“This is impossible.” Sarah’s eyes shifted from the screen back to Henry, her pale blue pupils looking exceptionally bright. “I need a more realistic number.”

“I’ve already given you two.” Henry was clearly not joking, and repeated, “Fifty thousand dollars!”

The expression on Sarah’s face gradually faded. “Five thousand dollars. That’s the highest I can offer.”

Henry shook his head directly, speaking in a reminding tone, “This time, the victim isn’t Black, nor a Mexican immigrant, but a very wealthy white person!”

He deliberately emphasized “white person.” “An extremely wealthy white person, shot dead in their own mansion, a housewife lying dead on the bedroom floor! I know you, Sarah.”

Staring into those bright pale blue eyes, Henry spoke quickly, “I know how excited you were when you saw the video, and I know it’s worth far more than five thousand dollars to you!”

With a heavy slap on the armrest, Sarah stood up, circled around Henry, then returned to face him, looking down as she said, “Ten thousand dollars.”

Henry knew fifty thousand was impossible, so he made a concession. “Forty thousand dollars!”

Sarah’s face was expressionless. “Fifteen thousand dollars!”

“Thirty-five thousand…”

“Twenty thousand…”

“Thirty thousand!” Henry stood up, using his height to look slightly down at the woman across from him. “Thirty thousand dollars!”

“No way…” Sarah took the initiative to step back, using the distance to bring their eyes back to the same level. “That’s impossible. There’s no precedent for this. Twenty thousand is my highest offer. I can’t risk a whole month’s budget on your video.”

“Alright then.” Henry reached out, unplugged the data cable, took back his storage drive, and without even looking at Sarah, headed straight for the office door. “Looks like this deal isn’t going to happen.”

“What are you doing?” Sarah’s slightly anxious voice sounded from behind. “Where are you going?”

Henry turned around and pointed in the direction of the Disney building to the west. “To ABC. I contacted someone over there before I came. They’re very interested.”

At this, he looked directly at Sarah. “You know, Miss Faith, I’ve always considered you my most reliable partner. Other networks offered big money for this video, but I came to you first because I thought it was worth it. This could help your career, and get me a fair return.”

His words were full of feeling, but Sarah just subtly curled her lips. How much can you trust someone who dares to shoot this kind of video?

She wasn’t some starry-eyed little girl.

“The head of ABC News has contacted me many times.”

Seeing Sarah still hesitating, Henry continued to bluff, “They’ll offer a higher price. I still have time to drive over there now.”

He turned to leave, and finally Sarah couldn’t help but shout, “Stop, Henry!”

Henry turned back, standing at the door looking at Sarah. Sarah crossed her arms, her expression changing, her tone softening. “After working together for so long, I thought we were already friends. Is this really how you treat a friend?”

Henry rolled his eyes. “If the network belonged to you, I’d give it to you for free.”

He deliberately glanced at Sarah’s prominent chest and delicate face. “If that were the case, I’d provide you with any news video, just to show my feelings for you.”

Pretending not to hear these seemingly sincere but actually full-of-lies words, Sarah took a deep breath. “Betting thirty thousand dollars on a single news story would drive me crazy.”

Her attitude and tone had softened, and Henry, sensing his advantage, pressed further. “I think you’re forgetting—the criminal is still at large, still out there among the crowd. Those with families, especially people living in the suburbs who think they’re safe, will be too nervous to sleep, and will keep following this story.”

Henry picked up the storage drive and waved it. “This video will make viewers switch to Channel Six and keep watching your show for a long time.”

Sarah was silent for a while, then finally nodded slowly.

But Henry’s demands didn’t end there. Some things he’d already considered on the way over. “I consider you a friend, Sarah. I really admire your professionalism, but you need to know—thirty thousand dollars isn’t my only condition.”

Looking at Henry with a surprised expression, Sarah seemed to be meeting him for the first time.

“When you air this video…” Henry emphasized, “I want the announcer to introduce my work, and display a caption, so the audience knows it’s from my company—Stanton Studio! A highly professional video production company!”

He couldn’t be a freelance journalist forever. With enough funds, he’d definitely move into the film industry. This was a publicity opportunity.

Sarah looked at Henry, unable to say a word.

It was only now that she realized this young man, just like herself, had a powerful ambition—and would stop at nothing to achieve it.