Chapter 1054: Chapter 1054: I suspect someone is planning to stir up trouble in the crew.
The latter part is not yet fully revised. Come back in thirty minutes if you want to read it.
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Chapter 1054
The scandal about Mary Scott abandoning her mother gained traction very quickly.
However, since Mary Scott’s background had been exposed earlier, netizens had significant doubts about the authenticity of this news. Although many cursed her as unfilial and heartless, and some fans supported her regardless, most remained neutral, refraining from commenting without understanding the full situation.
Michael acted swiftly, issuing a statement the very next morning that publicly revealed how Linda Nelson had abandoned Mary and her brother years ago. He also stated that they would sue any promotional accounts that defamed Mary Scott’s reputation.
This statement was both quick and precise, garnering widespread acclaim from the netizens. Especially Mary’s fans realized that she was no longer an isolated actress without a backing.
Cheers filled Mary Scott’s Twitter responses.
Mary, who hadn’t slept well overnight, felt much relieved after seeing the studio’s statement and reading the netizens’ comments the next morning. She returned to the set with David Locke.
But as soon as they arrived at the set, they were stopped outside. Seeing this scene, David’s face darkened. He escorted Mary back to the hotel on set, barely getting settled when Martin hurried in, “Director Locke, something’s wrong!”
“What’s wrong?” David seated Mary, poured her a glass of water, and turned to look at the anxious Martin.
Martin handed his phone to David, who looked at the screen to see Linda Nelson being interviewed by reporters in a live broadcast.
During the interview, Mary’s mother tearfully and sorrowfully narrated to the media how painful and forced she felt leaving her children, and how she missed them over the years. Seeing the studio’s statement now that she had abandoned them caused her heart pain, claiming it wasn’t true, and she never intended to abandon Mary and her brother…
Because it was a live interview, by the time David saw it, over a million people had already poured into the live room, with the number continuing to skyrocket.
During this period, both Mary and he had been at the center of public opinion, with high online attention, and now Linda’s stir had pushed their heat to another level.
Plus, the public has always been most interested in household ethics gossip involving female stars, especially a celebrity like Mary Scott, who’s already a trending topic.
Just listening for a while, David’s face turned extremely grim. He knew the other side wouldn’t let go easily, but he didn’t expect that right after Christopher Jeames issued a statement, they would strike back.
Mary also heard Linda’s voice, listening to her twisted lies and watching her clumsy acting made her feel nauseous inside.
The scheme was not very clever, yet the problem lay in such seemingly simple tactics resonating more with netizens.
Especially as Linda, who accepted the interview as a mother figure.
The comments were already overflowing with people voicing grievances for Linda, even questioning Mary’s character, believing her previous acts to be hypocritical, and suspecting her exposure scandal and donations to the orphanage were all a well-designed hype.
Mary looked at David, her face pale, “You were right, things were indeed not that simple. What should we do now?”
“Has anything unusual happened with the crew or public opinion recently?” David held Mary’s hand and asked the assistant beside him.
Martin quickly reported, “Ever since Miss Swift’s incident, there’s been chatter about ‘The Doctors’ set having bad feng shui, which has made it difficult to find utility men, and there’s high turnover. After the lady’s matter surfaced, these talks have increased online. I suspect someone is manipulating behind the scenes.”
David frowned. Indeed, since the preparations for “The Doctors” started, it’s been one thing after another!
He had vaguely heard about the set’s rumored bad feng shui, but he never believed in such nonsense and didn’t pay much attention. But with Mary’s issue now making everything more complicated, the frequent incidents were obviously not coincidental.
“Can we find out who’s behind these guided opinions?” David asked in a steady voice.
“We’re already investigating, and should have results soon. But Director Locke, I don’t quite get it. Are they just trying to ruin ‘The Doctors’ reputation? Although their small tricks could affect its credibility, if the film releases smoothly and public opinion turns positive, it shouldn’t have a big impact, right?” Martin pondered for a while without finding a suitable reason.
