âOkay, if it means that much to you, Iâll text you the amount later. Just transfer it to that number when you get a chance.â
Ivy felt a wave of relief wash over her at Nolanâs words.
âSure thing! Thanks for swinging by the set, Nolan.â
He grinned, resisting the urge to ruffle her hair as he often did.
That afternoon, they were scheduled to shoot scenes featuring the secondary lead, Diana. The rest of the cast and crew had assumed her scenes would be postponed due to her injury, but to everyoneâs surprise, she limped back onto the set, leaning on crutches.
Colton could not hide his shock. âDiana, why arenât you resting at home? We agreed to push back your scenes, didnât we?â
Diana offered a slight smile, her assistant looking less than pleased by her side.
âColton, itâs just a scratch-no need to shuffle the entire production schedule on my account. Besides, if it were serious, I would not have returned,â she said, her eyes twinkling despite the bandages around her foot.
Ivy stood off to the side, listening to their exchange.
In the chaos of dealing with the recent drama, she had forgotten to visit Diana. After all, Dianaâs injury was indirectly caused by her.
She made a mental note to find a quiet moment later to apologize to Diana.
But before Ivy had a chance to approach her, Diana, assisted by her aide, made her over to Ivy.
Ivy quickly stood, offering a hand to help Diana sit, but Diana subtly sidestepped her gesture.
Ivy paused, a bit embarrassed, retracting her hand awkwardly.
âMs. Dunhill, I only heard about the whole Giselle situation in the hospital. I canât believe sheâd use her clout to bully the newbies and try to frame you! If you had not found evidence to clear your name, there mightâve been a rift between us. But look at us now-youâre the new public darling, and Iâm right behind you. Giselle, with all her years as an award-winning actress? Sheâs practically yesterdayâs news!â
Diana seemed timid and gentle, yet her words were brimming with ambition, far from what one would expect from her soft appearance.
Ivyâs brow furrowed slightly. She was not interested in popularity contests; she was focused on her craft, hoping to let her acting skills speak for themselves.
Besides, Giselleâs longstanding status as an award-winning actress surely was not unfounded. Dianaâs comments seemed a bit unfair.
âIâm glad youâre okay,â Ivy responded simply, not really close to Diana to begin with.
Had it not been for Giselleâs interference, Ivy would hardly have exchanged words with Diana at all.
With Diana occupying her space, Ivy stood aside. Out of consideration for Dianaâs injury, she chose not to make an issue of it.
However, Diana seemed to look down on Ivyâs silence, scoffing at the thought of Ivy as Coltonâs leading lady.
If it were not for the powerful Balfour backing her, how could Ivy have possibly become the most popular up-and-coming actress?
Regardless of the envy brewing inside, Diana knew she had to maintain a good relationship with Ivy, considering the influence of the Howard family behind her Her agent had made it clear before she arrived on set: aligning with the Howards could only benefit her career.
âMs. Dunhill, thereâs no need to be on guard around me. Weâre both victims here and as colleagues in the same production, we should be allies, Diana said, extending an olive branch masked with ulterior motives.