Chapter 69: The Oscar Winners

Jude stopped on the carpet, keeping his hands in his pockets.

The mezzanine foyer was 40 feet wide, built to handle dozens of arriving guests at once. There was plenty of room to walk past, but Jude had no interest in getting into an argument in front of the press pen.

He took a step to the side. "Go ahead. Finish your photos."

Damon Vance and Camilla Frost traded a quick look, annoyed that their attempt to draw a reaction hadn’t worked.

As Damon turned back toward the entry arch, Jude glanced at him.

"You’re Damon Vance and Camilla Frost, right?"

The question stopped them cold. For 20 years, their faces had been on posters, magazine covers, and studio billboards. Having an unfamiliar face ask who they were as if trying to place two extras stung immediately.

"Obviously," Damon said, his smile tightening.

Camilla held up her gold pen, looking him up and down. "If you’re asking for an autograph, don’t bother. I don’t sign programs at private events, and I’m not here for fans."

Behind Jude, Anna stayed in place, watching the actress without reacting.

Jude didn’t shift his stance.

"I don’t collect autographs, Miss Frost," Jude said, his tone dry. "Your names crossed a talent depreciation review on my desk earlier this week. I was just confirming the faces."

Camilla’s face flushed under her makeup.

"A depreciation review?" she scoffed. "Listen to this guy. Acting like he doesn’t know two Oscar winners to make himself look important."

"Let it go, Camilla," Damon cut in, looking around to make sure the junior producers nearby were listening. "At our level, everyone knows who we are. Looking at him, I doubt anyone in this room knows his name."

"He doesn’t even have a table card," Camilla added, scanning his lapel. "This gala is invite-only for donors and studio heads. Did you slip in through the service elevator in a rented tux?"

A few guests nearby laughed, watching the exchange.

Because Damon and Camilla had arrived 20 minutes after the commotion downstairs, they hadn’t seen Chloe Delacroix being escorted off the premises. To them, Jude was just an uninvited guest out of his depth.

Before Damon could call for security, footsteps came down the hall.

Raymond Sterling hurried around the corner, followed by 2 floor managers.

Camilla smiled. "Mr. Sterling, perfect timing. Security let someone through without credentials. Have him escorted out."

Raymond walked straight past her, not even glancing at her dress, and stopped in front of Jude.

He gave a formal bow. "Mr. Lawson," Raymond said, his voice carrying across the quiet hall. "I realized you didn’t have your pass with you, so I came up to clear the checkpoints personally."

Jude gave a nod. "Thank you, Raymond."

Raymond turned to the security guards at the door. "Make note of Mr. Lawson. He has open access to all private floors."

Damon’s smile faded. Camilla stared at the manager, her hand frozen.

"Mr. Sterling, what is this?" Camilla asked, her voice faltering. "Who is he?"

Raymond turned to her. "Watch your words, Miss Frost. You’re speaking to Jude Lawson, the second-largest shareholder in the Sovereign Plaza Hotel Group."

The guests around the table stopped talking.

Holding a 30% controlling stake in a hotel group of this scale required hundreds of millions in liquid capital.

Damon went pale. He had just mocked the owner of the building?

Before he could say anything to walk it back, the elevator chimed behind them.

Three senior partners in pinstripe suits stepped onto the floor. Leading them was Harrison Kingsley, head of Kingsley, Vance & Associates, one of the primary corporate law firms in the city.

Spotting Jude, Kingsley smiled and walked over, extending a hand.

"Mr. Lawson, good to see you," Kingsley said.

Jude shook his hand. "Good evening, Harrison."

"The partners have been hoping to see you downtown," Kingsley said, ignoring the crowd. "Since Lawson Capital took that 30% equity block to become our third-largest partner, the executive committee has wanted to run the upcoming antitrust strategy by you."

"Schedule has been packed," Jude said. "I’ll have Victoria set up a briefing next week."

The guests watching nearby looked between Kingsley and Jude in disbelief.

Controlling equity in a premier corporate law firm gave Lawson leverage across half the major deals in town!

Before anyone could move, Leonard Chen, Chairman and CEO of Nexus Media Group, the $12 billion digital platform walked over from the lounge.

Chen stopped and greeted Jude with a respectful nod. "Mr. Lawson. We’ve only spoken over the phone. I’m Leonard Chen."

"Chairman Chen," Jude acknowledged. "I saw your note earlier."

"Good to finally meet in person," Chen said, taking a black titanium keycard from his assistant and handing it over. "On behalf of the board, welcome as our second-largest institutional shareholder. This pass covers executive access across our network offices."

"Thank you," Jude said, passing the card back to Anna, who slipped it into her clutch without a word.

"We have the main table reserved inside whenever you’re ready, Mr. Lawson," Chen offered.

The foyer fell completely silent.

Hospitality, corporate law, and major digital media...

Within 2 minutes, the heads of 3 major institutions had lined up to report to the same man.

Damon and Camilla stood completely still, the color gone from their faces.

Any one of the executives talking to Jude held enough influence to freeze their projects, and all of them were deferring to him!

Then Julian Mercer, Chief Operating Officer of Apex Studios, stepped through the double doors from the ballroom.

Mercer controlled studio greenlights, production budgets, and release schedules. Seeing him, Damon stepped forward, reaching out a hand.

"Julian, good to see you—"

Mercer didn’t look at him.

His eyes went straight to Jude. He walked past Damon’s hand, stopped in front of Jude, and bowed his head.

"Chairman Lawson," Mercer said quickly. "Harper didn’t tell me you were coming through this wing. I would have met you downstairs."

Jude gave a faint nod. "Take it easy, Julian. I’m just here to review the foundation books."

Chairman Lawson...

The title hit Damon and Camilla like a blow.

Jude Lawson wasn’t just an outside investor. He was the controlling chairman of Apex Media... the parent studio that held their contracts, funded their productions, and controlled their careers!

Camilla’s knees gave out, and Damon had to grab her arm to keep her from falling to the floor.