Chapter 295
The prop master said, “She gave me fifty thousand bucks to mess with the rigging on the wires p>
Then he turned around, looking pitiful, and pulled out a bank card from his pocket, handing it to Lisette Cavendish. “I admit it. I got greedy and threw away my ethics for fifty grand. I screwed up… I was too scared to spend a single cent of it, though. It’s all still in this card p>
“I’ll give the money back, just please, let me go. I promise I’ll never do something like this again p>
His voice trembled as he pleaded, punctuated by the thudding sound of him knocking his head against the floor. Honestly, he looked pretty sincere.
If his so-called “mastermind” hadn’t been Victoria Cooper, Lisette might have let him carry on with this little act.
But nah. That’s not happening.
Because it’s Victoria Cooper we’re talking about!
Lisette had admired Victoria’s character for ages. A woman completely devoted to her craft, someone who treats acting with the utmost respect, and avoids even the smallest scandal. There’s no way she’d stoop to something this vile.
Glancing at the card in her hand, Lisette turned to her. “Do you have anything to say for yourself p>
Victoria remained as icy as ever. “I didn’t do it. And if I did have fifty thousand bucks, you really think I’d blow it on something this ridiculous?””I trust you p>
Lisette Cavendish’s voice was firm.
Victoria Cooper was momentarily speechless.
She wasn’t good at explaining herself, nor had she provided any concrete evidence. Yet, Lisette chose to believe her without hesitation.
For a moment, a warmth seeped into Victoria’s otherwise icy demeanor—a faint sense of gratitude.
The prop master looked incredulous. “She just says some random words, and you immediately buy it p>
Lisette tilted her head with a sharp smirk. “Yeah, I do. Got a problem with that p>
“The five grand is in my account!” he retorted.
“And? So what?” Lisette’s eyes narrowed. “Sure, there’s five thousand in your account, but do you have proof it’s from Victoria Cooper? Like, I don’t know, a recording of her telling you what to do? Or maybe a video of her handing you the cash p>
The prop master stammered, “When she gave me the money, I—I was too nervous to think of filming something like that p>
“Then no evidence means nothing connects her to this,” she said flatly.
“But she has the most motive!” His tone grew desperate as he tried harder to sound convincing. “She was the third female lead! When Grace Coleman quit, Victoria got bumped to second lead. If Gabriel Knight is out of action, she’d become the first lead! She stands to gain the most!”Lisette Cavendish gave a cold smile. “Right, because she has a motive, she’s the first to be suspected when Gabriel Knight gets hurt. If she really did it, wouldn’t that be practically handing herself a death sentence p>
“This p>
The props master stammered, sweat already forming on his forehead as he struggled to respond to her sharp questioning. In the end, all he could do was force out, “It’s her! She did it p>
“Whether it was her or not, you and I both know the answer p>
Velton King, clearly having sized up the situation, gave a calm order. “Make him talk p>
“Yes, sir p>
Two bodyguards stepped forward. They were tall and imposing, their presence like a dark shadow swallowing the props master alive.
He stammered, trembling, “W-what are you going to do p>
“To hear the truth p>
“I-I already told you the truth p>
“You’d better stick to it p>
The props master, overwhelmed by fear, couldn’t hold his ground against the bodyguards’ ice-cold expressions. As he tried to scream or resist, the two men knocked him unconscious and dragged him out in one swift motion. Their efficiency spoke volumes that this wasn’t their first time handling such matters.
Victoria Cooper glanced at the scene, then nonchalantly shifted her gaze away. “How’s Gabriel’s injury?” she asked Lisette.
“He’s still unconscious p>
“Why do you trust me?”As the prop master said, she seemed like the most likely suspect. With a witness pointing fingers, the suspicion wasn’t entirely baseless.
Lisette Cavendish stated firmly, “I don’t need a reason. Victoria, if you wanted to be the lead actress, you’d prove it with your acting skills. I know you’re above playing such dirty games. That guy must’ve taken someone else’s bribe and is trying to frame you p>
Her words seemed to float into Victoria Cooper’s heart like a soft feather, lightly brushing against her emotions and stirring something deep inside her.
There was a slight tremor in her voice as she replied, “Thank you p>
Lisette added, “Do your best in your role. That’s the best way you can show me your trust p>
Victoria nodded earnestly. “I won’t let you down p>
Lisette smiled, stood up, and extended her hand. “I’m one hundred percent sure you’ve got this p>
Victoria blinked at the pale, outstretched hand, pausing for a moment before finally taking it in a light shake.
She had arrived with a heaviness, an icy exterior weighing her down.
But as she left, some of that chill seemed to melt away, replaced by a faint warmth.
Scarlett Graham tousled Lisette’s hair playfully. “There you go, charming another one p>
She started ticking names off on her fingers. “Justin Brooks, Owen Scott, Gabriel Knight, Dominic Hamilton… and now Victoria Cooper. Honey, you’ve got your hands full!”Lisette Cavendish adored Victoria Cooper and hoped she’d join her team someday. Still, whether or not that ever happened didn’t really matter much—Victoria was already her idol. Even if they didn’t end up working together, Lisette had long considered her a friend.
If anything similar happened in the future, Lisette knew she wouldn’t hesitate to step in and help again.
Lisette chuckled. “Scarlett, why don’t you come work for me too? I promise VIP treatment all the way p>
Scarlett Graham instantly shot her down. “I’d rather play the role of your father p>
By the time Gabriel Knight woke up, it was already evening.
When he fell, he shielded his head with his arm, but both his arms and legs sustained varying degrees of injury.
After checking his condition thoroughly, the doctor explained, “It’s fortunate your head wasn’t impacted, but you’ve got a broken arm and extensive abrasions on both legs. You’ll need at least a month of bed rest p>
Gabriel frowned.
A month of rest meant all his scenes would have to be pushed back. In filming, timing was everything, and even a single day’s delay was costly. A whole month? That was a fortune flying out the window.
He shook his head. “No, I’ll rest today, but tomorrow p>
“Tomorrow, what exactly?”Lisette interrupted him and turned to Amber. “Keep an eye on him for me. The doctor said he can only go back to work when he’s cleared. If he checks out even a minute early, you’re packing your things, got it p>
No way she was going to risk Gabriel’s health just to save a bit of money. That wasn’t her style.
Gabriel pressed his lips together, his emotions in turmoil. His body had endured the pain of falling from such a height—pain so intense he passed out—and he hadn’t made a single complaint. But now, hearing Lisette stand up for him so fiercely, his eyes reddened. “I’m sorry. I should’ve been more careful p>
“You were hurt through no fault of your own. There’s someone else who owes an apology for all of this p>
Just as her words landed, Lisette’s phone buzzed to life. Wade’s voice came through. “Miss, he confessed. The one behind this is p>