Chapter 222
“Does Dorian know this is illegal?”
Lila didn’t respond immediately. After a brief silence, she said, “I will find evidence. I’ll hold those people accountable for what they did today, one by one. You should check on your father. I need to head back to the company.”
Those people had gone so far as to break the law, so she couldn’t wait any longer.
“The place is crowded outside. I’ll take you out.”
After a moment, Terry furrowed his brow again. “The car is outside. We still need to get out of here, no matter what.”
She shook her head, not wanting to drag him into this. “I’ll manage. You don’t need to get involved. Who knows what those people might do?”
“We’re friends, so there’s no need to be polite with me,” he said, his tone firm. “Come on. Follow me. Let’s see who dares to touch me.”
Lila hesitated for a moment. She really had no better plan, and she couldn’t stay trapped here forever.
The Jones family wasn’t the biggest in Northridge, but they held some influence. As the only heir, Terry had a certain level of leverage. It would be safer to go with him for now.
“Stop hesitating. I’ll drop you off. Where’s safer? Your place or the
company?”Upon seeing that she didn’t respond, he became anxious and grabbed her, pulling her toward the exit.
“Let’s use the side door; it’s a bit less crowded,” Lila suggested.
As they neared the door, they stopped at a discreet spot.
Terry looked around, lowering his voice. “I’m worried those people will swarm in and block the way. Since you’re in a hospital gown, it’s better if you let your hair down and keep your head down a little. This way, we might be able to slip through unnoticed.”
She nodded. She didn’t want to face the reporters head-on.
The two of them walked out side by side, and the nearest person guarding the door glanced at them before looking away.
“Do you think we’ll catch anyone today?” one of the reporters muttered impatiently.
“I’m not sure,” another replied. “If her injuries are serious, she might not be discharged today.”
“I don’t get it. Dorian’s career isn’t going great, but he’s still a screen legend. He must have plenty of
around him. Why is he so fixated on Lila?”
“I disagree. Sure, he’s a screen legend, but Lila’s not bad either. Look at the rumors about her and Fletcher they’re clearly fake. Think about it-she’s just a young lady, yet she helped create a screen legend in five years.
“Can you do that? Only she knows how much she’s sacrificed. Do you really think she left Nexus Entertainment willingly?
“Signing with Magi Pictures and landing a project under the Joyce Group’s subsidiary Citrus Media-it’s not like people say she’s backed by a backer.”
The man chuckled bitterly. “What kind of backer would spend one or two billion on
a woman? I don’t believe those rumors about a backer.”
After saying that, the first person who had spoken fell silent. A
moment later, he added, “Society really is too harsh on women It’s like their success is considered a crime.”
“But can you be sure everything you said is true?” another person asked.
“No, but I don’t want to approach it with the worst assumptions about women. We’re entertainment reporters, not fake news reporters.”
After that, the conversation died.
Lila wanted to look back at them, but Terry quickly whispered, “Don’t look back. Keep moving. Someone’s watching us.”
Someone else called out as he spoke, “Isn’t that Lila in the hospital gown? Look at the white emerald bracelet on her wrist-doesn’t it look like hers?”
The remark caught the attention of the reporters around them, and as they studied her closely, they realized her height and build matched that of Lila’s.
Someone in the crowd shouted, “It’s Lila! She’s got an injury on her forehead today, too!”
The shout rang out, and the cameraman immediately chased after her, with the rest of the group following suit, eager to catch up.
“Let’s go!” Terry said quickly. “The car is over there. Here. Take the car keys. Drive by yourself. I’ll hold them off for you.”