Upon hearing this, David didn’t say anything but was pondering the same question internally. Yes, what is their true motive? Are they just consistently doing these little tricks behind the scenes? Do they think such actions can bring him down, or do these little tricks conceal other purposes?
“Director Locke, what should we do now?” Martin asked quietly when he saw David stayed silent for a long while.
Martin’s words reminded David that the opponent’s objective surely wasn’t just these!
He thought for a moment, “Ask someone to deal with the media outside, and recently, have all the crew members registered discreetly, don’t let anyone know.”
Martin set off to carry out the orders.
After Martin left, Mary stretched her hand to hold David’s, looking at the man with a hint of guilt, “Sorry for troubling you again this time.”
Mary felt guilty, it seemed ever since reuniting with David, various troubles hadn’t ceased.
“This isn’t your fault, don’t apologize to me. Besides, we are a couple, and there’s no such thing as causing trouble between husband and wife. Don’t say that again.” David was a bit displeased.
Mary leaned half of her body against David, her head lowered silently. Despite his words, the guilt in her heart lingered.
Originally, David was a genius director admired by everyone in the entertainment industry, and because of her, he got embroiled in scandals.
David reached out to rub her head, “Don’t overthink. It’s not entirely your fault. If I hadn’t recklessly offended people back then, we wouldn’t be facing such retaliation. Linda Nelson couldn’t cause such a stir on her own. It’s due to those pushing from behind.”
“But if it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have a reason to do this,” Mary said dishearteningly.
“Silly, now’s not the time to be discouraged. What we should consider next is how to solve the issue. Her stunt will inevitably rally many uninformed people to her side. This will have a negative impact on your reputation. We need to figure out a solution quickly.” David wouldn’t allow Mary to waste time on self-blame.
Mary realized it was indeed not the time for discouragement, clear that the priority was finding a solution to the situation at hand.
After thinking for a moment, she looked at David, “I have an idea.”
“What’s the plan?” Director Locke looked at Mary Scott and felt a hint of cunning in her eyes.
“Yesterday at Swallow University, when Linda Nelson was causing trouble, I had the driver smash the camera of her hired person. Although it was a bit rough, it could indirectly prove that she approached us with other intentions, not just to see me and Alfred…”
Mary Scott paused, “Last night, I asked Alfred to find the unedited footage. There were quite a few witnesses at the time, and if they had the footage, we could also get it. Most importantly, we were close to the school’s supermarket, which should be within surveillance range.” Mary expressed her thoughts to Director Locke logically.
She also informed Christopher Jeames about this just in case. If Alfred couldn’t get it, Christopher Jeames should be able to find a way.
By calculating the time, it should be about right.
Even if the footage couldn’t be found, Mary Scott hinted that there was another backup plan.
Director Locke looked at his woman after hearing her out. He always said she was naïve, but she didn’t seem so naïve now.
“If that’s the case, then we don’t need to worry too much. The PR department will also follow up on this,” Director Locke said and hugged Mary Scott, “Filming today seems unlikely. Harry Harrison has been shooting until now, and we haven’t had a gathering. I’ll notify everyone, let’s take a break today and have a dinner together tonight.”
Mary Scott was instantly delighted at the prospect of good food and happily put aside her concerns to find Bertha Swift and share the good news.
The entire film crew had been running non-stop for days amid constant media pressure. Everyone was under a lot of stress, but hearing this news brought cheers from the whole team.
Adam Piers had been living well recently, mainly because his efforts finally gained enough favor in front of Mrs. Swift, and she didn’t dislike him as much. Occasionally, he could join Bertha Swift for dinner.
Furthermore, thanks to his negotiations with Milne Swift, Milne didn’t dare outright threaten Bertha Swift and her mother.
Bertha Swift’s smile was noticeably more frequent than before, and her partner was about to wrap up filming, so she was in a good mood and looked favorably upon Adam Piers.
Upon hearing Director Locke was treating them to dinner in the afternoon, Adam Piers casually knocked on Director Locke’s door.
