Chapter 572

Chapter 572

Caden's words gave Harper an idea.

She thought about it and realized he was right.

There were still areas beyond Dominic's reach.

It was just that Harper hadn't paid much attention to web dramas compared to traditional theatrical films and big-budget TV series.

Now that it suddenly came to mind, she immediately went through all the offers Molly had on hand.

She was surprised to find that, without exception, none of the web drama offers had been withdrawn.

It was clear that Dominic hadn't extended his reach into that space.

A sense of hope rose in her chest. She contacted Nick right away, and Nick was thrilled to hear it: "Compared to traditional media, there's still a stigma against web dramas, but in this new era, they actually have some real advantages."

"More viral potential, more room for marketing, and there's no shortage of good scripts either. We'll find a solid one, and with Ms. Reyes's acting chops, it'll be like bringing a gun to a knife fight. Then we push the marketing hard and..."

And just like that, it was settled.

Nick decided that since this would be Molly's first project after her comeback, the quality had to be tightly controlled.

Besides, web dramas generally had lower production costs.

So he simply put together his own team and made Molly one of the creative leads.

That way, it would be even harder for Dominic to interfere.

Nick moved fast.

With his professional eye, a production team and script quickly started taking shape.

By the time Harper checked in on things again, they were already refining the script.

Harper laughed. "That was quick."

"We have Ms. Orsini to thank for the inspiration," Nick said cheerfully, squeezing in a reply between tasks.

When word got back to Dominic, it wasn't hard to imagine how furious he'd be.

He narrowed his eyes, his expression shifting between dark and unreadable.

"Mr. Hall... do you want us to reach out to people in the web drama space as well?"

"No need." Dominic suddenly let out a short, contemptuous laugh. "She's nobody. Whether Molly gets work or not doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Get a couple more people on it and keep digging into the Wright family's situation."

After all, even if Molly made a comeback, she was at best a decent actress with no real capital to speak of.

The bigger target was the Wright family.

Dominic turned his full attention to taking them down.

His people were fired up. "Yes, sir!"

And no wonder they were excited.

For a family as deeply rooted as the Wrights, with decades of entangled interests and a vast web of connections, it was nearly impossible not to have skeletons in the closet.

There had to be plenty of dirt buried somewhere. They just needed to find it.

Before, with the Wright family keeping up appearances on the surface, there had been no justification to investigate.

Now it was different.

Dominic himself had ordered a full investigation. That made things a lot simpler.

What they didn't know as they dug was that part of the reason things were going so smoothly was because of a mole Dominic had quietly planted inside.

Caught in a pincer attack from both sides, it didn't take long before Noah, as the head of the Wright family, became the first to go down — a misconduct scandal surfaced against him.

He was looking at a massive financial penalty.

And if things went sideways, there was even a risk of jail time.

When Lucas heard the news, he said through gritted teeth, "They're picking everything apart with a fine-tooth comb. Even a saint couldn't hold up under this kind of scrutiny. It's obviously a targeted hit on our family."

But even knowing that, Lucas was powerless.

He couldn't exactly stand outside the courthouse and cry injustice.

All he could do was work every angle to get Noah out from under the accusations as quickly as possible.

While the Wright family was scrambling to put out fires, Arthur showed up at just the right moment.

He stood in front of Lucas, barely hiding his satisfaction. "Mr. Wright, I hear you've run into a bit of trouble lately. I was wondering if you might need my help."

Before Lucas could even speak, Arthur already knew why he was there.

So without a second thought, he turned him down. "We have nothing to talk about, Mr. Davis. Please see yourself out."

"No need to rush me out." Arthur wasn't the least bit bothered by the cold reception.

If anything, the more impatient Lucas was, the more it confirmed that the odds were in his favor. Lucas was starting to crack.

He generously offered, "If Mr. Wright is willing to walk away from his marriage to Ms. Reyes, I'd be more than happy to smooth things over between you and Mr. Hall."

Arthur put on an innocent face. "I believe there's been some kind of misunderstanding between Mr. Wright and Mr. Hall. Surely you don't want your entire family to suffer because of you — and because you picked a fight with someone you shouldn't have."

Lucas gave a cold, scornful laugh. "Don't think I don't know you're the one pulling strings behind all of this."

Dominic could have come up with the idea of using the Wright family and Molly against Harper — but nobody would believe Arthur hadn't had a hand in pushing him toward it.

Lucas had no patience for Arthur.

Seeing him now, strutting around like he'd already won, Lucas decided to call his bluff. "Mr. Davis, being someone's lapdog can't feel that great, can it?"

Arthur's expression shifted.

Lucas moved toward him slowly, lowered his voice, and pushed the knife in further. "I'm just curious — what exactly did you have to give up to bring in outside help against me?"

"The Davis family fortune is pretty much gone under your watch, isn't it?"

He kept going. "Even if you actually got Ms. Reyes back, would you even be in any position to keep her?"

"She'd leave you again eventually."

The two of them traded barbs.

But this line of attack clearly landed on Arthur.

The thing he was most sensitive about was exactly that — Molly had been willing to walk away from everything, just to take her child and leave him.

It was like being stomped on a bruise. He snapped back furiously, "Don't get too comfortable. This won't last!"

Lucas just shook his head and smiled, completely unfazed. "Mr. Davis, if it comes down to a battle of resources, you can't win."

When Arthur had first walked in, Lucas had been rattled, if only for a moment.

But quickly, he'd realized something.

The fact that Arthur had come to negotiate at what should have been his most advantageous moment said everything.

It meant Arthur couldn't afford to wait this out.

The more desperate he seemed, the more hollow his position actually was.

Arthur was terrified that the Wright family would survive this — because if they did, he'd never get another shot.

That realization was what settled Lucas down.

He showed Arthur to the door. "Mr. Davis, perhaps we'll work together another time. I'm confident Ms. Reyes and I will have a good life together. And as for you — her past — I do hope you manage not to embarrass yourself too badly."

"Otherwise, it would reflect poorly on her judgment."

A blunt parting shot.

Arthur was seething. He stormed out, silently cursing Lucas the entire way.

But he was painfully aware that he was in no position to go head-to-head with Lucas.

Why else would he have gone to Dominic for help?

He couldn't swallow this.

When he got back, the first thing he saw was Kimber, hovering meekly nearby. Already furious from the wasted trip, he turned on her immediately.

"Stop right there!" he snapped.

Kimber flinched, shrinking as she stood before him. "Arthur..."