Kim nodded indulgently at Maria’s eager expression. The two of them shared an intimate moment before Kim escorted her to work.
As soon as they arrived at the company, Maria was caught by her agent.
“This girl, once she falls in love, she doesn’t even want to work anymore, right?” The agent poked Maria’s forehead.
“I’m sorry, but it’s just this one time. After all, we finally finished filming the TV drama yesterday and I’m happy,” Maria tried to use a coquettish tone to get out of trouble. However, the agent didn’t buy it and pulled Maria aside saying, “Let’s go! Hurry up and do your makeup and hair so we can head over to the promotional event later.”
The production team held a media conference for their new TV drama where all the main actors were present including Osborn who was waiting for his turn while sitting on a chair when Maria arrived late.
“Sorry I’m late,” said Maria apologetically as she hurriedly walked towards Osborn. “But it looks like the press conference hasn’t started yet.”
“It’s okay,” replied Osborn gently. “But I heard from your agent that you’re not good with alcohol? So why did you drink so much yesterday during our wrap-up party?”
Maria puffed out her cheeks without saying anything but her expression gave away everything which made Osborn laugh knowingly.
“So you were trying to escape…” he trailed off as soon as he noticed that she had tapped his arm signaling him not to say anything more about it.
Since Maria and Kim truly got together, she and Osborn became very good friends. However, the playful scenes between the two were observed by others.
Soon, the press conference was held, and the main cast went on stage together to face the media’s questions. Due to prior preparations, the press conference went relatively smoothly, lasting until the final interview.
As the female lead and the focus of the TV series, which was specifically produced by Star Entertainment to promote her, Maria was the first to be interviewed.
“Can you share any difficulties you encountered while getting along with the crew at the beginning of the shoot?” the reporter asked.
Maria thought for a moment and answered, “The atmosphere on our set is very relaxed, and we get along very naturally. There weren’t really any difficulties. Instead, many interesting things happened. Let me tell you a secret: our cinematography team is terrible at playing cards.”
With this, the room burst into laughter. Maria smiled and sent an apologetic look to the cinematography team.
“How does it feel to shoot a light-hearted romance drama set in a school, considering your role as the female lead?” another reporter inquired.
“It feels like I’ve returned to high school, and I feel much younger.”
The interviews were light-hearted and easy. Following the script’s flow, Maria concluded her interview after the last question.
However, unexpectedly, the last scheduled journalist was absent. The organizers hesitated about whether to let Maria end the interview early when a journalist in the corner raised her hand.
A young woman in black and white professional attire, wearing a friendly smile, directed her question to Maria. “I’d like to ask, as an actress, what do you think is the most important?”
Unexpectedly challenged by this question, Maria paused for a moment and confidently said, “I think it’s probably responsibility.”
“Responsibility?”
The journalist seemed to find the answer quite interesting, and her smile deepened. “But there have been reports that you were absent from the set without reason, is this what you call responsibility? Also, there were rumors about you being involved in a love triangle, and the explanations provided earlier seemed ambiguous. Can you now truly clarify the situation?”
Maria’s expression changed slightly, and she couldn’t help but turn to her agent on the side.
The organizers also didn’t expect the conference to take this turn. Typically, the media attending such press conferences would have their drafts reviewed, especially when most of the organizers were affiliated with Star Entertainment. They would ask questions that would enhance Maria’s image, not such sharp and pointed ones.
Moreover, it was a live broadcast, and such a question could have a negative impact.
As expected, the online platform saw a significant reaction, with everyone now eagerly watching how Maria would respond to this unexpected question.
Some online critics took advantage of the situation to criticize Maria, as the past incident had caused quite a stir.
Seeing the situation, the agent was about to step forward, but Maria squeezed her palms and said, “I…”
However, Maria’s words were not finished when a voice came from somewhere.
“All of this is true. She did absent herself from work without reason, and just now, backstage, she was being very intimate and playful with Osborn.”
The crowd’s expressions changed, and the media began frantically taking photos. Some even couldn’t resist picking up microphones to interview.
The staff had never anticipated that things would take such a turn. This unexpected development left everyone in chaos. The only thing they could do was immediately cut off the live broadcast.
Given the current situation, the press conference had to be stopped immediately. The staff swiftly led Maria, Osborn, and others away.
As they were leaving, Maria could still hear voices from the organizers’ side, asking, “What just happened? Who was speaking?”
Maria furrowed her brows sharply, realizing that today’s events were targeted at her.
“I’ve already made a call, and the company will handle it promptly,” her agent consoled Maria as they walked.
However, Maria hung her head, unable to utter a word.
She reflected on her answer to the responsibility question. Had she really been responsible for her work? Absenting herself from work without reason, and the ambiguous relationships with two people, these were all facts.
Suddenly, a sense of irony surged within her.
This was the real her, completely different from the perfect image portrayed on screen.
Taking a deep breath, Maria was about to speak, but Osborn preemptively took the lead. “Let’s talk about this back at the company.”
With that, he patted Maria’s shoulder in a comforting gesture. The words he had initially intended to say were held back. Maria pursed her lips, bowing her head in contemplation.
The live broadcast was quickly taken down, and the incident became the top trending topic. Even the two previous issues that had already settled down were revived. At the company, Jane was quick to learn about the current situation.
She immediately contacted the public relations team. However, Jane also felt that something was amiss. This matter was definitely not as simple as it seemed.