Chapter: 675
“you don’t need to comfort me. I’ve seen the trending news. It’s clear to me that someone’s purposefully causing trouble.” Ariana
spoke with an unyielding tone.
Realizing he couldn’t dodge the truth any longer, Tyler sighed, laying bare the situation with complete honesty. “It’s Cole. He’s
been acting strangely. The event script initially didn’t involve any interaction between us, but he deliberately approached me,
using suggestive actions to stir up the fans’ imaginations.
Off-camera, he goes out of his way to irritate me, babbling nonsense and instigating conflicts. I can’t understand his motives,
maybe it’s his idea of a revenge plot. In any case, it’s a hassle.”
By the end of his revelation, Tyler’s tone had grown noticeably agitated. Ariana paused for a moment before asking, “And what
about Mr. Salazar? I had a discussion with him previously, didn’t he intervene?”
Silence ensued from Tyler’s end before he finally spoke, a note of resentment creeping into his voice. “Mr. Salazar has been
endorsing promotional videos with suggestive scripts. It was too much for me, which is why I refused to participate on-camera.”
Now, Ariana had the full picture. She had always believed Tyler to be compliant and agreeable with the crew. Of course he
avoided on-camera interaction with Cole for a reason.
“I understand, don’t worry. Leave it to me.”
After giving further instructions, Ariana ended the call and immediately dialed Francis’ number.
Francis picked up quickly. “Ah, Ariana, it’s been quite a while. How have you been?”
Bypassing the pleasantries, Ariana cut to the chase. “Mr. Salazar, is this how you manage the actor I assign to you? I recall
clearly stating that I don’t want him involved in any scandals.”
“I assure you, I have no clue about these rumors. Everything’s based on the standard script, but Tyler just refused to comply.
Ariana, surely you can’t expect Tyler to join a new movie and disregard the promotion of the existing one.”
Hearing him deflect and blame her for Tyler’s new movie deal, Ariana’s irritation flared. Without hesitation, she countered,
“Whether Tyler complies with the script or not, we both know the reality. Let’s not forget, Mr. Salazar. Initially, Tyler’s contract was
as the fourth male lead. However, later he was promoted to second lead, with no increase in pay despite the additional
responsibilities. He accepted the terms without any protest. And you label that as diva behavior?”
“Isn’t all this for his benefit?” Francis responded with unwavering confidence, “I gave him opportunities. All these steps were
taken to enhance his public image.”
Implicitly suggesting that Ariana and Tyler were ungrateful, Francis banked on the fact that Tyler, having gained popularity
through his film, wouldn’t openly criticize the production team of his breakthrough work. As such, he began to play dirty.
Ariana’s keen perception sliced through Francis’ intentions like a hot knife through butter, leaving her simultaneously frustrated
and amused. That sly old fox!
Suppressing her anger, she couldn’t help but let out a sarcastic laugh before questioning Francis, “Well, well, Mr. Salazar, do tell
me, what grand scheme have you concocted?”
Caught off guard by Ariana’s tone, Francis interpreted it as a sign of surrender, causing his complacency to swell. “Ariana, I don’t
mean to complicate matters. I simply hope for Tyler’s cooperation in engaging in more publicity endeavors. As we can’t have a
dual male lead finale for this drama, let’s commence preparations for The Sky with Romance 2.”
Ariana saw right through his ulterior motives. He wanted to tether himself to Tyler, extracting every ounce of his fame, like a
vampire draining the life force from his prey.
“L refuse, and let me make it crystal clear; your desires will not come to fruition!”
Ariana’s voice turned icy, as she continued, “Mr. Salazar, Tyler aspires to transform his image. He yearns to be recognized as a
talented actor. It’s one thing to seek attention during his early days by starring in modest productions, but I refuse to let him
remain entangled in trashy idol dramas, squandering his popularity.”
Francis bristled at Ariana’s unabashed condemnation of his drama, labeled as a trashy idol drama without any sugarcoating. His
irritation broke loose as he snapped, “Ariana, what the hell do you mean by that?” He felt like a punch to the gut, his work being
discredited.
“Just as it sounds,” Ariana retorted, her words dripping with frostiness. “Mr. Salazar, aren’t you aware? Everyone else is striving
for improvement, but what about you?