Ivy gathered her thoughts and waited until the afternoon, when Colton showed up at her door with the lead actors in tow. They needed to hash out the mess the production was in and figure out a game plan.
Previously, Balfour had indicated that whatever Ivy thought best, they would follow suit.
It was crucial to make their evidence public, to show everyone they had nothing to hide.
They couldnât afford to look guilty or be accused of fabricating fake evidence to fool the public.
Once their evidence was ready, the plan was to hand it directly to Quinton, whoâd liaise with the entire production team.
The director felt a wave of relief knowing Balfourâs assistant was handling the matter. So even though the situation wasnât resolved yet, Colton and the producer were all smiles, betraying none of the tension of the production halt.
âColton, Robert, Ryan, long time no see.â
Ryan approached with warmth, wrapping Ivy in a bear hug, âItâs been too long, Ivy! Seeing you doing well is such a relief!â
Ryan was quite perceptive; he hadnât approached Ivy while Balfour was around, keeping a bit of a cold distance due to the punch Balfour had dealt him.
Now, with that guy out of the picture, he finally had the chance to greet his friend properly. Ivy patted his back happily, genuinely missing her fellow cast members.
âYou too, itâs great to see you again. How have you been holding up lately?â
âWell, other than not being able to act with our crew, everythingâs peachy.â
âAlright, now that weâre all caught up, letâs cut the small talk. Weâre all friends here. Letâs sit down and discuss how weâre going to clarify things for the production.â
Ryan looked puzzled. âWhy donât we just post the evidence on our groupâs social media account so everyone can see it?â
But clearly, the others didnât share his straightforward approach.
âSince weâve been dragged through the mud for so long, this clarification needs to yield its proper value,â the producer said, rubbing his fingers together. He was conscious enough not to smoke in Ivyâs presence, but his gestures still betrayed his thoughts.
âWhat do you mean? How can we derive value from being misunderstood? Iâve been holding back my words in public because you told me to, and itâs driving me crazy! Even my folks at home are warning me not to be the one bullying.â
Ryan frowned, his face still showing a touch of innocence.
âLucky we did tell you, or else with your temperament, wouldnât you have offended everyone by now?â
said the director with a poker face. He had chosen Ryan for his role, seeing how his personality matched the characterâs image. If Ryan were to clarify things in his usual blunt manner, it might backfire completely. Instead of appearing justified, people might think he was throwing his weight around, not taking the situation seriously.
âItâs infuriating. To think that Diana lands in jail and we still end up misunderstood by everyone. Isnât her imprisonment evidence enough that everything she said was a lie?â
Margot grumbled, and Ivy, who hadnât heard Dianaâs name in a while, quickly asked, âWhatâs her situation now?â
Margot threw up her hands. âWhat good can it be? The company is still on about suing her. Starlight Entertainment really drew the short straw, thinking they signed a rising star, only to end up with a disaster! The legal process is dragging, and itâs not even official yet. They say it could take months to wrap up.â