The big success of the third movie brought the heat to Thea again. What followed next was commissions from big brands inviting her to endorse their products.
Most of those brands were expensive and high-tier.
A lot of people in this circle started to be jealous of Thea. The rumors on the internet were getting more and more ridiculous. Some people even claimed that Paris’s death definitely had something to do with Thea’s later success. They demanded she stand out and make a clarification.
Thea couldn’t understand why she needed to make any clarification since she had done nothing wrong, so she ignored those requests from Paris’s fans.
However, what she didn’t expect was that some of Paris’s fans were downright terrorists. Those people went to a local cinema at the end of October and set the whole place on fire, causing casualties and death.
The news was everywhere on the internet. Thea couldn’t believe how heartless those people were.
The wind on the internet changed again. People were calling Thea a coward for not standing out to make a statement. Thea was so speechless after seeing that.
She didn’t do anything, but people somehow still believed the ridiculous conspiracies and decided that she was the one who killed Paris.
She had public events during November, so she decided to take the chance to make some clarification.
“What do you think of those comments on the internet, Thea?” A journalist asked.
Thea was quite calm, “I think those guesses are ridiculous. I wish people could stay calm and not believe what those ill-intentioned people feed them. Those people want chaos and drama. The late tragedy should remain a warning for all of us. Rumors can kill people.”
“But some fans demand a direct reply about Paris’s death. Could you please do that for them?”
Thea sighed, “First, I have nothing to do with Paris’s death. If you don’t believe, maybe you should at least believe the FBI. The person who killed Paris is in jail. The truth is already out. I don’t know why people still try to blame her death on me. Maybe the story would be more interesting this way, but I don’t think Paris would be getting the respect she deserved after she passed away.”
“Some people believe that you are the one who forced her into a dead corner. They said you’re the one who manipulated everything.”
“This is ridiculous. If I had power like that, I wouldn’t need to be a public figure, and all these tolerate groundless accessions. Derek, Paris, and I definitely had conflicts. I’ve never tried to deny that. But I would never hurt them. I’ve never done anything crooked or made me unable to sleep at night. I’m not afraid of bad people. Nor do I need to play any tricks to achieve anything. I have the best fans. I have a successful career. I have the most beautiful family. Why would I ever do anything so stupid to toss away everything I’ve already had?”
“Oh, by the way, I really don’t know what Paris’s fans are thinking. If you really want to find out the truth, you should go read the investigation records. They are available online. You can even go investigate the whole thing yourself. Why are you believing those rumors and hurting innocent people? It’s absolutely disgusting. In the end, I wish you guys could stay rational when it comes to being a fan. The person you should love the most in this world is yourself. Don’t hurt yourself or other people just because some ill-intentioned people told you to do so.”
After making those statements, Thea left the event directly.
Zara asked if she wanted to go to a dinner held by influential figures in showbiz later, but Thea said no without any hesitation. Right now, every move of hers is watched by journalists and fans. She needed to be extra careful, so she wouldn’t make any mistakes. Those “big figures” all represented different parties. They were not trustworthy.
Zara knew Thea could be extremely stubborn sometimes, so she gave up the idea of asking Thea to go. Right now, Zara knew her priority was to defend Thea’s reputation at any cost.
Or all the endorsements she was bearing would be gone.
****
Even after several weeks had passed, the blaze at the theater continued to attract people’s attention online. That interview, which Thea agreed to do, was also popular on the internet. Her demeanor was more resolute than it had ever been. And as a result, there were even more conversations and rumors about her. In response to her statements, individuals had a variety of perspectives.
Those that had a positive opinion of her highlighted her forthrightness and self-assurance.
Those who intended to smear her reputation alleged that she had a superior attitude and lacked empathy.
After reading those conversations on Twitter, Thea had a headache. Someone was obviously trying to spark a war behind the scenes with all of this. Thea signed out of her account and disregarded the other users’ comments and messages.
But things didn’t get better.
In the meantime, a fantastic script arrived out of nowhere. Thea was completely unconcerned about finding decent screenplays at this point in her career because her career was booming and her reputation was increasing. She had simply reached the point where she did not wish to move about anymore. Having a positive new position, on the other hand, would draw people’s attention away from her current unfavorable image.
However, she was apprehensive about abandoning the twins for the second time.
Zara was concerned that her reputation might suffer as a result of the ongoing conflict, so she threw a party for key members of the media and asked them to rein in the conflict a little bit.
On the other hand, what she did was documented by the paparazzi and published online. The internet conversations regarding Thea, as a result, became more negative. Zara was trapped inside her home and unable to escape because her door was surrounded by irate fans and paparazzi. Thea was forced to close her studio for several days.