Frank''s face was grim, but remembering the doctor''s warning not to upset his mother further, he sighed heavily and relented. "All right. I''ll bring him here to see you."


    "Good... good. I''ll be waiting." A flicker of light returned to her cloudy, ancient eyes as she stared intently at Frank.


    It took some effort for Frank to soothe his mother before he could leave the room.


    Standing in the quiet hospital corridor, he took out his phone and dialed his assistant.


    When the call connected, he ordered coldly, "Arrange for Eden''s bail."


    "Mr. Thompson, that might be difficult," his assistant said hesitantly. "Mr. Monroe''s case is a major one. The police and the military are both involved. Arranging bail right now would attract a lot of unwanted attention."


    The Thompson family had been influential in Istra for years, their roots running deep and their power considerable. But in a country governed by the rule ofw, no one was truly above it.


    Eden was used of major smuggling, and the investigation was ongoing. Securing bail at this stage would require a massive amount of money and pulling a lot of strings.


    And bail didn''t mean he was free; if convicted, Eden would still end up in prison. By any calction, it was a bad investment.


    "My mother is dying," Frank said. "Herst wish is to see her grandson. As her son, I have to grant her that wish."


    The assistant immediately understood. Frank no longer cared whether Eden was guilty or if he would be convicted. All that mattered was that Eden could be by Mrs. Thompson Sr.''s side while she still drew breath, to see her through her final moments.


    By granting his mother this wish, Frank would be fulfilling his duty as a son.


    "Don''t worry, Mr. Thompson. I''ll get on it right away," the assistant said.


    "One more thing," Frank added. "What''s the status of the shippingpany?" "It''s been seized as part of the smuggling investigation," the assistant replied.


    "Once the police investigation is over, file for bankruptcy and liquidate its assets. Auction off thend thepany owns through the proper tegal channels as well Frank continued.


    Eden had never been a child Frank wanted. Conceived through deception and drugging, Frank had always felt an instinctive aversion to this son.


    But Eden''s birth wasn''t his fault, and Frank had always told himself the boy was innocent. He had tried topensate for it as best he could.


    The shippingpany was thest thing Frank could give Eden, a gift meant to ensure he would be financially secure for life.


    But Eden had used it for illegal activities. If he didn''t know how to appreciate it, then he deserved to lose it.


    ...


    Meanwhile, the contemporary drama script Sandra had acquired was now in pre- production.


    Yvonne was locked in as the female lead, but the male lead was still up in the air.


    Sandra and the director, Mina Davis,


    had held auditions and screen tests. for several of the studios more wn male actors, but none of were quite right for the part.


    them


    The ones who looked the part couldn''t act, and the ones who could


    act didn''t fit the character''s.


    hould


    description. Sandra was tearing he


    hair out over it.


    Since no one in-house was suitable, they had to look for an actor from another studio.


    Yvonne also went to the open casting call.


    To her surprise, Cynthia was there at the audition, alongside Sandra and the director.


    "Director Davis rmended her," Sandra exined. "She''s the executive producer for our show."