Reborn as the Villainess

Chapter 119

As soon as Samuel finished filming, his manager Donne Fast, who had been waiting nearby, called him over. Donne handed him a bottle of water, saying, "Samuel, have some water."

The soda water just taken from the fridge was still cool, and after Samuel took a sip, it drove away a good deal of the heat, lifting his spirits considerably. "Donne, what brings you here? Is there something going on?" Samuel had established his personal studio when he was starting to gain popularity. Although he was nominally the boss, all the operations were actually managed by his agent, Donne.

Donne was Andrew's person, reliable and highly capable, so Samuel trusted him. However, Donne was usually quite busy, and Samuel typically coordinated with his assistant, so seeing Donne unexpectedly surprised him. Donne nodded and said, "Tomorrow is your birthday. Do you have any plans?"

"My birthday?" Samuel paused, forgetting that tomorrow was his birthday. With his busy schedule and his brothers also occupied with work, they all tacitly ignored their birthdays, only coming together to celebrate Gloria's birthday. Samuel pulled out his phone, opened the calendar, and confirmed that it was indeed July 26th, his birthday.

Samuel furrowed his brow slightly and expressionlessly put his phone away, saying, "Just like usual, I'll have the studio post a birthday tweet to respond to the fans."

But Donne shook his head. "That won't do. If it were before, that would be acceptable, but now your Twitter followers have reached fifteen million, which is a turning point. So this birthday needs to be special. On one hand, it's a way to give back to your loyal fans, and on the other, it will enhance your popularity again. What do you think?"

Hearing this, Samuel frowned and reminded him, "But I have filming obligations, so I can't do any activities or anything like

that."

Generally, celebrities either celebrated their birthdays with tweets or held birthday parties. A birthday party required advance preparation for venues and programs, as well as coordination with fan clubs. With Samuel's birthday being tomorrow, it was clear that preparing now would be too late.

Donne nodded. "I have an idea. How about we do a live stream this time? We can stream your daily life, which allows for close interaction with fans and shows that you value this birthday, increasing your appeal to the public. What do you think?

As soon as Samuel heard about the live stream, his brows immediately knitted together, and his eyes showed clear resistance. Without thinking, he rejected the idea, saying, "Forget it. I can't do that." Just the thought of talking to a phone screen for half a day like a fool made him feel uncomfortable. He would rather record a vlog.

However, Donne thought the idea was pretty good and continued to persuade him, "I think live streaming is great. It's very popular right now. Many celebrities use live streams to boost their popularity."

Samuel, however, remained firm. "No, I don't need to boost my popularity!'

"But..." Just as Donne was about to continue, Samuel's phone on the table rang. He picked it up and saw Gloria's name displayed on the screen.

Samuel's previously gloomy mood brightened instantly. He thought, 'Did Gloria receive my gift and call to thank me? Or did she know tomorrow is my birthday and specifically called to wish me a happy birthday?" Regardless of the reason, both were exciting enough to make him thrilled for the whole day. Holding his phone, Samuel stood up and walked aside, answering the call in a gentle tone, "Gloria, what's up?"

"Wah, uh-huh, Samuel, I..." As soon as he answered the phone, instead of the usual soft words or congratulations, he was met with heart-wrenching sobs.

20:57 Fri, Nov 15

Chapter 119

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Samuel was stunned, his smile instantly vanishing as he anxiously asked, "Gloria, what happened? Did someone bully you?"

Gloria's voice trembled, her cries were pitiful, and she even hiccupped from crying too hard. "Samuel, uh-huh, I'm so useless, uh-huh. Eleanor is too popular. Everyone loves her gifts, uh-huh."

Listening to Gloria's fragmented words, Samuel pieced together the situation. "Are you saying that Eleanor copied your idea and sent something even better, so everyone is starting to exclude you? Is that it?"

Gloria choked back tears, mumbling indistinctly, "She's too excellent... It's my fault. I didn't bring you any glory, uh-huh."

Samuel realized he had guessed correctly, and his expression turned cold as he thought, 'I didn't expect Eleanor to be so scheming. She shares blood ties with me. She helped treat my wounds that day, and I thought she was a decent person, but it seemed it was all a facade she meticulously crafted.

'She first bribed Andrew and Felix, making them change their attitudes towards Gloria. Now they're in the same crew, and she's putting pressure on Gloria. She truly is a scheming woman!

Anger surged in Samuel's eyes as he calmly reassured Gloria. "Gloria, don't be sad. I'll think of a way."

He thought, 'In the entertainment industry, the treatment between stars who are popular and those who are not is like night and day. Therefore, those staff learned how to adapt to the wind. When encountering a popular star, they flatter them. Otherwise, they despise them.

'Gloria is still a newcomer, so she won't be regarded much in the crew.

'The best way to change this situation is to let others know that she has someone behind her. Perhaps visiting the set might solve this problem.

So Samuel asked, "Gloria, are you free tomorrow? How about I visit your crew? I need to do an all-day live stream anyway, so I can bring you along to help boost your popularity. You're so sweet. My fans will definitely like you." This was the best idea Samuel could come up with at the moment.

Gloria hesitated slightly, saying, "But wouldn't that cause you trouble? You're already so busy."

Hearing Gloria's concern lifted Samuel's spirits significantly, and he replied with a smile, "It's no trouble at all. You're my sister. If I can't even protect you, how can I call myself your brother?" "Samuel, you're so kind."

"Don't cry. I'll let you know beforehand tomorrow, so be prepared."

"Okay." After hanging up, there was no trace of pain or struggle on Gloria's face, not even a single tear, as if the person who had just cried on the phone wasn't her at all.

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20:57 Fri, Nov 15