Chapter 60 More Human Than Ever
Leandro didn't dare act arrogantly anymore. Fine, as long as the McCall family's business was safe and he could continue being a trust fund baby, there would be other opportunities in the future.
Hearing that things had settled down, Pax cautiously inquired, "Sophia, what about Luminary Press's business dealings..."
"Since James isn't holding a grudge, I have no reason to be enemies with Mr. McCall."
"Ah, good! Thank you for your magnanimity, Sophia! I'll definitely keep that damn son of mine in line from now on!"
After the call ended, Leandro was picked up by the McCall family's driver and taken to the hospital.
With everything settled, Sophia finally had time to tend to James's injuries.
"James, go change your clothes first, and let me see how badly you're hurt."
The director immediately sent two crew members over to help James.
But Sophia shot them a cold glare. "Back off! Don't touch James!"
Instantly, everyone froze in place, not daring to approach.
Amelia dusted off her hands and ran over. She and Sophia each took one of James's sides, helping him to the dressing room.
Electra followed with the first aid kit as well.
After helping James sit down, Electra set down the medical kit and left with Amelia.
Sophia closed the door and went to help James out of his costume.
They were siblings, after all, so James didn't mind and cooperated in removing his shirt.
Seeing her increasingly dark expression, James chuckled and pinched her cheek. "Didn't you already get your revenge? Why do you still look so grim?"
"You can still laugh about this. You knew Leandro was deliberately trying to hurt you. Why didn't you tell the director? You're just here doing part-time work. Was it really worth pushing yourself that hard?"
Sophia genuinely wondered if the Johnson family had some kind of mental block. For an eight-hundred-dollar paycheck, he'd taken a beating without saying a word. Pure fool!
"Leandro is the investor's son. Everyone on set fawns over him. I didn't dare offend him. I was afraid of causing trouble for you."
James was being completely honest. He didn't know what kind of background Sophia had. He'd only just learned that Sophia was Stellar Cinematics' largest shareholder.
Besides, he didn't know much about Leandro's status either. What if crossing Leandro affected Sophia's business interests?
Sophia touched her nose. She really had never told the Johnson family about what companies she owned or what connections she had in Emerald City.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "Still, you can't just take a beating. At worst, you could have quit."
"I heard that Leandro and Electra want to use this web series to break into the entertainment industry, so I wanted to try to gain some exposure, too. Even if I don't enter the entertainment industry, I was hoping to make something of myself in the web series business."
James had done his research. Web series actors' salaries varied wildly—ordinary part-time extras made a few hundred dollars a day, while famous ones made tens of thousands.
He didn't necessarily want to become one of the top tier, but he did want to increase his value and earn more money, so that Sophia's help with his audition and buying him new clothes wouldn't be wasted.
Hearing this, Sophia sighed and crouched down beside James, looking up at him. "James, that's not how you make money. You need to distinguish between your main job and side jobs. Your primary task right now is still the college entrance exams. Part-time work is just about earning some pocket money in your spare time to ease financial pressure. Your career should be what you spend time and energy thinking about, choosing, and working toward."
Just like how she used to spend her spare time learning about business and investing in companies as practice exercises—the profits and losses weren't that important to her.
So after investing money, she basically didn't manage those ventures.
But Vertex Innovations Ltd. was her main focus. She had purposefully founded this company, investing enormous human, material, and financial resources. It would become the enterprise she'd manage entirely and her primary occupation.
People couldn't stop moving forward because of small immediate gains, or else their current short-sighted perspective would become the peak of their lives.
Making it impossible to break through and continue climbing.
James carefully considered Sophia's words, then smiled gently. "I've learned something. I caused you trouble today and made you come to my defense."
Sophia's pupils trembled, and she pressed her lips together uncomfortably.
She couldn't explain her own thoughts clearly. When she received Amelia's message, her heart had started racing with anxiety. When she arrived and heard Leandro's humiliating words, her blood had surged and she'd immediately started throwing punches.
She'd never been so impulsive before, but seeing someone bully James just made her incredibly angry.
"Ahem, it wasn't really coming to your defense. You're my family—bullying you is the same as bullying me."
A smile spread across James's face. This side of Sophia was incredibly endearing to him.
He could also tell that Sophia had never felt love from family members during her time with the Smith family and had no concept of familial affection. That was why she seemed so awkward when she instinctively worried about and protected him.
James didn't force Sophia to adapt immediately and changed the subject. "How did you get Pax to contact you voluntarily?"
"I gave him a sense of crisis," Sophia spoke casually, as if it wasn't a big deal.
She rummaged through the medical kit, took out antiseptic solution to disinfect the scraped wounds on James's body, and said nonchalantly, "The business world is a circle. Economic chains from various industries form a closed loop. I can't thrive in every industry, but that doesn't stop me from having familiar connections in every industry."
Ordinary families would desperately seek help, spend money on dinners, and humble themselves, but still might not succeed.
But for people in their circle, one phone call could settle everything.
So Sophia was committed to building connections. If she couldn't find connections to cultivate in a certain industry, she didn't mind investing a little money to develop a useful contact.
After all, she was only seventeen. She could spend ten years, and by the time she reached her career prime at twenty-seven, that person would be able to achieve something and be useful to her. That would be enough.
"James, do you like acting?" Sophia asked out of the blue.
"Hmm... not at the moment."
Maybe it was because of the role he'd taken—getting beaten up the entire time, with Leandro using solid props. Who would enjoy getting pummeled?
Sophia chuckled softly. "Then just treat it as part-time work for now. Think seriously about what major to choose for college. You still have a year—no rush."
"What major do you want to choose?"
"I'm definitely studying finance. I love money more than anything in this lifetime."
James laughed. "Then I'll study law and work as legal counsel for your company."
"Are you sure you can win arguments?"
"It's not street bargaining. The law will be on the side of justice."
Outside the dressing room, Amelia sipped her coffee, listening to the siblings chat inside, unable to stop her lips from curving upward.
God knew how excited she'd been earlier. She hadn't seen Sophia get angry and hit someone in so long. This proved that Sophia had truly accepted James in her heart.
After seventeen years, her best friend was finally experiencing the love of family. She was becoming more human than ever.
Electra, however, was full of worry, not understanding what the person beside her was smiling about.
James was so badly injured—how could she still laugh?
As soon as the dressing room door opened, Electra anxiously stood up to greet them, her eyes red-rimmed and looking so fragile.
"James, I'm sorry. It's because of me that you got hurt so badly."
James raised an eyebrow in confusion, as well as did Sophia.
Had this leading lady gotten too deep into character and lost her mind?