Chapter 37: Rape
“Lilian I’m sorry but there’s nothing I can do to help you, we’ve endured enough” Director Jay let out, sitting on his chair.
“But.. there’s something you should be able to do about it, you’re the director.. can’t you just talk to him? I promise to be on my best behavior now” She pleaded and Jay rubbed his jaws.
“I can try to convince them if I get a little motivation… you do understand right?” He trailed and she smiled broadly.
“I’ll do anything to please you, I can start here. Just help me” Lilian pleaded, playing with the buttons of her shirt.
She walked to the director seductively, she held his tie and made him stand up, she sat on the chair, her buttons undone and he attacked her, kissing her hungrily as he cupped her breasts.
An actress barged inside and took out her phone, she began videoing as Jay detached from her immediately.
“Rapists! You tried to force yourself on me!” Lilian screamed, feigning tears as she covered her body.
“What! You bitch, you came here so I can help you get your roll back” Jay defended and Lilian gasped, increasing her tears.
“Why would I stoop so low to sleep with you to get roles? I’m a well known actress, losing a role doesn’t mean I have to have sex with you to get back. Oh now I get it, you made Thomas take me out of the movie just so you can try to sleep with me! You’re such a shameless director” Lilian retorted.
“Please don’t post that video, stop recording!” Jay pleaded.
“No, record it and send it to social media, let everyone see how these directors treat hard working actresses like me. How would a new actress achieve a lot in this kind of situation if she doesn’t sleep with them?” She demanded, shading Isabelle.
A small crowd had been gathered outside and everybody took out their phones as they watched the unfolding drama.
“Shut up you bitch”
“No you shut up, I told you that Lilian can’t have sex with you but you didn’t listen now you’ve met your doom, she isn’t like any cheap slut who is desperate for roles, we she would work hard to achieve anything she has and she would always be a good role model to the upcoming, but you are a terrible man and a disgrace to the industry” Lilian’s new manager, Zena insulted as she began a live video.
“I feel traumatized and sad, I never expected this from you, I trusted you, I thought you had something good to say. I’m so disappointed” Lilian said slowly, choking on a sob.
“I’ll make sure you get punished for what you’ve done, do you know how terrible she would be feeling inside? What if no one came to her rescue and you had succeeded, she would be maimed for life” Zena ranted as she led Lilian out.
News spread like wildfire and soon fans of Lilian who were popularly called the lilies were demanding that Jay get sued and he was suspended.
Lilies didn’t stop at that, they began attacking Thomas, demanding why he would remove Lilian from the movie.
Netizens set the internet ablaze when Lilies began attacking Isabelle and saying she was the one who made Thomas remove Lilian.
They dragged her endlessly, reporting her accounts and laying curses on her pictures.
News flew by and Zena made things worse by saying Lilian was traumatized and might be going to the hospital so she could get over the shock.
“These people are absurd, how would they blame me for what’s happening to Lilian, I feel that bitch is only pretending just to get sympathy” Isabelle fumed and Lettice frowned.
“I know what Zena is trying to do and I wouldn’t let this slide…” Lettice was saying when Isabelle gasped.
“Zena is Lilian’s new manager and Lilian is now under the same studio with us, that’s why I’m jealous and looking for ways to ruin her career… These blogs are insane and stupid, they have nothing good to say other than trash, I’ll make sure to take these blogs down!” She ranted and Lilian snatched the phone, reading the news hurriedly.
She placed a call to one of the board members to confirm if it was true and was shocked that nobody ever said anything.
“I think they’ve planned this for a very long time. They’ve done all these right under our nose, there’s nothing we can do about it but to hope that the truth comes out” Lettice replied, reading comments.
“I’ll be during Lilian for false accusations, I’m sick and tired of her foolishness” Thomas ranted, entering inside with Aurora.
“Y’all should ignore her, don’t give her the attention she’s seeking. When everything has died down we can then start” Lettice advised.
“Jay has been suspended till further notice and they’re planning on delaying the production of this movie” He announced and they shouted.
“I’ve had enough already! If Lilian wants me, let her come at me directly rather than cutting through corners” Isabelle fumed, thoughts of how to get back at Lilian racing in her mind.
“I have to go now, I’ll see y’all later” Lettice excused while Isabelle also excused herself and left.
