Scandal Season

The next morning, Isabella was woken by the sharp vibration of her phone.

Still half-asleep, she fumbled across the bedside table and answered the call without even checking the screen.

A second later, a furious voice exploded through the speaker.

“Isabella!!! You’ve really outdone yourself this time!!! I’ve been warning you from the very beginning to be careful with your words and actions, to stop embarrassing the company but look at you now! The entire company has lost face because of you!”

Her eyes snapped open.

“What happened?” she asked, instantly alert.

Lilian’s voice turned even colder. “Go check your I*******m.”

Isabella pushed herself out of bed and hurried to her laptop, logging into her account.

The moment the page loaded..

She froze.

Her notifications had completely exploded.

Normally, most actors had their social media handled by their management teams. Isabella, of course, didn’t have that luxury. She hadn’t bought followers or run any campaigns. Her I*******m barely had a little over thirty thousand followers, nothing compared to even a mid-tier influencer.

She usually posted small snippets of her daily life. A few likes. A few comments. Nothing major.

But now

Thousands.

Tens of thousands.

Mentions. Comments. Tags.

All flooding overnight.

Her fingers moved quickly as she scrolled, skimming through the chaos. It didn’t take long for her to piece everything together.

Her reputation had been dragged through the mud.

Completely.

And mercilessly.

Sometime in the middle of the night, a well-known tabloid blogger had posted a long exposé.

“The Rise of a Scheming Woman: Isabella Hartley–A New Level of Shameless.”

The content was vicious.

It accused her of sleeping with the director to land her role. Of seducing wealthy older men for money and gifts. Of deliberately getting close to Jason during filming for attention and advantage.

It even claimed that her dressing room door was always left open, that anyone could walk in at any time.

The implication was clear.

Cruel.

Disgusting.

It painted her as someone with no boundaries. No dignity.

No shame.

Jason’s fans had exploded.

They flooded every comment section, demanding that the production remove her immediately.

Under her latest post, the comments were unbearable.

“Isabella, get out of the entertainment industry!”

“Shameless woman!”

“Stay away from Jason!”

Her screen blurred for a second.

Then….

“Have you seen enough?” Lilian snapped. “Post a public apology immediately. Restore the company’s image!”

Isabella let out a quiet scoff.

“An apology?”

Under normal circumstances, when an artist under contract faced something like this, the company would mobilize a PR team—clarify facts, control the narrative, protect their talent.

But Lilian?

This wasn’t damage control.

This was execution.

An apology would be the same as admitting everything.

“That’s right,” Lilian continued coldly. “I want it up before 8 p.m. A video would be best, it looks more sincere. If you don’t comply, you can wait to be removed from the cast. And when that happens, don’t expect the company to protect you.”

The call ended with a sharp click.

Isabella stared at the screen for a moment.

Then slowly lowered her phone.

Fully awake now.

She had expected something like this eventually.

But not this fast.

Vivienne hadn’t even waited.

And with Vanessa quietly fueling things behind the scenes, the situation had spiraled overnight.

A storm.

Sudden and violent.

Isabella exhaled slowly.

“…Good.”

Her eyes hardened.

“Let’s see how far you’re willing to go.”

She got out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

By the time she was done, her mind was clear.

Focused.

She sat in front of the mirror, opening her makeup kit.

Half an hour later—

She studied her reflection.

Her complexion looked pale. Slightly worn down. Fragile.

But still… soft.

Pitiful, even.

Perfect.

She nodded once, satisfied.

Just as she finished cleaning up, her phone rang again.

She glanced at the screen

And paused.

Alexander.

Her fingers hovered for a moment before she answered.

“…Good morning… Alex.”

“Are you okay?”

His voice was calm.

But there was something beneath it.

A quiet edge of concern.

Isabella let out a small breath.

“I’m okay. I’ll handle it. I’m a big girl.”

Silence.

Then

“Julian,” Alexander said, his voice turning colder, more decisive. “Get me the Director of Public Relations at Longster. Immediately.”

Isabella’s eyes widened.

“Alex!!....what are you doing?”

“Handling it,” he replied. Then, dryly, “What does it sound like? Planning a date?”

She rubbed her temples, half-laughing despite herself.

The last time he had “handled” something, he had quietly arranged for one of Longster’s top stylists to help her without telling her beforehand.

At least that time, no one had found out.

If he stepped in now…

It would be impossible to hide.

