'd prepared closer to Caroline. He waited until she started eating before continuing to explain. "The entertainment industry is a completely new venture for the Windsor Group, so I've been keeping close tabs on it lately."

"This variety show doesn't pay much, and it's very damaging to a celebrity's image. After weighing the pros and cons, the company didn't allow any of our talent to participate. I never expected Blake to go. Is he short on money?"

Faced with Arthur's question, Caroline shook her head.

Blake had always been cheerful around her, never giving her cause to worry. She had no idea what his actual situation was.

Staring at Blake's pale face on the website, Caroline pressed her lips together. "Can you help me look into it? I want to know why he agreed to this show. I'll pay you."

If she asked him directly, Blake definitely wouldn't tell her the truth.

She could've asked Becky, but Becky had her own problems right now and probably didn't have time to help. She could only turn to Arthur for assistance.

Everyone around her worked in the medical field—they had no connections in entertainment.

Arthur had just entered the industry, but with the Windsor Group's reputation and resources, investigating this shouldn't be too difficult.

"Sure. Don't worry about payment—I'll ask around for you. It's no trouble." Arthur nodded. Caroline relaxed, looking at him gratefully. "Thank you. When I have time, I'll take you out to dinner."

"You don't need to take me to dinner. Just eat the meals I make for you." Ever since that first successful delivery, Arthur had been coming by regularly.

Caroline had resisted at first, but after nearly fainting from low blood sugar one day, Arthur's nutritious lunch had been a lifesaver. She'd become less resistant after that, though she still insisted on transferring him money for the meals.

Arthur hadn't refused that payment.

Caroline kept telling herself this was just a normal transactional relationship, nothing more. That's how she'd managed to maintain this arrangement.

She'd planned for their relationship to stop there.

Who knew she'd be asking him for another favor today?

Hearing his words, Caroline lowered her head and murmured a soft acknowledgment.

No matter what, Blake's situation was the most important thing on her mind right now. She could barely focus on work. When her phone finally rang near the end of the day, she thought Blake had finished up and was calling back. She grabbed her phone eagerly, only to see it was Arthur.

"What is it?" She answered with some disappointment, then heard Arthur's serious tone. "Your brother had an accident on set. He's at the hospital near the filming location right now. It seems like they're trying to cover it up. Do you want to go?"

"What?" Caroline shot to her feet in shock. "Where is he filming? I'll go right now!"

"The production team is keeping a tight lid on information. How about this—I'll take you there. One of my entertainment companies has someone filming nearby. That'll give us a legitimate reason. Otherwise, if you go alone, not only will you have trouble finding him, but you might also tip them off." Arthur explained.

"Okay. Where should I meet you?"

With Blake's safety at stake, Caroline couldn't care less about maintaining distance. She just wanted to see Blake as soon as possible.

Arthur didn't make her wait. He told her to stay at the office.

Caroline couldn't calm down. She paced her office several times, gave her secretary a few instructions, and went downstairs early to wait.

The moment she spotted Arthur's car in the distance, she was already at the curb. She got in and they left immediately.

"What exactly happened?" In her panic on the phone earlier, she hadn't asked for details. Now in the car, heading toward their destination, Caroline finally had the presence of mind to ask.

Arthur had brought a driver today. The driver sat up front while they occupied the back seat.

He patted her back soothingly. "I only found out when I was looking into it for you. Things haven't been going well for him on set. He got hurt. He's at the hospital now."

"It shouldn't be anything serious, but the production team is afraid of backlash, so they're keeping it quiet. I'm guessing you can't reach him right now either."

"He's your brother. You're so worried about him—I thought it'd be better for you to see his condition with your own eyes."

Caroline nodded. She'd only learned about this today. If she couldn't contact Blake on top of that, she'd lose her mind.

After ending the call with Arthur earlier, she'd tried calling Blake again. His phone was off.

Now hearing Arthur say this, she believed him completely.

"That production has a bad reputation and doesn't pay well. Blake is a Best Actor—he shouldn't be on a show like that unless his company forced him to participate and he had no way to refuse." On the way, Arthur analyzed the situation for her. "I'm guessing he's having some issues with his agency. Most likely contract-related."

"Contract? But he's a Best Actor. He makes the company plenty of money. Why would they treat him like this?" Caroline had never followed the entertainment industry. Even with Arthur's explanation, she looked completely lost.

"Yes. I found out his contract with the company is about to expire. Normally he'd renew, but it seems he didn't agree to." Arthur paused, giving Caroline time to process before continuing. "It's probably because of that—the company knows they can't keep him, so they're trying to destroy him. That way they don't have to worry about him joining another entertainment company and taking market share."

Caroline understood. "Like a non-compete agreement?"

Arthur nodded. "Similar, but the entertainment industry uses even dirtier tactics."

"Like this—forcing him to take jobs he doesn't want. If he refuses, he's in breach of contract and has to pay a huge penalty. But if he chooses to endure it, they torture him."

"That's outrageous!" Caroline clenched her fists. She couldn't believe Blake could be bullied like this even as a Best Actor.

When he was less established, how much more unfair treatment must he have endured?

"We'll go together and back him up. We can't just stand by and watch the company abuse him like this." Arthur patted her shoulder. Caroline looked at him gratefully. "Thank you for telling me all this."

If Arthur hadn't investigated for her, she'd have no way of knowing any of this. Blake would've had to face the darkness of the entertainment industry alone.

This time Arthur had really helped her enormously.

No—not just this time.

There was Becky too.

The surveillance footage he'd provided had directly saved the Powell family from disaster.