Chapter 111 Used to Enduring Quietly

James thought, "If it's all the same, why don't you just take it?"

He grumbled to himself for a second but then shrugged it off. Emily hardly ever asked for favors, and it was just some cash. He had more than enough to go around.

"Alright," James agreed with a nod.

Emily: [Got some more money out of Mr. Smith. Score!]

Noticing how happy she was, James decided to let her calling him Mr. Smith slide this time.

Ella's sudden jump from a supporting role to the lead had everyone on set buzzing. People were whispering, speculating about her connections. Since David was always around her, rumors of something inappropriate between them spread like wildfire. Brian had told everyone to cut it out, but the gossip was too juicy to resist. Even after docking some paychecks, the rumors wouldn't die down.

Emily knew all about it but felt stuck. She couldn't just use her MindSweep on everyone. Even if she knew what they were thinking, she couldn't punish them for their thoughts.

While Emily was frustrated, David seemed to be having a good time with it. He thought the rumors might actually work in his favor. But he was confused by Ella's recent behavior. She'd been avoiding him, and when they did cross paths, she'd find an excuse to leave. On set, as soon as Brian yelled "cut," Ella would bolt without a word to David.

This was a total 180 from before. Ella used to come to him after every shoot to talk about her performance, and he'd help her rehearse.

Watching her walk away, David muttered, "What's going on?"

Emily: [What's going on? David, you idiot. It's the rumors. Don't forget, Ella still thinks she's Joshua's wife. Even if that's not true, even if you two were actually dating, she'd still be upset about the rumors that she got the lead role because of something inappropriate with you. Of course, she wants to avoid suspicion.]

Hearing Emily's thoughts, David finally got it. But then he frowned, realizing he had no clue how to fix it. He looked over at James.

James had also heard Emily's thoughts and was trying to figure out a solution. It seemed the best move was to neither confirm nor deny the rumors. He shook his head at David.

With James out of ideas, David turned to Emily. "Emily, the crew keeps talking about me and Ella. She hasn't spoken to me in days. Can you help me figure this out?"

Emily had a solution, but she wasn't about to give it away for free. She pretended it was tough. "David, people are going to talk. I can't stop them. You're putting me in a tough spot."

Emily: [No way I'm giving you the solution without some compensation.]

David got the hint. Emily wanted money. He quickly transferred his savings to her, feeling the pinch but knowing Ella was worth it. He could always save up again.

"Emily, I know it's not much, but this is all I have. I'm literally down to my last penny." To make his point, David turned his pockets inside out to show they were empty.

Seeing the money come in, Emily's eyes lit up. She coughed a few times and said, "I just thought of a way. You and Ella should have a public argument. At first, people will think you've fallen out, but if you argue a few more times, they'll start to doubt the rumors. Then, get a few people to steer the gossip in a different direction. As for meeting Ella, do it secretly."

Emily's plan wasn't perfect, but to David, it was a great idea. As someone who had been in the entertainment industry for years, he knew it could work. He was about to find Ella when Emily stopped him.

Emily looked at David with exasperation. "I just said to meet Ella secretly, and you're about to make a big scene?"

"What should I do, Emily?" David asked.

Emily wanted to kick him. How could someone be so dense? She pointed to her phone. "Text her. Ella hasn't blocked you, has she?"

David nodded in realization and reached for Emily's phone.

Emily slapped his hand away. "This is my phone. Use yours."

Emily: [Oh my God, someone save me. How can anyone be this dumb? James, how did you tolerate David for so long? If I were you, I'd have beaten this idiot to death by now.]

James chuckled from a distance, while David gave a sheepish smile in front of Emily.

David texted Ella, explaining the plan. Ella, who had finished her scenes for the day, was in her room, lost in thought. Seeing David's message, she hesitated. She felt that doing nothing and avoiding suspicion was the best course of action. She was used to enduring quietly.

So, Ella: [Let's not complicate things. Just leave it be.]

Because of the distance, Emily couldn't read Ella's thoughts. She assumed David and Ella had sorted things out and that David would be happy. But when David looked up, his expression was worse than before.

"What happened?" Emily asked, puzzled.

"Emily, Ella said no." David asked, "What do I do now, Emily?"

How could she refuse? Emily was confused. Ella liked David, and it was just a fake argument, not a real fight. There had to be something Emily didn't know. She decided not to jump to conclusions and reassured David before heading to Ella's place to get a closer read on her thoughts.