“Listen,” she said gently, “if I can’t handle something like this, how am I supposed to survive in this industry?”

A pause.

“Don’t you trust me?”

“The way you sound,” he replied quietly, “isn’t convincing.”

She softened her tone.

“I’m fine. Really. Let me handle this.”

Another pause.

Longer this time.

“…I’ll try,” he said at last. “But if this goes beyond what you can handle, you call me.”

Then, more firmly….

“Don’t push yourself. I’m here for you.”

Her lips curved slightly.

“I won’t. If it gets too much, I’ll come find you.”

“…Alright.”

A beat.

“Keep me updated.”

The line went dead.

Isabella stared at her phone for a moment longer.

Something warm and unfamiliar settled in her chest.

Then she shook it off.

Focus.

By the time she arrived at the filming location, chaos was already waiting.

The moment she stepped out

A crowd surged forward.

Fans.

Angry.

Hostile.

“She’s here! That shameless woman actually showed up!”

“Stay away from Jason!”

“Get out of this production!”

The shouting grew louder, harsher.

Security rushed in, barely holding the line as she moved forward.

Eggs.

Rotten vegetables.

Thrown without restraint.

The rest of the crew?

Watching.

Whispering.

Laughing.

Every stare felt like a blade.

Every word felt like poison.

For a split second, a memory surfaced

A famous actress.

Destroyed by rumors.

Driven to suicide.

Her note had only five words:

Gossip is a dreadful thing.

A sudden movement

A rock flew through the air.

Not toward her.

Toward Amy the makeup artist 

Isabella’s eyes sharpened instantly.

She moved without thinking.

Stepping in front

Blocking it.

Impact.

A sharp sting tore through her arm.

Blood followed immediately.

The crowd fell silent.

Even Amy stood frozen in shock.

Isabella lowered her arm slowly, her expression turning cold.

“If you want to make a scene,” she said, her voice cutting through the noise, “come at me.”

Her gaze swept across them.

“Don’t drag innocent people into it.”

“Stop pretending!”

“You’re just a shameless vixen!”

Her eyes hardened further.

“What makes someone ‘good’ or ‘bad’?” she asked calmly. “An anonymous post? Baseless accusations?”

She paused.

Then added, sharper

“You’re all fans, right? Then act like it. Your behavior reflects your idol. Don’t let yourselves be used and end up damaging his reputation instead.”

That hit.

Not all of them.

But enough.

“Wait… she has a point…”

“Who threw that rock?! We said no violence!”

“Yeah! We’re here for justice, not to ruin Jason’s name!”

The tension shifted just enough.

And Isabella used that moment to push through.

Inside, Director Phil immediately pulled her into the lounge.

“Bella, you’re here! Sit, sit!”

“I’m sorry for causing trouble…” she said, bowing slightly.

Phil waved it off quickly.

“This isn’t your fault. I know exactly what’s going on.”

His expression hardened.

“As for those rumors? Nonsense. I’ve seen your work. I know your character.”

She felt a quiet wave of relief.

“Thank you, Director.”

He studied her face.

“You look exhausted. Why don’t you take a few days off?”

“No,” she said immediately. “I want to keep working.”

She met his gaze firmly.

“I’ve already caused enough disruption. I won’t delay the production any further.”

Phil paused—

Then nodded.

“Alright. But if you reach your limit, you tell me.”

“I will.”

The moment she stepped out—

A hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a corner.

Jason.

His usually bright expression was dark, tense.

Even his blond hair seemed… dull.

“Are you okay?” he asked quickly, eyes scanning her arm.

“It’s nothing,” she replied lightly. “Already treated.”

His jaw tightened.

“I tried to post something—to shut my fans down—but Liam locked me out of my account.”

Isabella let out a relieved sigh.

“Good. At least Liam has some sense.”

Jason looked offended.

“I was trying to help you!”

“I know,” she said, softer now. “But right now, anything you do will only make things worse.”

Then her expression shifted.

“Listen carefully.”

He frowned slightly.

“What?”

“I’m going to act like a weak, innocent victim.”

He blinked.

“…You’re going to what?”

“Play along,” she continued calmly. “And don’t do anything reckless. If you mess this up, I will cut you off completely.”

Jason scratched his ear, still doubtful.

“You said… innocent?”

“Yes.”

He stared at her for a second.

Then smirked.

“Do you really think a tyrant like you can pull that off?”

Isabella didn’t hesitate.

“Get the fuck away from me.”