As he pushed open the door, he saw Director Locke hanging up the phone with a serious expression. Raising an eyebrow, he joked, “What has made our great director Locke so stressed that he could squash a fly between his brows?”
Director Locke glanced up at Adam Piers and said grumpily, “A big issue.”
“Isn’t it just about Mary Scott’s mother? A woman who abandoned her child over ten years ago without any right to accuse Mary Scott on the internet for such a small matter?” Adam Piers was aware of Mary Scott’s situation and was surprised Director Locke was troubled by it.
Director Locke shook his head, “It’s not as simple as you think.”
“Could it be the same behind-the-scenes manipulator as before?” Adam Piers knew the news about Bertha Swift dancing provocatively at a bar and being featured was intentionally leaked, targeting not only Bertha Swift but also Director Locke and the “The Doctors” crew. He didn’t expect Mary Scott’s issue to be similar.
“Arthur Cook is out, and he won’t let me off easily, especially with the one behind him. Having suffered losses from us several times, how could he possibly give up?” Director Locke said with a furrowed brow.
“Do you suspect they’re going to do something?” Adam Piers dropped his casual demeanor.
“Don’t you find their actions unusual? Each incident is minor; they know well these merely affect progress but cannot change the big picture. Yet, there are constant small troubles, making our crew a target each time. I suspect there are other moves behind them.” Director Locke’s expression was serious, though he was just speculating.
“Listening to this, there’s definitely something off. Your dinner gathering tonight is not simple, is it?” Adam Piers suddenly asked. The current situation with the crew was already bad, and a dinner gathering would only stir things up. It wasn’t Director Locke’s usual approach.
Director Locke didn’t hide from Adam Piers and nodded, “I suspect someone is planning a major incident with the crew.”
Adam Piers’ eyes lit up immediately, “Do you have any news?”
“Not certain, but as the saying goes: it’s hard to guard against thieves every day. Their small actions might seem harmless, just costing us some energy and money, but over time, it damages the crew’s reputation and every actor’s reputation.” Director Locke thought of Mary Scott and Bertha Swift, who were victims this time.
“Anything you need me to do?” Adam Piers, ever eager for excitement, asked immediately.
Director Locke looked amused at Adam Piers’ enthusiasm, “Just make sure Miss Swift stays out of it tonight.”
“Don’t worry, you don’t need to worry about Bertha Swift; I’ll handle it,” Adam Piers replied confidently.
“Glad you know,” Director Locke didn’t say more and, after a few more words, sent Adam Piers away.
After Adam Piers left, Director Locke began working intensively.
The film city was always chaotic, and “The Doctors” was a medical drama. This time, they rented a nearby hospital for filming. Many workers were not from Director Locke’s team, some were brought in from the film city as utility personnel, and others were hospital medical staff.
The personnel were quite complicated, combined with multiple confrontations with reporters and online rumors about the crew’s bad luck, resulting in significant human turnover with many unfamiliar faces around the crew.
Director Locke booked the dinner at a famous music bar near the film city. It had a great atmosphere, and the gathering included not only key personnel but all staff.
Together, more than forty people.
Director Locke had the packaged goods sent ahead for the dinner attendees.
At night, the group arrived promptly at the music bar, having reserved two private rooms in advance.
As the director, Locke took a seat and, to keep everyone relaxed, pretended to stay momentarily before leaving the private room. However, he didn’t leave the bar and, after circling around, went to the bar’s surveillance room.
The music bar was co-owned by Director Locke and a few others, although publicly known, many weren’t aware of Director Locke’s behind-the-scenes stake.
Once at the surveillance room, Director Locke instructed to have the surveillance for one private room and the area adjacent to it monitored, keeping an eye on everyone inside.
He chose this particular music bar because it was ripe for opportunists to create chances.
Locke didn’t want to keep being passive, daily falling into traps. Instead, he’d rather take the initiative, provide an opportunity for the opponent, and catch them in the act.