Chapter 89
Sweet Subterfuge
âDonât worry, even if the clothes get damaged this time, I wonât hold you responsible for it.â
Larissa released a sigh of relief.
Still, after a long while, she suddenly wondered: if he truly was so generous, why did he insist that she compensate him the last time?
Mrs. Hardy was taken into custody by the police, and Dylan was able to leave after successfully completing his mission.
The crowd gathered outside the surgery building had already dispersed when he left, and the firefighters were in the process of deflating the air mattress. A few bystanders muttered, âHow boring!
She failed to jump even after making all that fuss.â
When he returned to the car, Kevan asked him. âHow did it go?â
Dylan fastened his seat belt and replied while he started the car. âShe said sheâd been asked to go on the show by an editor, Ms. Holleran, from the show.â
âAn editor from âThe Mediators Roomâ?â Kevan felt that something was not right. âHow did an editor from a television program know all about her family situation?â
âMaybe one of the editorâs friends just so happened to know the Hardy family and thought the entire matter had the potential to go viral and bring more attention to the program, so they introduced them to each other? Or, that editor could have been constantly on the lookout for inspiration and happened to meet Janine Levange one day. The two mustâve hit it off, but Janine, in order to absolve herself of all responsibility. immediately pushed the blame onto the editor and told me that sheâd been influenced and misled onto the show. Regardless, I donât believe a single word that comes out of her mouth.â
Dylan listed the multiple possibilities as he drove. âAlso, didnât we also discover that the production team had been the ones to purchase all those marketing accounts involved? Even the donation for the Hardys was arranged by them. It makes sense if you think about it.â
Kevanâs brows remained knitted. âIâll have someone investigate Ms. Holleran and her role in this.â
Ms. Holleran from âThe Mediators Roomâ-Larissa indeed knew an editor on the show with the exact same name.
âSheâs one of the three people who came to see me in the hotel,â she told them.
Larissa remembered her clearlyâshe was the longâhaired editor who had no qualms about calling her out rudely based on the exaggerated untruths sheâd been fed.
Later, when she called Larissa, sheâd told her her name.
If she really was the one who orchestrated everything, then Larissa supposed her attitude toward her at that time was rather understandable.
And yet, she wanted to know the reason behind all this.
Before this, she had never met Ms. Holleran. It should be impossible for them to have any past grievances with each other.
âPerhaps they were looking to promote the show,â Dylan said. âAnd she took the opportunity to stand on the moral high ground to look down on you.â
His explanation satisfied her for now, but she knew she would not let this go so easily.
She turned to address Kevan. âMr. Rogers, please inform me as soon as you receive any updates regarding the investigation.â
Kevan and Larissaâs guess was correct after all. Ms. Holleran had not simply found Mrs. Hardy by chance, and she definitely hadnât been targeting Larissa for no reason.
Still, the reason behind her motives was beyond their wildest expectationsâshe was Karaâs cousin.
During the time the Hardys had âdisappearedâ, theyâd been in Bartham and had told both Andrew and Kara everything about Travisâ fate, albeit an exaggerated and falsified version of it.
Later, Kara told her cousin about the incident, which then led toâeverything Larissa already knew.
When Dylan finally met with the production team of âThe Mediators Roomâ as Larissaâs lawyer, the team expressed that theyâd already fired Ms. Holleran and that they wished to reconcile with Larissa.
Dylan did not agree to their request.
Instead, he went directly to the station managerâs office.
The production quality of various shows broadcasted by the Covenford Local TV Station was, by far, superior to the other television stations in the nation. Therefore, Microworks Corporation was happy to be one of the title sponsors of quite a number of its championed, topârated programs.
Since the corporation had invested so much in the TV station, naturally, they were highly regarded.
Dylan, as the second largest shareholder of Microworks Corporation, was warmly received by the station manager.
He sat down with the station manager over coffee and took the opportunity to subtly express his dissatisfaction toward the production team of âThe Mediators Roomâ. Then, almost as if heâd inadvertently disclosed something he wasnât planning to, he revealed, âMs. Seymour, the woman who had been defamed by the show, is a good friend of mine and Mr. Rogers.â
The station manager broke into a cold sweat. Immediately, he indicated that he would terminate the show at once and hold the responsible individuals accountable once heâd investigated the entire situation through a formal meeting.
Dylan smiled, his lips pressed tightly together. âIâll be waiting for the good news, then.â