As Bianca was about to say something else, Dave stepped forward, took out his phone, and made a quick call.
Seconds later, the phone on the receptionist’s desk rang, startling her. But her attitude changed after answering the call. She talked to Bianca and Dave with more respect, saying, “Darien is in the rehearsal hall on the third floor, watching auditions.”
Bianca looked at Dave in surprise and asked, “How did you manage that?”
Dave replied casually, “I have a friend who works here. I asked him for help.”
Bianca nodded, fully trusting Dave’s explanation. They walked together toward the elevator at the end of the hallway.
The receptionist watched them leave in a daze, feeling a bit nervous for Darien.
In the rehearsal hall on the third floor, everyone was focused on the auditions.
Suddenly, the door creaked open loudly.
“Can’t you knock? That’s so rude!”
Darien had only spoken to Bianca on the phone once and had never met her in person. When he saw the attractive and noble-looking young man and woman enter, he assumed they were there for the audition.
“Bianca? Why are you here?”
Ashley stood up from her seat next to Darien. She was also at the audition, even though she already had her role secured with Joshua’s help. But she needed to keep up appearances and follow protocol to avoid rumors.
Bianca was taken aback to see Ashley there.
Dave’s expression turned slightly sour. He had a feeling that this hateful woman was connected to last night’s incident.
“Is that Bianca?” Darien whispered nervously to Ashley. “Why is she here? I told the receptionist to send her away!”
“The bitch always finds a way in,” Ashley sneered. She uttered loud enough for everyone to hear.
Seeing Darien’s closeness with Ashley, Bianca had a sudden realization: her scheming stepsister was likely behind last night’s incident.
But Ashley was new to the entertainment world, and she had been fired from Phoenix Entertainment. How could she persuade a famous producer to help her?
Bianca approached Darien, glaring sharply at him.
“Mr. Darien Crawford, I need answers. Yesterday, you asked me to meet at a bar for business. But when I arrived, thugs were waiting in the private room. They almost assaulted me! Luckily, the police came in time. I have no issues with you. We’ve never even met! Why would you set me up?”
“Set you up? I don’t know you at all.”
Unaffected, Darien ignored Bianca and sat back down. To him, she was just an executive agent, nothing to worry about.
“I have the call log on my phone. It proves you asked me to meet you there!”
“I talked to many agents yesterday. I can’t remember which one you are,” Darien shrugged.
Bianca realized something then. To Darien, she was probably insignificant. Her safety meant nothing to him. That’s why he wasn’t afraid.
Ashley approached, arms crossed, sneering at Bianca and Dave with disdain.
“Keep barking, but it won’t change anything. Mr. Crawford doesn’t know you. Is it because he rejected your artists for his movie that you’re pulling this stunt? Humph! If you have time, train your own artists instead of causing trouble here.”
Others nodded in agreement with Ashley’s words.
It wasn’t uncommon for agents to go to extreme lengths to get their artists’ work. From this situation, it seemed this unknown agent was trying to smear Darien’s reputation.
Bianca glared at Ashley. “Who do you think you are? Phoenix Entertainment fired you for stealing a diamond ring from Director Vincent Lopez’s wife. Do you really think you’re superior to us?”
The rehearsal hall erupted into chaos.
“What?! She’s the one who stole the ring at Phoenix Entertainment’s party?”
“She angered Director Lopez. We should steer clear of her!”
“Wait a second, if Phoenix Entertainment cut ties with her, she should be banned. Why is she here auditioning?”
Ashley’s anger flared as she stared at the crowd. Through clenched teeth, she snapped, “Don’t believe her lies! She’s making it all up! This isn’t the first time she’s falsely accused someone. Right now, Mr. Crawford is her target!”
“Miss Sheila Scott is a talented actress. I believe in her.”
To avoid raising suspicion and shifting the blame to Bianca, Darien had no choice but to stand for Ashley and defend her.
“Ma’am, as a seasoned producer in the film industry, why would I want to harm you? And why would this young actress want to steal Mrs. Lopez’s ring? Wouldn’t she want to impress her instead? Your accusations don’t add up. It’s clear you’re lying! There’s something seriously wrong with your character, ma’am! I won’t work with you now or in the future!”
The others agreed with Darien. His words made sense.
After all, a respected producer like him had no motive to harm Bianca, and a newcomer like Ashley had no reason to ruin her own career.
It seemed clear that the agent was the one lying!
Bianca stayed composed despite the criticism. Silently, she retrieved her phone from her bag and played a recorded conversation for everyone.
Thankfully, she had been very cautious since her promotion. One of her precautions was setting up automatic call recording on her phone.
So, her entire conversation with Darien had been recorded.
The recording confirmed everything Bianca had claimed. Darien had indeed invited her to meet at a bar in the suburbs under the guise of a crew hangout.
Exposed, Darien’s face flushed with anger.
“I’m constantly on calls every day. I can’t remember every single one! Maybe I thought I was making plans with someone else. And even if I did ask you out, so what? I was busy last night and couldn’t make it to the bar. Whatever happened there isn’t my responsibility!”
Putting her phone away, Bianca’s voice was cold as she asked, “What film crew would choose a karaoke bar in a dangerous area for a hangout? Do you claim it wasn’t intentional? How can you deny it when the evidence is clear?”
The others in the rehearsal hall started discussing again.
“I know that bar. It’s not safe for outsiders. Why would Darien choose it?”
“I’ve heard he enjoys making things difficult. Maybe the agent isn’t lying after all…”
“Just the thought of it gives me chills! I don’t want to go through with this audition if it means dealing with this producer!”
“Bianca, I’ll make sure you’re banned from the whole industry!” Darien yelled, his anger evident in his wild eyes. He stopped pretending and pointed at Bianca.
To him, she was just a lowly agent, nothing compared to him!
Banning her from the industry should be easy for him.
The next moment, someone grabbed his outstretched finger.