Filed To Story: The Scarlet Vengeance: Justice of a Framed Beauty Novel (Grace & Jason)
Even though Valda Theller’s viral post was removed and the comments were deleted, many people in the film crew knew about it.
She had never explained anything to anyone either.
Valda Theller looked up at her. “If whatever is exposed online is true, are the online exposés about you also true?”
“You…” Queenie Mack glared at Valda Theller. The online exposés about her were about plastic surgery and her being a homewrecker. She had good resources, so many people wondered who her backer was.
Only a few people know who her backer was. It was not time to tell them who it was, so she kept her mouth shut and never told anyone who was her backer.
Ever since meeting that backer and climbing up the social ladder, she had a different mindset. If important people in the film crew The Weiss family had a deep foundation in Emerald City. They were a famous family in Emerald City.
“Queenie Mack’s not the one you can’t easily mess with,” Gloria said pointedly.
The assistant looked at Gloria in confusion. “Valda Theller is just a regular comic artist. I didn’t hear anything about her coming from a powerful background.”
Gloria flicked his assistant’s forehead. “Why do you think I gave up the other big-budget movie to star in this comic-adapted drama?”
“It’s because the crown prince’s secretary came to the company and asked you to star in…” The assistant’s voice suddenly stopped as they widened their eyes in surprise. “Does this have something to do with Valda Theller?”
“We’ll find out whether or not she has something to do with this!”
Gloria said with a half-smile.
On the third day, Valda Theller continued working on her new comic in the studio because she did not have to go to the film set today.
Her phone rang suddenly. As soon as she pressed it to connect the line, the producer’s anxious voice came from the other end. “Valda, come over to the film set.
There’s an emergency here.”
Valda Theller froze. “What is it?”
“A number of the cast members have gone on strike,” the producer said.
Valda Theller paused slightly. ‘I shouldn’t be the one the producer looks for when this happens, unless…’ A flicker of uneasiness came over her. She hesitated for a moment before asking, “Is it about me?”
“Come over first,” the producer said.
Valda Theller replied, “Okay.” She hurried to the film set after ending the call.
Once she reached the film set, she saw several actors not wearing their costumes. Some extras were nearby, mumbling, “We don’t care if your cast has gone on strike. We’re paid by the day, and you can’t renege today’s pay!”
One of the production assistants grabbed Valda Theller as soon as they saw her and said, “Valda, go to the meeting room. The director and the producer are all there!”
“What on earth happened?” Valda Theller asked the production assistant.
The production assistant said with a troubled look on their face, “Queenie Mack and several actors went on strike together, saying they don’t want to work with you anymore because of your… misdeeds in university.”
Valda Theller immediately understood that it was probably what Queenie Mack meant by wait and see.
When she reached the door of the temporary meeting room, she heard a heated argument from inside.
“I disagree. You threatened us with online gossip. What do you mean by asking us to kick Valda out if we want you to continue starring in this film? You’re not allowing the original comic artist’s name to be included in the credits too. How ridiculous. Try to find a film that does that.” Valda Theller immediately recognized her best friend Camille Strickland’s voice.
Then, Queenie Mack’s voice came. “It’s everyone’s responsibility to boycott literature and art creators with bad character!”
“Bad character? What proof do you have? Show us the proof. It’s all just empty talk. I can say you have a bad character too!” Camille Strickland said defiantly.
“Okay. Why don’t we post this online and have the netizens decide whether we should boycott a comic artist like that?” Queenie Mack said defiantly..
Camille Strickland froze. She knew it would probably make her best friend even more embarrassed if they posted this online.
Many people online would not distinguish the truth and only judge things from the surface.
Valda Theller opened the meeting room door and walked in.
Everyone in the meeting room looked at her.
“Truth will speak for itself. Miss Mack, if you want the netizens to be the judge, you can post it online.
Actors going on strike will ultimately cost the film crew and the investors who invested in the film losses. Those who want to invite you to star in their films in the future would have to think twice.
If you dislike someone in the crew and want to go on strike again, who’s going to bear the losses?”
