âGiselle, we suspect youâre involved in a premeditated assault. You need to come with us,â the officer said firmly, as he motioned for her to follow.
Giselle was dumbfounded. She couldnât believe that Balfour had actually called the cops. on her. It seemed they had been lying in wait, ready to spring into action at a momentâs notice.
âGet off me! Who the hell do you think you are, cuffing me like this? I didnât do anything! Why are you arresting me? The real culprit is that woman, Ivy!â Giselleâs voice was filled with desperation as she struggled against the officerâs grip.
Balfour watched impassively as the officers led the resisting Giselle away. To the well-trained officers, her struggles were inconsequential.
The rest of the crew stood in shock, unable to process the turn of events. They had assumed Mr.
Howard would handle the situation quietly within the film crew, considering he was one of the investors.
After all, any scandal could tarnish the movieâs reputation.
âDid you guys hear what the officers said? They suspect Giselleâs involvement in the assault!â The whispers spread among the crew, laced with a tinge of fear for Balfourâs decisiveness.
âThat must mean the police already had evidence against Giselle. They were just waiting for Mr.
Howardâs go-ahead,â someone speculated.
âI canât believe Giselle would do such a thing. And to think, she had the nerve to frame Ivy,â another chimed in with a shake of the head. âSheâs cunning.â
âIvyâs no simpleton, either. Didnât you notice Balfourâs got her back? Sheâs got Mr. Howardâs support!â a crew member said, barely concealing his envy.
âBut even with Mr. Howardâs support, Ivy still got dragged through the mud. We all thought she was guilty. We owe her an apology,â one of the more sympathetic crew members pointed out.
The groupâs eyes turned to Ivy, who still stood aside quietly. Even with the truth revealed, she showed no signs of elation.
âYou go apologize if you want. Why would she need our sympathy? Look at the difference between our paychecks!â retorted another, parting ways with a clear divide in opinion.
Ivy hadnât expected her ordeal to cause such a rift. She glanced at Balfour, who seemed to have everything under control, and it dawned on her that perhaps this was his plan all along.
It was odd how he had shown up at the set out of the blue.
If that was the case, maybe Giselleâs claims werenât entirely false. Maybe those clothes 09:21 werenât put in the tote bag by her after all.
When had Balfour orchestrated this whole scheme?
Ivyâs mind raced back to the day before when she accidentally saw Balfour and Giselle together. Later, Balfourâs blazer was found at Giselleâs place.
Had Balfour gone to Giselleâs home last night to look for evidence on her behalf?
Ivy wasnât sure about her suspicions, and she decided to ask him later.
At that moment, Colton hurried back to the set. He approached Balfour. Before Balfour could speak, Colton assured him that such an incident wouldnât happen again.
âJust make sure it doesnât,â Balfour replied coolly. âAs the director, thatâs your responsibility, too.â
Colton wiped the sweat from his brow. Every time he faced Balfour, the weight of the world seemed to bear down on him.