Twisted Ties of Love

Chapter 356

Faced with a barrage of questions from reporters, Harper responded calmly, "The script I revised on the 6th was sent to Izabella's agent right after."

"Do you have a record?"

"Of course." Harper pulled out his phone, scrolled for a bit, then showed the screen to one of the cameras, "See?"

The displayed email was sent on the 6th, and that wasn't all; Harper had sent it three times, even on the 7th.

Harper explained, "I sent it again on the 7th because I was worried she wouldn't receive the script, and the recipient file was acknowledged. I don't think her agent would screw over their own client, right?"

"Why didn't you send it directly to Izabella but instead to her agent?"

At the side, Ariana was pale, surreptitiously wiping her eyes before leaning on Harper's shoulder, "You guys are aware of the situation between her and me, right? Izabella used underhanded methods to snatch the role from me; we're not even on speaking terms."

Ariana, known for her frankness, spoke her mind. Fans see her as authentic, bold, and unafraid.

Reporters around her nodded in agreement. Ariana had passed the auditions and was about to sign the contract when her spot was taken. Anyone would feel aggrieved in her position.

No one knew how the "Here Comes the Superstars" team went about their casting and grouping, but they put Izabella and Ariana on the same team. This only added to the hype; the show was on fire before it even aired.

A reporter asked, "Did you notify Izabella about rehearsals?"

"Yes, but she refused them all." Ariana said, "I guess Miss Izabella must be pretty confident, so confident that she doesn't need a rehearsal or script reading. But I never thought she'd use that confidence in such shady ways. If it weren't for Harper having evidence of sending her the script, we'd be the ones being blamed."

"So you guys never went over the script together?"

Ariana looked at the reporter impatiently, doubting his hearing as she had already clearly stated the situation, yet he was still asking.

She did go over the script with Izabella, but it was Izabella who initiated it. However, that was through a burner account that's now deactivated, so revealing it now would be useless.

Anyway, their script reading session wasn't witnessed by anyone, nor were there any cameras. She wasn't worried that Izabella would find any evidence.

"No, it was her choice not to." Ariana said flatly.

"Oh?" The reporter seemed thoughtful as he retreated, allowing others to step forward.

Harper felt a sense of unease, fearing trouble. He looked at Ariana anxiously and whispered, "When will this press conference end, Ariana?"

Unaware of any abnormalities, Ariana looked at Harper's cautious face impatiently, "Why are you so squeamish? We still have to promote our variety show later. Didn't your agent tell you we need to stir up some drama?"

"He did."

"Then just go with it for now."

Harper's expression became noticeably heavy and filled with disappointment. He genuinely liked Ariana and wanted to pursue her, not fake a relationship for the sake of publicity.

But since it had come to this, he had no choice but to go along with it. Otherwise, they would end up in an awkward situation on camera and expose the truth.

Their hushed conversation gave off an intimate vibe.

"Ariana, can you share your upcoming schedule?" A reporter asked.

Ariana responded with a smile, her complexion much better, "Harper and I have been invited to a variety show recently."

"Can you reveal which one?"

"I'm afraid that will have to wait for the official announcement." Ariana replied coyly, her hand entwined with Harper's.

Harper looked at her affectionately, even reaching to adjust her hair.

Though they didn't explicitly reveal anything, recent online rumors suggested that a popular dating variety show had invited Ariana and Harper, capitalizing on their relationship publicity and their current popularity.

"Will you continue filming 'Here Comes the Superstars'?" The reporter asked.

"'Here Comes the Superstars' contracts are term-based. If the show doesn't resolve this issue, neither Harper nor I will continue. No one likes to work with a scandal-ridden artist. Besides, I'm a jealous person, and I'm afraid she might fall for my Harper."

Harper frowned slightly at the last comment, a subtle change that was caught on camera, giving the impression of distress.

This led to wild speculations. Did Izabella try to seduce Harper? Did they develop feelings because of the show?

Ariana's personal and financial interests were threatened, so it's no wonder she holds such animosity towards Izabella. Anyone else might have started a fight by now.

But in reality, Harper just didn't agree with Ariana's drastic approach, let alone involving him. Content rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.

He wondered secretly. Was this too much?

