Chapter 276: I’ll Always Be There For You
Lucas couldn’t believe that the meek and mild mannered Brooke had it in her to threaten someone. Not just anyone, Damien of all people.
"Oh? And what makes you think you can touch me? In case you didn’t know this, I’m the number one actor in this country, you’re lucky you get to breathe the same air as me." He lashed out, still highly offended over her words.
But Brooke threw all caution to the wind. "I am not making a joke. You know what I’m talking about all too well. Do you really think that I’m not capable of making your life difficult? Especially with the name backing me up?"
Lucas and Damien knew exactly who she was talking about. The Grayson family.
"You think I’m afraid of them-"
"I know you are." She corrected him. Frankly speaking, she was too, Thane’s family was not one to make an enemy out of. Thankfully, she had Thane to back her up.
She rephrased her earlier claim, "In plainer words, Damien. If you drop out and cause any more problems for me, I’ll make it so that every single movie you’re in, has the Grayson name as a sponsor. Every single lead role you’re given, will be determined by me. If I say the word you won’t get anymore work, and you know I’m not bluffing."
"Brooke, you’re taking this too far!" Lucas protested, but she stood her ground.
"I wouldn’t do this if I wasn’t desperate." She turned to Damien, "I’m not asking you for much, all I want is that you hold off dropping out until all hope is finally lost. Once there’s no salvaging this movie, I’ll leave this film by myself, before it ruins any of your reputation." she promised, her eyes laced with fierce determination.
Damien bit back a slur. Not only did this woman pretend to be a pushover, but she also was somewhat worse than Cassie. At least, Cassie was talentless with no real backing, but this vile woman had one of the most influential families at her beck and call.
"You have some nerve. Do as you please, I can’t wait to see how this plays out." He said, then left to his hotel room, to wait out the crowd of people.
Once they were alone, Lucas passed Brooke a stern warning. "I told you before didn’t I? I don’t care if you’re involved with the Grayson heir, all I care about is the reputation of this movie. You’ve been told not to cause a scandal. Haven’t you?"
She inhaled sharply, "I know, and I am so sorry." She exhaled, "But please, just give me a chance to prove myself-"
Lucas cut her off. "Brooke, this is more than that, you’ve placed everyone’s careers at jeopardy. If you don’t care about yourself, at least care for Sadie. The poor woman couldn’t sleep all night worrying about you. She doesn’t even realize that she’s taking the most damage as the female lead of this movie."
Brooke’s chest tightened. She recalled seeing all of Sadie’s missed calls on her phone. She had completely neglected her, one of the only people who always stood by her.
"She already has a lot on her place, don’t let your ego ruin her even further." He warned, then left to the rest of his team, looking for how to handle the crowd outside.
It wasn’t until the police got involved that the crowd at the area was placed under control and finally made to disperse. Due to the sudden disruption, the filming schedule had to be changed again, causing the cast to have get another setback.
While the cast had dinner at the hotel’s banquet hall, Brooke went around looking for Sadie, but she couldn’t find her anywhere. During her search, she went outside and ran into Dylan who sounded to have just gotten off the phone with someone from the hospital.
"Hey." Brooke called out to him, she recalled what had happened earlier during the meeting and realized she hadn’t thanked him for speaking up for her.
Dylan made a noise, it sounded like a hmm sound, followed by a little nod.
Brooke walked closer, leaning against the pillar next to him. "Thank you, for speaking up for me earlier. And I’m sorry for causing another scandal. You must be tired of me and all my problems." She cracked a nervous chuckle.
"Yes, I am. You’ve gathered the most buzz online without even having shot a single scene. That’s a real impressive feat." The sarcasm in his tone was hard to miss.
"Ouch." She pushed her hair back, realizing that he was right. She hadn’t filmed a single scene, she had the lowest attendance on set, and she caused the most problems.
"I really am a problem magnet, aren’t I?"
She expected Dylan to nod but he said something else that left her stunned. "You might be clumsy and make mistakes, but you always get your shit together. Had you ran away from filming, I would’ve pegged you a good for nothing coward. But you stayed, and that alone is the most important."
Brooke was so moved she parted her lips to say something, but Dylan apparently wasn’t finished.
He went on, "Besides, you’re better than someone who must be so fucking glad you got into a scandal."
"What do you mean by that?" Someone was happy this happened to her? Who?
Dylan looked at Brooke from head to toe, he looked like he had something to say, but he ended up sighing. "It doesn’t matter much right now. Forget I ever said anything, it’s better that way." He said then turned to leave.
"Dylan." Brooke called out. He took a pause and looked over his shoulder, an expectant look on his face as to what she would say. He expected her to probe about who it was that benefited the most from her scandal.
But Brooke just smiled warmly at him and said, "If you ever need help, I’ll always be there for you."
Her kind smile and words caused the younger guy’s ears to redden. Just how shameless was this woman? How could a taken woman say something so provocative?!
He marched away without saying a single word, cursing himself for having his heart beat to something an elder sister would say a bungling kid brother.