Chapter 239 Gaining Trust Through Deception
Two days later, Imogen received two reports about the inferior materials Blake had employed. One was from a private inspection agency, and the other came from the relevant authorities. While the wording in the two reports differed slightly, their ultimate conclusion was the same. There was indeed an issue with the materials.
Imogen couldn’t help but harbor the worst suspicions about Blake. He must have known about the problem with the materials but chose to feign ignorance, even allowing Erik to have them tested to confirm his lack of knowledge. ·
According to Noah’s information, Blake had moved his entire family abroad because of a job transfer. During the first few years abroad, their lifestyle was far more lavish than what his salary alone could support. The Hale family was not particularly wealthy. Even if they had some savings, keeping such a lavish lifestyle wouldn’t be enough.
Gradually, the Hale family’s standard of living declined until it resembled what they had in their home country.
In theory, when the Hale family moved abroad, they should have been buying a house and enjoying an increasingly better life due to higher wages. Instead, their situation had worsened. Imogen speculated that Blake likely didn’t have any high–paying job overseas. He was probably relying on ill–gotten gains from someone behind the scenes. Once that money ran out, their quality of life plummeted.
Blake wanted to restart his construction business upon returning to his home country. However, he lacked the necessary connections and financial resources. So, he resorted to using inferior materials and pocketed some of the material costs from home owners.
However, Imogen’s goal was to help Erik resolve the issue and build more trust with him rather than expose Blake.
Imogen decided to let him pretend he didn’t know for now. The real target was identifying the supplier behind the inferior materials, as leaving them unchecked would harm more people. Imogen forwarded electronic copies of the two reports to Erik. [The test results are out, and the materials are inferior. The supplier likely deceived your uncle.]
Erik was undoubtedly surprised upon seeing the reports.
The chat interface displayed “Typing…” for a few minutes.
Eventually, Erik replied. [I understand. I’ll talk to my dad. I will also report the supplier to the relevant authorities to demand compensation.]
Imogen: [Do you need me to replace a lawyer for you?]
Erik: [Please do. My dad and I are unfamiliar with the local market. We might get the short end of the stick dealing with the supplier. Thank you. I’d probably still be hitting a wall if it weren’t for you.]
Imogen: [You’re welcome. When are you available in the next few days? Let’s schedule a dinner meeting with the lawyer and bring the receipts for the materials your uncle purchased.]
Erik: [How about tonight? I finish work at half past five. Could you coordinate with the lawyer?]
Imogen: [Sure.]
Imogen had reached out to Robert Malonzo. He was a lawyer from Marshall Group’s legal department. Usually, Robert didn’t take on private cases, but for Imogen’s sake, he agreed
immediately and was exceptionally diligent.
With official test results and purchase receipts in hand, the case appeared relatively straightforward.
However, there was always the possibility that negotiations with the supplier for compensation might not go smoothly and necessitate legal action.
Under Robert’s guidance, Erik filed a report against the supplier and initiated a compensation claim.
The relevant authorities acted swiftly. They confiscated the inferior materials, ordered the factory to make necessary improvements, and facilitated a mediation session.
Charlie was busy from the afternoon on the day of the Golden Phoenix Awards Ceremony. During the ceremony, there were several program intermissions. Charlie was busy applying makeup to her backup dancers in the shared dressing room.
Her assistant hurried over. “Ms. Franco.”
“Hmm?” Charlie responded while focusing on her dancers‘ faces as she swiftly wielded a brush.
“Mr. Thompson’s makeup artist fell ill and had to go to the hospital. Could you please go there right away? Mr. Thompson has a rehearsal later, and time is running short.”
Charlie stood up. She put away her eyeshadow palette and brush. “Alright, you take over here.”
“Ah, please go quickly. Mr. Thompson is in dressing room number 3.”
“Okay.”
Charlie organized her makeup kit and headed to dressing room number 3.
Room 3 was much better equipped than the public makeup area. Two actors shared the room. One was Liam, whom the assistant had mentioned, and the other was a famous young actor.
The door was open, so Charlie knocked and entered. She walked over to Liam, who was sitting in front of a mirror.
Liam’s assistant immediately handed her a cup of coffee. “Ms. Franco, thank you so much for this. Cindy suddenly had a stomachache and had to go to the hospital.”
Charlie positioned her makeup kit on the dressing table before the mirror. “You can leave the coffee here. When is his rehearsal?”
“In an hour. Also, here’s the autograph you wanted.” Liam said and pointed to a few postcards on the table. “Don’t forget.”
“Alright, thanks.” Charlie opened her makeup kit, took a few brushes, and smiled as she spoke, “By the way, I wanted to thank you for the other day. Fortunately, I accidentally walked into your private box. Otherwise, it would have been a major embarrassment.”
“No problem,” Liam replied with a grin
“Has the skincare routine been done?”
“Yes, it’s already done.”
Charlie glanced at Liam’s skin tone and complexion, then selected a bottle of primer from her makeup kit. She gently touched Liam’s face and remarked, “You have wonderful skin. I don’t think we’ll need much makeup.”
Charlie was working with Liam for the first time.
Liam’s assistant immediately said, “Isn’t that right, Ms. Franco? All the makeup artists who have
worked with Mr. Thompson say he’s the easiest to work with.”
The makeup artist working with the famous young actor nearby couldn’t help but glance at Liam’s flawless skin and silently lament his situation. He was dealing with enlarged pores and dullness, which posed quite a challenge.
Charlie applied primer and a light foundation to Liam’s skin and started working on his eyebrows.
She already had a clear idea of the shape she wanted. She leaned slightly, held a brow powder palette in one hand, and used a brush to gently create an outline that matched Liam’s natural brow color.
Charlie placed the brush from the brow powder palette on the table and picked up a flat–tipped brow pencil with the other hand. She steadied Liam’s head. “Stay still, please.”
“Sure.”
The flat–tipped brow pencil delicately traced Liam’s eyebrows, one hair at a time. Charlie’s hand. was as steady as an experienced artist’s, and each strand was distinct and vividly brought to life. The result was eyebrows that looked utterly authentic.
Liam maintained a neutral expression as he gazed at Charlie before him.
They were face–to–face and incredibly close. He could even see her eyelash roots.
Her skin looked impeccable. Even up close, there was no sign of caking or flaking, which made her appear more natural than many celebrities.
Liam often witnessed some celebrities on set whose makeup had issues like caking, unevenness, and a lackluster complexion. These problems could only be fixed with the help of good lighting and post–production editing. The editing was often so intensive that it made it difficult to recognize the original photo. The release of untouched images was never allowed.
Her eyes were clear as she gazed intently at his eyebrows. Her expression was notably serious, a striking departure from her typically animated demeanor.
Liam’s assistant showered Charlie with praise. “Ms. Franco, your eyebrow work is exceptional. It looks amazing.”
After a while, an employee with an ID badge knocked on the door. “Mr. Thompson, are you ready? Your rehearsal is about to start.”
Charlie shook a setting spray in her hand and said, “I’ll be ready in a moment.”
Charlie packed up her makeup kit after spraying the setting spray. “Alright, you can head to
rehearsal now.”
Liam stood up, adjusted his clothes in front of the mirror, and said, “I’m off.”
“Goodbye.”
Liam headed off to the rehearsal.
Charlie then left the makeup artist’s area while carrying her makeup kit. Suddenly, she stopped walking.
In the corridor ahead stood a figure she knew all too well.
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