Ivy, followed by Joan, Susan, Stephen, and director Tim, left the hall. “Ivy,” Stephen called her. “I’m sorry for not believing you.”
“You don’t have to apologize, producer Stephen,” Ivy replied with a slight smile.
“No, I have to apologize, I already decided to replace you if not for director Tim,” Stephen said.
“Ivy, I mean Mrs. Anderson, can I talk to you? Please.” A feminine voice interrupted their conversation. Ivy turned to see who it was. Seeing Isabelle’s PA outside the hall, Ivy chuckled. “You left her too. You shouldn’t have; now who is going to assist her.”
Isabelle’s PA sighed; she knew Ivy was right, but she came outside to clarify some things with Ivy. “No offense, Mrs. Anderson, you are too ruthless. Why do you have to push her to the edge? You could have just refuted earlier, not when the situation has escalated to this extent.”
“Can you hear yourself?” Ivy spat. “You were there when she pulled my manager’s hair, and you were aware when she was planning to frame me for something she did.”
Isabelle’s PA went silent, she knew Ivy was right. Isabelle just behaved impulsively without considering the consequences of her actions. “Do you know the reasons she tried to get rid of you? It’s because she has a crush on George…”
“Oh,” Susan raised her eyebrow. “Is that so? So Isabelle was driven by love. When she noticed George was paying no attention to her but to Ivy, she had to push her off the limelight.”
Ivy was amused by Isabelle’s sole purpose of going through all of that. What women would do for love. Then she recalled she too was once in that category. How she gave up her career to please a man, but Isabelle’s case was on a bigger scale; she was stupid enough to get rid of another woman just to get a man that never spared her a glance, not that the woman was her rival in any way.
“I do admit she planned the first attack, but the second attack wasn’t her doing…” Isabelle’s PA added.
Ivy had no time to listen to her anymore, so she waved goodbye to Stephen and director Tim and got into the car waiting for her in front of the venue.
*
[Isabelle orchestrates her own attack for the sake of framing Ivy]
[Ivy accused innocently; Isabelle is the real culprit]
[Isabelle admits she framed Ivy]
Isabelle’s management agency tried their best to contain the news, but it was futile; it had already spread widely to the extent that there was no way they could suppress it. Even PR was useless; an actress that self-scripted her own attack, going as far as to hurt herself for the second time to frame her fellow actress. It was huge news that was bound to remain at the top of the entertainment news for quite some time. They gave up and focused on other artists; maybe when her scandal dies down, they might consider furnishing her career. But for the time being, she should suffer the consequences. They released a statement clarifying that they were unaware of her actions and expressed disappointment in her behavior. They did that to protect the agency’s reputation and reassure the public that they will take such matters seriously.
The netizens began to reflect on their past judgment, how they were easily manipulated by Isabelle and fell for her lies.
“Now I feel bad.”
“So Ivy was innocent all along.”
“Maybe she wants the lead character; I think that’s the reason she framed Ivy.”
“Isabelle is sick.”
Meanwhile, the production team for ‘Tomboy Donna’ announced Isabelle’s replacement; it was a popular A-grade actress named Anna Steward. The netizens were glad she was replaced by a far more experienced actress, so the anticipation for the film increased. Such a film with a good storyline shouldn’t be acted by a psycho actress. They also announced filming would kickstart the next week.
It gave Ivy enough time to be with her reliable husband who saved her at the last minute. When Zack arrived to bail her out from the frenzied reporters, she realized he must have been watching over her.
Zack was not too busy at the moment, so he had time to chat with his wife. He explained how he caught the Desmond guy and how he had sent Edmond, the blonde, to guard her.
When Zack Anderson said he doesn’t shy away from using extreme means to solve a problem, he was joking. Now she knew why many were frightened of him. After Desmond confessed to him, he tried fleeing the country before he was caught by Zack’s men at the airport. They confined him at an isolated place until Bryan informed the police of his whereabouts so they could arrest him. If Zack hadn’t held him captive, he would have escaped before the police could even think of finding him.
But one thing was certain: someone else was escalating the situation behind the scenes. With the way Isabelle reacted when she saw the guy, Ivy felt inclined to believe she didn’t fake the second attack. What made her annoyed was why Isabelle assumed she tried to hurt her, going as far as to organize a press conference stating to the media she was the culprit without evidence to prove her claim.
“So you haven’t realized who is behind everything,” Zack said as he sensed she was still in deep thought.
Ivy sighed, “Irene.” Now she knew Irene was really serious about making her pay for what she didn’t do. Well, there was nothing she could do to change her mind.
“Do you know him?” Zack showed her a photo of a good-looking young man.
Ivy frowned; of course she knew him, but why did Zack show her his photo? “He is I and Irene’s childhood friend; we used to hang out a lot when we were kids, but since I got into high school, he moved out of the country.”
“He is the mastermind behind the second attack on Isabelle. He is a very sly and calculative individual,” Zack said. It was one of the things he found out while watching Ivy behind the scenes.
“But how did I offend him? We were on good terms before he left.” Then she remembered he was also on good terms with her sister. “Irene. She must have lured him over to her side.” No wonder the voice she heard at the press conference seemed familiar. “So Ethan chose to go up against me. No problem.”
Now that she knew who her enemies were, she was ready to fight with them till they get tired of fighting against her. On the other hand, Zack was ready to support her throughout the way. To make sure they never win…