Medical Center
Adam picked up a call from MAX and instantly slipped into drama-queen mode. Why? No clue! Sometimes he just got inexplicably giddy and felt like flexing his acting chops. Maybe that's just life, huh? 😅
"Adam, you remember Caroline Channing?" MAX asked over the line.
"Caroline Channing?" Adam played dumb, pausing for a few seconds. "Ohhh, you mean that Channing family heiress?"
"…" MAX smirked on the other end. She knew Adam way too well—knew exactly what kind of vibe he was going for—so she didn't call him out just yet.
"Yeah, that's her."
"What's up with her?" Adam asked, still feigning total ignorance.
"Her dad scammed half of New York out of their money and just got locked up," MAX said, barely holding back an eye roll as she humored him. "Caroline's got nothing left now. She went to her boyfriend—well, ex-boyfriend now—and her five besties, but not a single one would give her the time of day. I found her crying in a corner, totally helpless."
"And then?" Adam gasped, all theatrical. "You didn't take her home with you, did you?" His tone shifted to a mock-resigned sigh. "Oh, wait, of course you did. You're such a big softie—can't resist helping a stray cat or dog, let alone a real live person."
MAX's lips twitched into a grin. Since Adam called her a "big softie," she decided to play along a little longer. "Yeah, I couldn't just let her crash and burn, right? Her dad's the crook—she didn't know anything about it. I can tell she's still a good person."
"So what's her plan now?" Adam asked.
"She says she can't get into any of her field's top jobs," MAX explained. "Everyone hates or fears the Channing name too much to hire her. After the whole ex-boyfriend and bestie mess, she's done dreaming. Doesn't want to humiliate herself anymore. So, she's looking for whatever work she can get. But she's been a princess her whole life—what else can she do? She ended up waiting tables. And even then, she couldn't go to fancy places—too scared of running into her old friends who'd mock her, or enemies of her family who might humiliate her or worse, flip out and retaliate. So she picked a random little diner. But get this—she couldn't let go of her old life. Showed up wearing a pearl necklace and a fancy outfit, fumbling around like a mess. The boss kicked her out fast. After that, she tried a few more spots—either the manager harassed her, or the chef did, or even the other waitresses. With her 'fallen princess still acting superior' vibe, plus her looks and figure, no wonder people couldn't keep their hands off her. Oh, and Adam—you'd get that part, right?"
"Oh, I get it," Adam said, his voice dripping with exaggerated pity. "Some creeps just love staging their little dramas. Good thing you took her in, MAX. Otherwise, homeless as she is, someone would've tossed a steel wool pad at her feet, knocked her out, and dragged her off. So, what's her next move?"
"That's where you come in," MAX said, biting back the urge to blurt, You're the biggest drama-loving creep I know! She smirked instead.
"Me?" Adam said, sounding genuinely surprised. "What about me?"
"I've got an idea," MAX said. "Didn't you mention a while back that you wanted to start a Peppa Pig studio? Hire a few artists to lighten my load, boost efficiency, brainstorm better ideas, and keep the quality up for the long haul?"
"Yeah, totally," Adam nodded. "Peppa Pig's already out, selling like crazy, and all the copyright stuff's squared away. You don't need to slave away solo anymore. Bringing in a team would be awesome for creativity. I mean, with the publishing deal, there's a yearly quota now. If you hit a creative wall, you'd lose your mind! A studio with you as the boss, running the show, would make it so much easier."
"I can't be the boss," MAX laughed. "So I was thinking—let Caroline take the lead. She could set up the studio. She's a Wharton grad—organizing this would be a breeze for her, and she needs a job."
"Hmm…" Adam mused.
After the Channing scam blew up, their family's rep tanked into negative infinity. Tons of rich folks despised them now. Even with all her business talent, Caroline had no shot in her dream finance gigs. Helping her out might stir up some drama, sure, but for Adam? Not a huge deal. In the U.S., liability's limited anyway. If her dad hadn't gone so overboard this time, even if the family company went bust, Caroline could've lived off an $800 million trust like a princess forever. Even now, with the scam imploding and enemies everywhere, her aunt was still running a big company, living the high life. Her grandma? Still kicking it aristocratic-style in England. Unless you were directly screwed over, most victims wouldn't bother targeting the family.
Plus, Adam was the youngest self-made billionaire around. Hmm… Even Caroline's grandma didn't go bankrupt until years later. Was it delayed revenge from the Channing haters? Or just an old lady—without the family's clout to back her up—getting quietly cleaned out by her butler and financial advisors? Adam leaned toward the latter.
So, lending Caroline a hand wouldn't be a big deal—as long as he didn't go overboard, like flipping her back to riches overnight just to impress her and slap everyone's faces. People would just chalk it up to the young billionaire Adam being a flirt. They'd envy his wealth at such an age, secretly hope he'd burn out from excess, and picture him crying over lost youth someday like they did—not start a feud over it.
Having Caroline help MAX build the studio made sense too—MAX handling the creative side, Caroline running the operations. Solid combo.
Still, Adam sighed dramatically. "No way! She's a Channing—reaped all the glory of that name, and now she's stuck with the baggage. It's her fate. I hate to say it, MAX, but you should steer clear. She's trouble—avoid her if you can…"
"Got it! I'll listen to you!" MAX cut him off, nodding enthusiastically before he could finish.
Adam: "…"
(Chapter End)