During the peak promotion month for The Mysterious Family, Sarah vanished from the public eye. She skipped events, stayed off social media, and didn’t make any public appearances or business announcements. Fans started speculating that something might’ve happened to her.
It wasn’t until everything had finally settled that Sarah returned to the spotlight.
Around that time, Pineapple TV announced that it was airing a variety show featuring the cast of The Mysterious Family. To hype up the release, the production team teased that all the main cast members would appear on the show.
Fans were thrilled, and eager to see Sarah on a variety show for the first time. Many had been waiting for the chance to see her outside of her acting roles.
But when the trailer dropped, viewers were in for a rude surprise-Sarah wasn’t in it.
The audience was not happy. They swarmed the production team’s social media accounts.
“Where’s Sarah? How do you invite the cast and leave out the lead actress?”
“You promised everyone would be there! What a letdown!”
In response, a director from Pineapple TV took to Twitter with a passive-aggressive post, implying that a certain actress had gotten too big for her boots. He claimed they’d invited her four or five times, but she kept turning them down.
The viewers who had been trashing the production team turned their attention to Sarah, accusing her of being difficult.
But once the show aired, people started to notice something was off.
The host on Pineapple TV seemed like he was deliberately trying to stir up drama between the cast members.
When it came to Frank, the host’s tone was noticeably more respectful-after all, Frank was a big deal in the entertainment industry, a top player in the film world.
“Frank, you’re the leading star of The Mysterious Family, but right now the buzz is all about Sarah. What do you think of her as an actress? And is it true that she’s close friends with Crystal?”
At that point, Sarah’s fans were on edge.
Since Sarah’s character had the most emotional impact in the movie, her performance sparked more discussion among fans and casual viewers alike. In situations like this, lead actors often hate having their spotlight stolen.
To make matters trickier, Sarah really was close to Crystal, the award-winning actress. The two interacted often on Twitter, and Crystal had publicly defended Sarah against haters more than once.
The problem? Frank and Crystal had clashed on camera in the past and didn’t exactly get along. If Frank decided to throw shade at Sarah because of that old feud, it could leave a lasting stain on Sarah’s reputation.
“I bet Frank doesn’t like Sarah.”
“Yeah, same.”
But Frank was already annoyed with the production for trying to stir up conflict. Sure, he had issues with Crystal, but he wasn’t about to hold a grudge against someone else just because of that.
“Sarah was really professional on set,” Frank said honestly. “She did all her own stunts-nobody doubles. It’s no surprise the audience likes her. Filming with her was great; she’s got solid lines and acting skills.”
Sarah’s fans immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
The host, however, didn’t seem too pleased with Frank’s response. “What do you think about Sarah and Crystal’s friendship?” he pressed.
Frank frowned. “How the hell am I supposed to feel about it? What, you expect me to hold their hands and be their best friend too?”
As soon as he said that, the host’s face turned pale, and the live chat exploded with laughter.
“LMAO, the host totally set himself up for that.”
“Honestly, Sarah skipping this show was a smart move. This production has teamed up with Elisa to trash her before-imagine what this host would’ve tried if she’d shown up.”
“Frank is a real one. I’ve followed him for years, and the guy always tells it like it is.”
After being shut down by Frank, the host turned to Camille. “So, do you think the prettier actresses get special treatment on set? Did you ever feel like you missed out because of that?”
Camille answered with a sly smile. “I packed a few suitcases full of thick clothes, but Sarah only brought one suitcase-filled with strawberry milk. Whenever she heated some up, she’d always give me a box. None of the guys got any, and neither did Frank. Honestly, I did benefit from being friends with a pretty actress.”
The host’s smile faltered again, and the live chat erupted in laughter once more.
“This is gold! The host was low-key asking if Sarah used her looks to get special treatment from the director, and Camille hit him back by saying she got special treatment from Sarah.”
Camille thought the Pineapple TV host was completely out of line. Sure, there was competition among stars, and seeing a newcomer rise to fame could spark jealousy or resentment. But not everyone felt that way. They could have normal friendships too, right?
Filming was tough, and Sarah had brought her warm milk, while she had given Sarah warm clothes. Camille even discreetly tipped off the lighting and makeup crew to make Sarah look even better on camera. The harder things got, the more they remembered those experiences.
This time, the show did get high ratings, but Pineapple TV didn’t receive any praise; instead, the host was mocked.
Those who had criticized Sarah for being difficult quietly deleted their comments. Whether fans or casual viewers, everyone’s opinion of Sarah shot up after this show.
In the movie, the top roles still went to the male actors, but Sarah, as a rookie, didn’t try to curry favor with a big star like Frank. Instead, she showed genuine concern for someone like Camille, whose star power wasn’t as great. That was pretty rare in the cutthroat entertainment industry, and it sparked a lot of online discussion.
Sarah’s reputation had always been solid, but this time, her personal standing improved significantly.
Elisa couldn’t believe all the praise Sarah was getting online; she almost ground her teeth in frustration.
Ronald had been feeling a bit down lately.
Elisa had heard rumors that Ronald’s family business was facing some issues. Ronald’s parents initially wanted to cash in on a favor from Director Beck to get a promotional video made. But Ronald had used that favor on Elisa instead, and it hadn’t even paid off. This led to a big argument between Ronald and his parents.
Seeing Ronald like this made Elisa feel a bit smug. His parents had said she wasn’t good enough for him, but now? She had recently made some new connections and noticed that many fans seemed to prefer someone who was “not chasing fame” and “kind-hearted.” After Pineapple TV aired, Sarah gained a ton of followers.
So, Elisa bought herself a bunch of press releases and subtly positioned Sarah’s image as her own.
That night, Sarah was lounging on the couch scrolling through her phone when she stumbled across an eye-catching headline: “Talented, well-liked, and with zero scandals since her debut, the new rising star praised by Oscar winners is actually her!”
There was a photo of Sarah below the text.
Feeling a bit shy about the over-the-top praise, Sarah thought, “Sure, go ahead and compliment me, but do you have to make it sound like I paid you?”
But when she clicked in, her smile quickly faded.
Damn it, the marketing account! The small image looked like Sarah, but when she clicked to see the larger picture, it was actually Elisa.
Had the cosmetic surgery industry come this far?
The post was mostly nonsense, not only crediting Sarah’s work to Elisa but also attributing compliments from directors and industry veterans about Sarah to Elisa. Then it threw shade at Sarah, claiming she had bullied classmates in school thanks to her wealthy background, while Elisa had endured bullying and remained resilient.
Taking a deep breath, Sarah said, “Butler Ted, do you know a lawyer? I want to sue this marketing account.”
Butler Ted glanced over, his eyes darting around. “I don’t know one, but Mr. Holden’s legal team is top-notch.”
The post had been published two hours ago, and the lawyer’s letter had just arrived two minutes ago.