Fans watching the live stream started flooding the comment section, mostly about Ariana and Harper's romance.

Fans were going wild, commenting so much that it was hard to see the screen.

"Wow, I didn't expect Ariana to have this side, from a carefree girl to such a gentle one."

"Harper's gaze is so adoring; I believe their relationship is real!"

"I unilaterally declare them married on the spot."

"I can stay single, but the love I believe in must be sweet."

"I'd trade my best friend's lifetime of singledom for Ariana and Harper's marriage."

"At first, I thought they were just stirring up a publicity stunt. I didn't expect them to be so sweet in reality. Seeing Ariana holding Harper's hand the whole time, they must be real. They're so cute and perfect together."

"They're definitely head over heels for each other. Harper's totally into Ariana; I mean, it's written all over his face."

The livestream was bombarded with gifts; its popularity skyrocketing to the top. Their videos were being shared everywhere.

And then came the internet shitstorm against Izabella. You could literally say anything bad about Izabella, even just casually throw a shade, and you'd be guaranteed a bunch of likes and comments.

It might not mean much, but there's this weird sense of vanity in being acknowledged by others.

Some peeps were like, "I strongly suspect Izabella's got some big shots backing her up. She's got so much dirt on her but she's still living it up in the showbiz world."

"Izabella is a total witch; I can't stand the sight of her. People used to praise her for her looks, but she's obviously had work done!"

And then someone mentioned, "From what Ariana said, it seems like Izabella was trying to make a move on Harper. Thank god, Harper only deals with her manager. Otherwise, I'd be worried about that foxy face of Izabella's."

"Don't overthink it. Harper only has eyes for Ariana. Just look at them, all lovey-dovey. Izabella doesn't stand a chance."

"We should totally crack down on scandalous celebs. Let me give you a heads-up, Izabella's been linked to over twenty male celebs. Hell, she's a time management guru! And that's not even counting those exposed directly; Izabella just hopped from a bed with a director to a scandal with another male celeb."

"Izabella should just get the hell out of showbiz."

"She even had the audacity to secretly change the script..."

Within half an hour, Ariana jumped from fifteenth to the top ten on the female star list.

Harper, usually focused on acting and pretty chill, had also entered the public eye.

As for Izabella, the one against them, she had been ripped to shreds. Not only by their fans but also by Kristin's fans, drama fans, and passersby.

Izabella's anti-fan base was expanding at an alarming rate. They were hiring trolls, dead set on chasing Izabella out of showbiz.

Other celebs being dragged might still have some fans struggling till the end, but for Izabella, it's just an endless stream of insults.

Izabella truly felt the power of the internet. Even if she didn't do anything, these people still despised her.

Izabella listened to the livestream while scrolling through the comments, her face expressionless. Now she kinda hoped that Graham and his agency would kick her while she was down so she could fight back.

She checked the time on her phone; half an hour had passed, and it was time for her to make a move.

Just as Ariana was basking in the limelight with Harper in front of the media, a red, eye-catching comment slowly drifted from right to left.

"Everyone check the trending search; there's a video and recording of Ariana, Harper, and Izabella; go see for yourselves!"

Ariana was still answering the journalist's question, oblivious to the commotion in the livestream.

"What video?"

"Is it Izabella trying to seduce Harper and getting caught by Ariana on the spot?"

"Whoa, this is getting spicy."

"The tables have totally turned."

"Ariana had the nerve to lie straight-faced in front of so many people; she's really something."

Ariana suddenly felt something was off; the reporters who were originally sneakily checking their phones are now openly scrolling, their expressions weird, completely ignoring the scene.

"What's going on? Why is everyone looking at their phones?" Ariana asked.

Harper was also puzzled, and the unease in his heart was growing stronger. He took out his phone and opened the livestream. Seeing the messages and comments, he asked Ariana, "Ariana, did you prepare some sort of video? I see fans saying that someone released a video and recording."

"What do you mean? I didn’t prepare any video..." Ariana's words had just fallen when a news notification popped up on her phone.

Ariana clicked it open and immediately went pale, her body turning cold.

A journalist leaked a video on a social media platform.

The video also had a timestamp; it was from the 8th, when Izabella invited Ariana and Harper to the rehearsal room to practice lines.