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After sitting down, the two women showed completely different expressions.
One was still seething with anger.
The other looked apologetic.
Charlize spoke first.
"I actually wanted to ask you tonight," she said softly.
"But J.J. insisted we come immediately."
Henry nodded.
"Alright then."
"So what exactly happened that made you this angry, Ms. Harris?"
J.J. Harris finally explained.
"For the past month, my work has faced resistance like I've never seen before."
"Projects I was confident about suddenly rejected me for no reason."
"Even jobs that had already been verbally agreed upon—if the contract wasn't signed yet—they replaced us with someone else."
"And the ones that were signed?"
"They're trying every possible excuse to terminate the contracts without compensation."
Her voice grew sharper.
"And that's not even the worst part."
"Big-name stars who shouldn't even care about these tiny roles have been taking turns targeting the jobs I arrange."
"I seriously doubt they even want those roles."
"Until today, I finally heard from a contact that the problem traces back to you."
She stared straight at Henry.
"So I want to know."
"Who exactly did you offend that they can pull something like this?"
Henry tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.
Then he asked calmly:
"So… only work-related interference?"
"Only?" J.J. snapped.
"This is already extremely serious!"
"And it's not just affecting Charlize."
"Even my other clients are getting dragged into this mess because of me."
Just then, Yulian Williams, the chubby secretary, brought in coffee.
She set the cups in front of the guests.
But instead of leaving, she lingered nearby with the tray, clearly hoping to listen to the gossip.
Henry didn't scold her.
He simply said:
"Miss Williams."
"Please close the office door on your way out."
"And if anyone comes looking for me, inform me through the intercom."
"Got it, boss."
Though she agreed, her steps were slow and reluctant as she left.
The CEO office door was made of solid wood, thick and tightly sealed.
Once it closed, anyone outside would hear nothing unless they pressed their ear against the door.
Only then did Henry speak again.
"I think I know who's causing the trouble."
"Who?" J.J. asked immediately.
Henry said the name calmly.
"Gitano Dragoneiti."
J.J. inhaled sharply.
"Gi—"
"How did you manage to offend him?"
Henry shrugged.
"So you've heard the name."
"That saves me some explanation."
Charlize frowned.
Their conversation sounded like riddles to her.
"Who is that?" she asked.
Henry gestured toward J.J.
"You explain."
J.J. hesitated slightly before speaking.
"I've only heard the name once before."
"Ordinary people don't even know they exist."
"They control a lot of resources."
"And their influence is wide—wide enough to reach the major Hollywood studios."
Her expression grew uneasy.
"The worst part is… their methods are strange."
"People who offend them sometimes disappear without a trace."
Charlize leaned forward.
"And…?"
J.J. hesitated.
Then said it anyway.
"I've heard they're… vampires."
Charlize burst out laughing.
"Vampires?"
"That's impossible."
But when she saw both her agent and Henry maintaining completely serious expressions, the smile slowly faded.
"…Wait."
"You're serious?"
Henry pointed at himself.
"Mutants running around the world used to be shocking too."
"Now everyone's used to it."
"So having vampires or werewolves around isn't that surprising."
"Back in World War II, Captain America's Howling Commandos already had all kinds of monsters among them."
Of course, Henry himself wasn't a mutant.
He was an alien.
But when talking to normal people, using the mutant label was incredibly convenient.
It saved a lot of explanation.
And misdirected people.
Mutants were at least Earth natives.
Aliens?
Try explaining that properly.
Charlize leaned back, stunned.
"So vampires really exist…"
"I thought they only showed up in movies or novels."
Then she suddenly looked worried.
"What if I accidentally walk into a vampire den somewhere and never come out?"
Henry shook his head.
"Not likely."
"As far as I know, their gathering places are closed environments."
"You can't enter unless someone inside brings you in."
"Ordinary people won't encounter them."
When Henry first arrived in Los Angeles, he had practically explored the entire city.
Officially it was to find good restaurants.
In reality it was also reconnaissance.
He had never seen a public nightclub suddenly raining blood from the sprinklers while vampires massacred everyone inside.
If that kind of thing happened regularly, it would be impossible for ordinary society not to notice.
He also never deliberately forced his way into sealed or restricted locations.
Which was exactly why he hadn't encountered vampires until now.
J.J. asked again:
"So what do they want?"
Henry answered honestly.
"Their real target is Tony Stark and Stark Industries."
"You, me—we're just collateral."
J.J. sighed.
"That's… bad."
Charlize looked confused.
"How bad?"
Henry explained calmly.
"It means the situation can't be solved by apologizing or cooperating."
"If we give them one inch, they'll keep pushing forward."
"There's no end."
"Eventually they'll force us to do things we don't want to do."
"Possibly even illegal things."
"I told you already."
"Their goal is Stark Industries."
"In that process, we're just expendable pawns."
Charlize finally understood.
If the problem could be solved with an apology or compromise, that would still be negotiable.
But if the vampires had larger ambitions, the outcome would either be death or being forced into crime.
Neither option was acceptable.
Even if the pressure wasn't directly on her.
J.J. Harris also had no right to ask Henry to betray Stark Industries just to make her job easier.
But the feeling of mortals suffering while gods fight was truly awful.
After laying everything out clearly, Henry asked:
"That's why I asked earlier."
"Is it only work that's being targeted?"
"If there's no threat to your lives, then we deal with this professionally."
"Find a way to break through."
"Not surrender.
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