Chapter 209 The Truth
So, Victoria rolled back into the office around 2 PM.
The second she hit the lobby, Wesley was on her like white on rice. "Ms. Kennedy, Orlando's already upstairs waiting for you."
Victoria just nodded. "Yeah, I know."
She'd told Wesley to set up a meeting with Orlando earlier that morning.
In the meeting room...
Orlando eyed Victoria, who looked all business and no nonsense. Time had definitely left its mark on him. He got straight to the point, "Ms. Kennedy, if you called me here to talk about replacing the actor and continuing the shoot, then we’re done here."
Victoria saw that coming from a mile away.
She stayed cool. "Orlando, I called you here for something else."
She slid the folder Wesley had just handed her across the table.
Orlando looked confused.
She gave a tiny, almost invisible smile. "Orlando, why don’t you take a peek first."
A minute later, Orlando's face went pale.
He looked up, totally shocked. "Is all this for real?"
Victoria just nodded.
Right then, Orlando was holding the partial truth about Donna's wire accident from the day before. It wasn’t an accident; it was a setup.
She only had part of the story because she hadn’t nailed down the mastermind yet.
All she knew was it had something to do with MO Studios.
Julia had bribed someone on the crew to mess with Donna, but her plan was just to cause minor injuries, not mess with the wire.
But someone else used her as a smokescreen.
Every move left a trace.
MO Studios thought they’d covered their tracks, but she had someone check all the crew members' bank accounts for any big deposits last night.
And bingo, there it was. The assistant director, Bishop Peterson.
Orlando had always thought the incident was just a props team screw-up.
He never imagined it was someone close to him.
He wasn’t in it for the fame or money. He loved making movies, so his projects were always top-notch.
He was super strict about filming and wanted to make the best movies. No shortcuts with him.
Everyone on his crew was handpicked by him.
Take Donna, for example. She wasn’t the most famous, but she had the perfect vibe for the supporting female role in this drama. He’d seen tons of actors, but she stood out, and she nailed the audition.
But now, this happened.
He found out yesterday that Donna was seriously hurt.
Normally, he wouldn’t replace the actor, so the project had to be put on hold.
The info in his hand made him furious. "How can they live with themselves? That’s a human being."
He couldn't wrap his head around how, in a society with laws, someone could be so bold and evil.
Just to mess up the shooting schedule and stop the release, they pulled such a dirty trick.
Competition in the biz? Sure, that was normal.
But he really hated these sleazy tactics.
Meanwhile, over at MO Studios.
"Are you sure all the evidence from this mess is gone?" Donovan Hawkins, the big boss at MO Studios, squinted, a nasty glint in his eye.
Gordon Cunningham stood there, all respectful. "Mr. Hawkins, don't worry, no one's gonna suspect us."
He kept sucking up, "This time, Silver Screen Studios' project is dead in the water, so no one's gonna be fighting us for resources. Knowing Orlando, he won't replace the actor last minute. He’s stuck in his ways. Years ago, someone suggested he swap out an actor over some issue, but he refused and just shut down the shoot. Replacing actors last minute is a no-go for Orlando. So, Silver Screen Studios' project is toast," Gordon said, all confident.
Donovan nodded, looking all pleased with himself, ambition and a wicked smile lighting up his face.
Victoria had dug up some dirt on Donovan too.
What she found was mind-blowing.
"Holy crap!" Lila blurted out, "Donovan is such a snake."
Lila's shock was on point. Donovan played the gentleman in public, all mature and steady, with a solid rep in the industry.
But the info painted a different picture. It said he secretly raped various celebs, which was already bad enough.
Guys being obsessed with sex? Not news.
But he’d even committed murder and was still walking free, living it up.
And it got worse. Any crew that went up against their company or was shooting a similar project always had "accidents."
Lila spat out, "Donovan is such a scumbag, with his dirty tricks and filthy ways."
The more Lila read, the madder she got. This time, he even dared to target them.
Victoria sat quietly on the sofa, one hand on the armrest, chin resting on her hand, deep in thought.
Suddenly, Lila had a lightbulb moment. "Wait, if you found this stuff, the cops should be able to too, right? So why hasn't Donovan been nailed yet?"
Victoria glanced at her and explained, "This info's been buried and never reported."
Because Donovan had someone powerful backing him, and that person was well-hidden.
Victoria only said half, but Lila got it right away.
Still, Lila wasn’t sweating it. No matter who was behind Donovan, they were no match for Victoria's husband, Alexander.
"Why don't you ask Alexander for help?" Lila suggested, "If you play a little coy, Alexander would totally take care of Donovan for you."
Victoria was speechless.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
