"Who?" Manager An asked.
"Lyra?" It was Elisa who answered. "She always does things on her own and acts like you're the cause of it."
She remembered that one time when Lyra intentionally bump it Viviana's shoulder and spilled her drink on herself and out of nowhere said,
"It's okay Sister Vivi. I'm sure you didn't mean it."
She was always ready to perform such stunts in front of a third person. Her words and actions always suggested that she was being mistreated by Viviana.
"..."
Manager An didn't agree. Nor did she show any sign of disagreement.
Viviana and Lyra, both were under Agent Yan. And anyone who came across them could tell that they were as close as stepsisters.
A story is told through the eyes of the narrator. In the fairy tale, the narrator said that Cinderella was a pitiful beauty and her stepsisters, the vicious perpetrator who tormented her.
For Cinderella to be portrayed as the kind and pitiful beauty, her stepsister had to be vicious in the story.
Likewise, in the story created by Agent Yan, for Lyra to be Cinderella, Viviana was made to be the stepsister.
"If it's her then… Then there's no use in hoping the company will do something for you, Sister Vivi." Elisa breathed out in worry.
"Agent Yan is Director Yan's nephew and we all know what is going on between him, Director Yan and Lyra."
The attention Viviana was receiving now was a coin which had two sides, a good side and a bad one. It's already bad judging the comments she was receiving at the moment from her haters and the fans of the two artists.
But the situation could be turned into a positive one if she uses the platform to show that she was not who the media was constantly claiming her to be.
And it would be best if she could cooperate with Madeline and end the feud between them. Or at least make the people believe that it had ended.
But Manager An knew that was a very hard dream to fulfil. Forget convincing Madeline to cooperate, her own artist became weird whenever the other actress's name was brought up.
The company knew this. Agent Yan knew this. More than anyone else. Yet they were still willing to throw their own artist into the dungeon full of venomous snakes.
'They are really trying to ruin her.' Manager An added in her mind.
Seeing Viviana who was unfazed as always, she had multiple questions in her mind. The actress was barely an adult in this modern world. Only 24. She wondered if the young woman was a newborn calf who feared nothing.
Or if the soul of an old turtle resided within her. The one who had seen enough to care for nothing and go on with life.
"Aren't you a bit worried at all?" She asked the actress.
"Who? Me?" Viviana pointed to herself.
'Then who else!!' the manager hollered at the heedless actress in her mind.
"What's there to worry about? It's not like it's the first time." Viviana said while refreshing the comment section.
"It doesn't matter if somebody is planning to end my career or ruin my life."
She threw in those words in such an offhand way that left her two companions feeling uncomfortable.
There was a tightness in their heart. Swallowing a breath took an effort, as if something was stuck in their throat. There was pain. There was misery. Pity. And guilt… And so was reflection.
Pain in witnessing someone who had the whole world against her, ready to push her into hell. No. Maybe she was already in hell. Misery that they had nothing they could do to help her.
Pity for her and for themselves. For the life they had to walk were the powerful hands pointed. Guilt that they were one of those who saw her as a woman with no morality. Thinking they knew her even before they met her.
Reflection that someday, they might be another Viviana.
'Aren't I already one?' Manager An pondered.
An Mey before her marriage was a bright and ambitious woman. She aspired to be an Agent who brings up successful artists. Be a guide for them in this world filled with darkness.
But she was too naïve. She turned off her light and walked on the narrow path, putting her trust in someone else's light. Who would have thought that the light would suddenly disappear! She fell off the path, into the darkness.
But she was different from Viviana. She can't give up yet. She had her child. In order for her child to not fall into this darkness, she had to walk in the darkness and guide her. Even if she had lost her own light.
Viviana's unfeeling comment on her own life had left the room heavy. Yet it was also her who broke the silence.
"You know what, Manager An?" With her eyes still on her phone she conveyed. "You… might be right."
"…"
The manager was left in confusion for a few seconds
"About what?" She queried.
"About Madeline Wells having a grudge on me."
An Mey was puzzled at why the stubborn bull of a young lady would concede so willingly and out of nowhere too.
"Why do you say so?" She questioned.
"Well… It's Madeline… She_"
Viviana had just started to explain when a cry came from Elisa who had been a mute all this time.
"Oh My God!! Madeline Wells has withdrawn from the Happy Trip Together."
She skipped to An Mey and showed her the phone. It was a post which had been put up not too long ago. It had been merely 8 minutes.
[Happy_Trip_Together: We are here to inform our viewers and fans that our companion @ Madeline_Wells will not be joining us in our trip due to a disturbance in schedule. We had great fun in your company. Hope we will enjoy such trips together again. (^o^)]
[Madeline_Wells: @Happy_Trip_Together:We are here to inform our viewers and fans that our companion …. (^o^)]_Those were stress free and joyful trips. I've learned many things about my own country and my own people that I hadn't known before. Got to meet wonderful people which I would've never had a chance to meet. Overall I had a lot of fun throughout the trips with all my companions that I forgot that there were cameras following us.
Thank You HTT, for giving me the opportunity to experience all of these. Hope I have a chance to experience such wonderful trips together again.]