Valda Theller said without fear. Besides, the speech was not only meant for Queenie Mack but also for the other actors who went on strike with Queenie Mack. Film crews were scared of actors who caused trouble the most when making casting decisions. Queenie Mack’s reputation in the industry would probably be hurt if everyone knew about this.
Sure enough, Queenie Mack’s expression changed slightly after hearing this. The other actors on strike also looked hesitant.
“That’s enough. Valda Theller, just apologize and we’ll let it go,” the director said.
Hearing this, Camille Strickland immediately reacted strongly. “Director, why do you want Valda to apologize? It’s not Valda’s fault at all.”
The director rubbed his temples. He knew that, but he had to comfort Queenie Mack first if he wanted to continue filming.
Besides, compared with Queenie Mack, who had a backer, he would certainly ask Valda Theller to bear the responsibility since she was without a backer.
The producer knew what the director was up to, so they whispered the pros and cons to Valda Theller, “Valda, no one wants to see this happen, but the crew is troubled too. Besides, according to the contract we signed with you, we have the right to claim compensation from the magazine and you if you affect the film’s progress.”
Valda Theller looked at the producer. It was clear what the producer meant.
“I see,” she replied. Even if she had done nothing wrong, society was realistic. Even if she had done nothing wrong, she had to apologize to the one who was in the wrong. It was because she was a nobody and could be discarded at will, while some people had backgrounds and backers, so they were much more important than her.
Valda Theller turned around and walked up to Queenie Mack. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. Please forgive me, Miss Mack.”
Camille Strickland panicked. “Valda, why are you apologizing? You did nothing wrong.”
Valda Theller ignored her and waited for Queenie Mack’s reaction. Even if she did not care about the film crew claiming compensation from her and the possibility of losing everything, she did not want Camille and the magazine to get involved.
If the magazine was also hit with a huge compensation claim, Camille, who was the one who recommended her comic in the first place, might have to bear the blame.
Queenie Mack raised her chin and showed a smug smile. “I can forgive you. But you refused to be the stand-in yesterday. Will you do it now?” Valda Theller pressed her lips together tightly and took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll do it as long as it can calm your anger.”
“If you do well, perhaps everyone will forgive you for what you did. But according to what was exposed online, you’re gonna be a great stand-in,” Queenie Mack taunted as she got closer to Valda Theller.
It looked like a hug of reconciliation, but she whispered in Valda Theller’s ear…
“See, you have to act in the film when I demand it. At the end of the day, you’re just a nobody, Valda Theller. Who do you think you are?”
With that said, Queenie Mack stepped back two or three steps, smiled at Valda Theller, and said, “I’ll look forward to your performance!”
The strike ended with Valda Theller agreeing to be the stand-in.
Camille Strickland grabbed her best friend and said worriedly, “Are you really going to be the stand-
in?”
“Yeah.” Valda Theller nodded.
“But that scene…”
“It’s just acting, and it’s not real. Besides, the film crew will take protective measures for me,” said Valda Theller.
“You apologized and agreed to be the stand-in. Were you… afraid of implicating me?” Camille Strickland began to realize why her best friend was willing to apologize. “I’m scared I’ll have to compensate a lot of money to the film crew if this becomes a big deal. It has nothing to do with you!” Valda Theller said with feigned nonchalance.
Camille Strickland’s eyes reddened slightly. “Valda, I’m sorry. I thought it would be good for you to have a chance to have your comic adapted into a TV show. I never thought…”
“You don’t have to apologize to me, and you haven’t wronged me.” Valda Theller hugged her best friend. “Camille, you’ve been very helpful to me. I have nothing but gratitude for you.”
“But you wouldn’t have to suffer this if I hadn’t fought for this adaptation opportunity.”
Valda Theller said, “It’s many comic artists’ dream to have their comic be adapted into a TV show. I’m no exception. Think about it. I’ve been through so many things that this is nothing. I’ll just avoid Queenie Mack after this.”
Camille Strickland admired her best friend’s toughness. “Be careful during the shoot.”