The Scorned Heiress: No More Mercy novel Chapter 260

Reading the brutal, one-sided slaughter in the comments, Jade's face turns a sickly shade of pale.

She thinks the audience is completely deranged. What is so great about a depressing historical war movie anyway? Do these peasants even understand high fashion and modern cinema?

She had banked everything on this movie to cement her status and crush Tara for good, but she has been absolutely humiliated. Tara didn't just beat her—she completely obliterated her, skyrocketing in popularity and amassing a fanbase that now dwarfs Jade's.

The jealousy burns like acid in her chest. Jade begins to violently suspect that Danny dumped a fortune into buying fake reviews and artificially inflating Tara's box office. Since Danny is clearly obsessed with Tara, dropping millions to secure her a win wouldn't be difficult.

Fueled by spite, Jade seriously contemplates finding a way to seduce Danny. She had stolen Evan with ease, hadn't she? Seducing men was her specialty. If only Danny wasn't currently blinded by Tara's manipulative charms.

It's all Tara's fault. Every single thing going wrong in her life is because of that bitch.

As the days pass, the box office gap becomes embarrassing.

Tara's historical epic appeals to absolutely everyone. Teenagers, adults, and the elderly are all packing the theaters. Veterans and older generations are deeply moved by the themes, leading to sold-out shows from morning until midnight.

Jake frowns, his pragmatic mind analyzing the fallout. He doesn't fall for her emotional manipulation as easily as Alec does.

"That's not entirely it. We miscalculated. We underestimated the sheer demographic reach of a historical drama compared to a trendy romance," Jake says coldly, staring at the dismal box office reports. "Patriotic films are heavily favored right now. They caught the trend perfectly. But my biggest mistake was underestimating Jim's writing."

Jake isn't mad at Jade for her bad acting; he expects very little from her talent. He is furious at himself for letting Jim slip through his fingers. And he is livid that Tara knew exactly how valuable Jim was and poached him right out from under the Dennis Group's nose.

In Jake's eyes, Jade's lack of skill isn't the problem—those dramas don't require good acting anyway. The real problem is Tara and the unstoppable script she stole.