Tess quickly typed out a message to her fans in the chat group.

"It's fine. I don't want to embroil myself in anything disgraceful.

As long as there are dramas for me to shoot, that's enough.”

Once in a blue moon, Tess sent a message to her fans' chat group.

Rather than placate, her short message incited her loyal fans.

"Ah! Did Effie do something behind the scenes?"

“I knew it! How could Effie defeat Tess? She must have gotten the role by sleeping her way to the top. Shame on Effie!"

“Effie is a real bitch. How dare she steal her senior's role?"

Having been in the entertainment industry for years, Tess had gained an immense following of tens of millions. Her fans were well-known for being especially vociferous and were now focusing their ire on Effie. Abusive messages filled Effie's Twitter page. Those fans didn't spare Saul either. Since the general assumption was that Effie slept her way to the top, the obvious suspect was Saul, the producer.

They kept clamoring for the truth, demanding that Effie or Saul make an announcement to deny or accept their guilt.

The uproar on social media was so great that Saul had to make a post explaining that there was no bias in the choice of female lead. He stated that he and A Fond Dream had decided on the choice together.

But Tess' fans didn't believe such a simple explanation.

They believed that something major had to happen for anyone to be chosen over Tess. As they searched for the truth that would satisfy them, their attention turned to A Fond Dream.

"A Fond Dream? Was it possible that Effie hooked up with that mysterious author A Fond Dream?"

"It's quite possible. After all, Saul has a good reputation. Then it must mean that A Fond Dream did this. I really didn't expect the scriptwriter to turn out to be such a lascivious person. Does he really like Effie so much?"

"I want the scriptwriter to come out and speak."

"Tsk, tsk. I think A Fond Dream is an old man. I can't believe Effie could have sex with him. She is really something."

Several offensive comments were made against Effie and A Fond Dream.

Tess also read Saul's post, but like her fans, she didn't believe him. It was very likely that Effie had seduced the scriptwriter of the drama.

Humph! Tess was appalled that Effie would resort to sleeping with the scriptwriter to get the role of female lead. She wouldn't let her succeed, She paid for online trolls to ensure that the news of Effie sleeping her way to the top would become viral.

In the Phillips Group, Lilah had spent most of the afternoon focused on work and hadn't checked the news on social media. But when she finally took a break and perused her news feed, she was shocked at the news she saw.

Was this Tess’ doing? Surely she was not crazy enough to create such a huge uproar just because she didn't get the role?

Lilah's phone suddenly rang. It was Gerard calling her. "Lilah, would you like to go to the fashion show with me tonight?" he asked in lieu of a greeting. Lilah was about to refuse when Gerard added, "I heard that Effie will also participate."

"Okay." Lilah agreed immediately. This way she could talk to Effie about the rumors in person.