Chapter 51: Fine, Fine, Fine, Let’s Play It This Way

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Fine, Fine, Fine, Let’s Play It This Way

Radiant Entertainment Tower.

Naturally, the company’s director had received the news of the visit and brought along several executives to wait. With the exception of Leo Lawson, who was "busy" in his office, everyone else was present.

Leo Lawson was indeed busy in his office. He had originally thought the boss would conduct a low-profile inspection, but arriving with such a high profile suggested she was likely just some second-generation heir from a wealthy family.

He figured that a boss using the company as a plaything to practice running a business was the easiest type to deal with. Trust fund kids were simple—just cater to their tastes. Didn’t they just love women? Or men? In an entertainment company, wasn’t there an endless supply of both?

So, Leo simply relaxed and went back to what he was doing. With such a flashy entrance, this new boss was at most a figurehead. These rich kids usually turned a blind eye to what their subordinates did anyway. It wouldn’t be a problem.

Meanwhile, the director had arranged for people to wait in the lobby. After all, the big boss had arrived and naturally needed to be hosted properly. It would make things much easier to handle in the future.

After waiting in the lobby for a while, they saw a man and a woman walk in. Based on the earlier phone call, the director knew the woman was the big boss. He immediately took the lead, bowing respectfully. "Good day, President Rian! Welcome to Radiant Entertainment. I am the company’s director, Ian Collins."

The other executives who had come along introduced themselves one after another. A few artists stood obediently to the side, not daring to make a sound.

But when everyone raised their heads, they saw President Rian looking at them with clear displeasure. Well... that was rather... intimidating.

Rian Sinclair swept her cold gaze across the room. "The head of every department is to report to the conference room for a meeting. Immediately."

Then, Rian turned and left with Quentin Sinclair, following his lead straight to the conference room on the sixth floor.

Rian took the seat at the head of the table while Quentin stood quietly by her side. Since the others hadn’t arrived yet, Rian tapped her fingertip against the long conference table. "Sit. Tell me about the current situation."

"Ms. Sinclair, the director, Ian Collins, is a bit greedy and likes to take petty advantages, but fortunately, his actions remain within the bounds of the law. He is also a devoted family man who loves his wife and children. As long as his personal interests aren’t harmed, he will dutifully stay in his lane," Quentin said, taking a seat to the side.

Rian wasn’t averse to this. Being greedy for money wasn’t necessarily a good thing, but it wasn’t strictly bad either. At least he had a clear desire—people who desired nothing were the truly terrifying ones.

"There are five executives under him," Quentin continued. "Except for the overweight Leo Lawson, the rest were downstairs just now. The slender one is Shane Miller, the rather short one is Ron Sherman, the one wearing glasses is Grayson, and the last one is a female executive named Nancy Lawson.

"Among them, Leo, Shane, and Nancy have crossed legal lines. They have covered up the illegal activities of the artists under them and aided them in bullying lesser-known artists.

"Ron and Grayson are considered Ian’s protégés. Moreover, Grayson has family members serving in the military, so his background is impeccably clean.

"Grayson usually tries to stop the other executives from pulling their stunts, which is why the guilty parties keep their illicit affairs strictly under wraps. Because of this, during his three years here, Grayson has rarely discovered anything. Even when he did, he suffered from a lack of concrete evidence."

Rian took a sip of the coffee an employee had brought in. Hearing Quentin’s words, she frowned. "Are you saying the authorities have already noticed?"

Quentin nodded. Rian couldn’t help but curse the System in her mind—what kind of hot potato had it tossed into her lap?!

The authorities had indeed noticed. It was entirely possible that Grayson was an undercover informant planted to gather evidence and annihilate the company in one fell swoop. When the government intervened, the guilty were doomed. Now that she was taking over, if she mishandled the situation and left any vulnerabilities, the only thing waiting for her would be a shiny pair of silver handcuffs.

The authorities probably already had all this information and were simply watching to see how the company would act next. If she didn’t clean up this mess before the government made its move, she would be the one enjoying a few years behind bars.

Fine, so this was how it was going to be. It seemed this matter had to be resolved today. Delaying even a single day would be akin to handing her life over to someone else.

The empty seats in the conference room gradually filled. Within a few minutes, there wasn’t a single empty chair left. Rian watched the crowd in silence. There certainly were a lot of department heads, which meant there was a lot of dirty laundry in their hands.

Everyone present was wracked with nerves, terrified that the shady dealings under their purview would be exposed, or that this new boss was about to make an example out of someone.

Catching a pointed look from Rian, Quentin finally spoke up. "To keep things brief, the woman before you is the ultimate owner of Radiant Entertainment, Rian Sinclair. She is here today to inspect the company and understand its current situation."

The moment Quentin finished speaking, a chubby middle-aged man offered a sycophantic smile. "So this is President Rian! Let me assure you, the artists under my management are the most obedient and well-behaved. You can put your mind entirely at ease, President Rian."

Rian met the man’s eyes. Well, well. Leo Lawson really had the nerve to boast. He pimped out his artists for sexual transactions, committed massive tax evasion, and secretly hosted depraved "casting couch" orgies. What a stellar role model he was!

The others remained silent. After all, someone had to be the guinea pig to test the new boss’s temper.

Rian tossed her fountain pen onto the conference table. The pen struck the wood with a sharp CLACK. For a moment, absolute silence reigned in the room as everyone failed to gauge the big boss’s mood.

"Leo Lawson, was it?" Rian asked.

Called out by the big boss, Leo nodded with a constant, fawning smile. "That’s me, President Rian. Is there anything you need?"

"Why didn’t I see you downstairs earlier?"

A fleeting look of panic crossed Leo’s face. "I, uh, got held up by a minor issue just now. As soon as I heard there was a meeting, I rushed straight over. I hope you can understand, President Rian."

Rian nodded. She had a pretty good idea of what kind of "minor issue" had delayed him, but she didn’t want to bother with that right now.

"How many artists do you manage?" Rian leaned back lazily in her chair, perfectly playing the part of an idle, spoiled heir.

Seeing this, Leo finally let go of his lingering anxiety. "Not that many, not that many. Excluding the Z-listers and the fresh recruits, I have exactly one hundred and seventy-eight artists. I owe it all to the company’s generous support!"

Rian looked at Leo. That was a lot of people—it accounted for nearly half the company’s roster. The man certainly knew how to talk. She decided not to waste any more breath on him. Glancing around the room, she locked eyes with the director, Ian Collins. "Ian, tell me about the company’s current status."

Ian had already prepared for this and immediately gave his report. Rian listened with feigned nonchalance as he detailed the company’s situation, which closely matched the information she already had. Naturally, the more confidential and illicit matters couldn’t be brought up in this setting, so his report strictly covered the surface level.

After finishing his report, Ian waited for permission before sitting back down. He couldn’t quite grasp the personality of this young boss, but her earlier, pointed questions made it clear that she wasn’t just a figurehead here to play around. Her sharp intuition even made him doubt her apparent youth. However, remembering that prominent families groomed their heirs from a young age, it all made sense to him.

Thinking of this, Ian felt that the new boss was a responsible person. He only hoped she wouldn’t be corrupted by the giant toxic dyeing vat that was the entertainment industry.

Rian picked up her fountain pen and tapped it lightly against the table. "I expect this company to continue operating smoothly. I also expect everyone here to strictly discipline the artists under your care—and to keep yourselves in line as well."