Winona was suddenly speechless. She had planned to argue but realized that what Pearl said seemed to make sense.
The Waldorfs were actually wealthier than she thought. If Richard wouldn't spend this money on her, how could he show affection
for her? She heard he didn't think twice about spending on Pearl.
With this in mind, Winona bit her lip and looked at Richard shyly. "What should we do, Richard?" Letting him decide also allowed
her to gauge his true feelings.
Richard understood what was going on, so he stopped arguing. He responded confidently, "The Waldorfs can afford 40 million."
Hugo laughed. "You're always so generous, bro."
Pearl joined in on Hugo's teasing, nearly giving herself away. "Well, since Mister Richard is feeling generous, let's not drag this out,"
she said, pointing to the contract. "Gentlemen, let's sign."
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Richard didn't want to engage in further conversation and quickly signed, passing the contract to her.
Hugo was about to sign but suddenly stopped. "Wait a minute. Why did you only ask Rick if he had any objections to the contract?
What about me?" His smile faded.
Pearl had wanted to create tension between Richard and Winona but didn't have any special plans for Hugo. Since he had helped
her, she decided not to make things difficult for him now.
"What do you think then?"
Hugo took his pen, pointing to a clause. "Why can't | be present during the shoot?"
Pearl's expression changed. This rule was set to keep things smooth during shooting and limit interactions between Winona, Hugo,
and Richard. She tried to slide this rule in, but Hugo caught on.
"So, can you givea reasonable explanation?" Hugo asked in a flat tone, clearly displeased.
"The reason for this rule is simple," Pearl said, straightening up and explaining confidently, "to avoid disturbing the actors. Think
about it, if you were to visit the set frequently, the actors will surely lose focus, and it'll affect the shooting schedule."
Despite what Pearl said, she knew it was to keep Winona from flaunting her power and influence. As for Estrella, she hadn't gotten
to know her and wasn't sure about her motives, so Pearl decided not to focus on her for now.
Pearl's explanation sounded reasonable.
Hugo frowned. He couldn't argue with that.
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But his initial intention was to have more intimate interactions with her. With this rule, his 11 million-dollar investment seemed
wasted.
"So you're saying that | spent 11 million, and | don't even get the privilege of visiting the set?"
Pearl sneered. "Mister Richard spent 40 million and hasn't complained yet. Why are you so impatient?"
Richard chimed in, "lI don't agree either."
This was all thanks to Hugo's sharp eye. 51 million wasn't a small amount.
Pearl was at a loss for words.
She didn't want to break the terms, so she had to find a compromise. "The shooting is split into three sessions, each lasting about
half a day. How about you visit the set for an hour during each session?"