She felt happy for Aurora because it seemed like she had found her own love.
Alessandro was enraged with the terrible comments he had read about her and wondered why they hated her so much.
“What would you do about Lilian?”
“Oh, nothing. Just watch her make a wrong move and use it against her” She replied tiredly and he nodded.
“Isn’t that kinda stressful? Do you think she’s gonna make any mistake, she’ll be very careful now” Alessandro muttered.
Isabelle woke up late, tired and not willing to go out, she checked her phone and was shocked to see several missed calls from Lettice.
“Hello?”
“Isabelle, thank goodness you picked your call. I’ve been trying to reach you. There’s a big problem, Zena and you would be having an interview..”
“What! No I don’t want that, I’m not attending the interview” Isabelle retorted.
“Listen to me! The company insists that you go or else you can forget about acting. We have no option, the interview is in the next 2 hours, get yourself together and take your phone. If you’re asked any question that’s beyond you then just smile and say you have no idea. Isabelle please don’t act on impulse, think before you say anything… please” Lettice pleaded and Isabelle dropped her phone angrily.
Filled with rage, she went to take her bath and within 40 minutes she was downstairs, her father who was busy didn’t glance at her and she hissed angrily when Andrea looked at her.
She entered her car and Alessandro drove to where they interview was to be.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.
She wasn’t shocked to see Zena there already and narrated the story to a few listeners.
She paused when she saw Isabelle.
“Isabelle, I didn’t see you there, how are you dear?” Zena asked and Isabelle frowned, hissed and walked out.
“I wonder why she’s so angry, I’m not the one who asked for the interview” Zena muttered.
The host of the interview, Riley announced that the interview would begin in the next few minutes, they all took their places and the interview began.
“Thank you so much for honoring the invitation even if it’s on a very short notice” Riley appreciated and Zena smiled broadly.
“There’s no need to thank us, we chose this life and we would honor our fans anyway, anytime” Zena replied while looking at Isabelle who didn’t utter a word.
“I can see that Isabelle doesn’t seem in a good mood today and I’ll like to make this meeting as brief as possible, Isabelle is it true that Jay the director of Thomas’s new movie tried to rape Lilian?” Riley questioned.
“Are you seriously asking me this?… We both act in the same movie doesn’t mean I would always be around her, even if we are chanced to be at the same place for sometime, I can’t be trailing her because last I remembered, I have lots of meaningful thing to do not coming online to create scandals and get sympathy from people” Isabelle replied and Riley smiled nervously.
“Zena, can you tell me about the rape story?”
“Yes… This isn’t what I would wish even for my worst enemies. Thomas had removed Lilian from the movie for reasons best known to him. Even after cutting her roles. Jay had asked her to see him before leaving and being someone who didn’t like being disrespectful, she went. She found it absurd that he was offering her her role back and that was only if she slept with him. He lured her to his side by saying she should come check out a document and when she was at his grasp, he tried to have his way but luckily someone caught him” Zena narrated and Isabelle cocked her brows.
“Your story sounds far-fetched,” Isabelle muttered.
“What do you mean!”
“Isabelle, lots of people are speculating that you made Thomas throw Lilian out of the movie because you felt uncomfortable that lots of directors referred to her and she was a threat to your position…”
“Lilian was never a threat to my position whatsoever. If they wanted her in the first place, they would have contacted her even before she was recommended and about being uncomfortable. I can’t deny that Lilian and I aren’t good friends but rather than try something like that, I’ll drop the movie and go for something else” Isabelle answered with contempt.
“I think Isabelle here is trying to control her anger, don’t try to fake it. Everyone is aware that you hate Lilian. You’ve always been Thomas and Chris so we can’t tell whether you’ve instructed him to take her out” Zena shaded and Isabelle scoffed.
“When I’m out with my friends, I talk about much more important things, I don’t have time to waste on dumb things” Isabelle retorted.
“There have been several questions, would you get married to Andrea? Or Chris is the new guy?”
“My personal relationship has nothing to do with the public and I’ll keep them private” She replied.
“You want to keep them private yet you parade yourself around kissing Chris and release news of getting married to Andrea, Lady decide what you want” Zena shaded.
“I’m tired of having you throw shades at me, I’m outta here…” Isabelle replied, took her bag and walked out angrily.