Chapter 205 - Two Hundred And Five: Sleep With Eden
The third point of view
"Hi everyone, you're welcomed to another episode of Inside Life" introduced Lily, the television presenter looking fabulous in her pink belted pegged pants and a floral crop top accompanied by high heels amid her tall height.
The show's theme song played in the background the moment they went live while the audience clapped.
"Today would be another exciting adventure with me as usual. As we all know, the much-anticipated movie 'finding paradise' has been causing a lot of waves on the internet and today I have with me two important cast members," the words flowed from her lips with ease as she stared straight at the camera with a smile and unintimidated.
She announced enthusiastically, "Join me and welcome, Lily and Maya!"
A round of applause went off alongside a brief welcoming song as Lily and Maya emerged from the backstage with all smiles and pinned by a spotlight.
Even without being instructed, Maya forced a smile and waved at the live studio audience.
They made use of a thrust stage, which means that the stage extended into the audience on three sides and was connected to the background area by its upstage end. Thus the audience could view them from a variety of perspectives.
"Welcome," Lily welcomed them with pecks on both cheeks which they reciprocated.
She gestured to them to sit on the plush white couch with both ladies directly facing her.
"I'm so excited to have you, two beautiful ladies, on my show tonight. I mean, look at you both, looking so wow" Lily flattered them causing a blush to stain Maya's cheeks while the audience giggled.
Just as Camille promised, she had inquired about the questions to expect and they were mild compared to what she had feared. So all her uneasiness vanished, though Maya still felt nervous since this was her first time participating in a television show.
"Thank you," she and Lisa replied at the same time as if choreographed.
They had both gone over the script with Lilly before coming on stage so they had to put a few of their acting skills to make the show interesting.
"Issac sure has a knack for adding a lot of eye candy to his movies. I can't wait for Finding Paradise to be out - I need to choose my husband " Lily joked, fanning her face with her hand which elicited laughter from the crowd- Maya included.
If there was one thing she noticed on the audition day, all auditioners were aesthetic facially, but the same couldn't be said for their attitude.
"So Maya, how do you feel with this ongoing movie project?" Lily asked her first which was surprising - Lisa was supposed to go first.
She glanced at Lisa's way with concern but the girl gestured to her to go on with a tilt of her head.
"Honestly," Maya began," All this feels surreal like I could wake up one morning only to discover it was a dream - which would seriously piss me off it were to be true"
A roar of laughter ensued.
Maya was surprised at the way she controlled the crowd, it seems she was in her element here.
"It's relatable, anyone in her shoe would feel that way. I once felt that way too," Lisa chimed in to which Maya didn't complain.
Lisa naturally enjoyed the attention so it was understandable she was uncomfortable with this new unplanned development.
"I'm kind of curious how you would be able to catch up with the scenes you missed during those weeks of absence judging from the fact your first scene was shot today," Lily asked again when it was obviously Lisa's turn.
"A-hem," Maya cleared her throat but it was done purposely to remind the strange forgetful presenter that the next question was supposed to have been thrown at Lisa.
"Just thinking about it gives me headaches but as you all know, I was involved in an unfortunate incident which left me with some broken libs, a concussion, and other injuries which required me going through surgery. I was advised by the medical practitioner to get enough bed rest and avoid strenuous activities which meant no shooting since my role involved a lot of action.
"But now, I'm good to go which means I have to cover up my missed shoots to meet up with the production team, I refuse to be the reason why the movie's delayed," Maya spoke sincerely.
"Yeah, we saw the news regarding the event and I have to say you're a fighter," Lily summarized while the audience clapped, cheering Maya.
Thankfully, Lisa was asked the next question while Maya made a little contribution after she was cued in by the presenter.
Maya frowned, wasn't Lily supposed to be the center of attention since the attention-seeking actress was the main lead while she had the supporting role? But the way things were going, it was almost as if the interview was reserved for her.
"So Maya," Lily started, glancing through her script, "As an upcoming actress, your career had been webbed in a series of scandals, do you think this movie would help reshape people's view on you?"
Maya licked her lips, this question was a tricky one which when not answered correctly might spark a scandal over her choice of words.
"You're right," she agreed with Lilly," Over the months, I've been termed a controversial actress which isn't favorable when making a career in this industry, and netizens tend to form their opinion based on what was fed to them by the media. So I'm going to put my whole heart into this movie, so people can feel the goodness- I'm different from what the media portrays" Maya stated.
"Are you trying to say that you were falsely accused in that scandal?" Lily interviewed her.
Maya responded," Let bygones be bygones but I believe that nothing is hidden beneath the sun forever"
"No, if you insist that you were falsely accused, we have to deal with that. I hate seeing innocent people falsely accused" Lily insisted which made Maya frown.
They had agreed there would be no prying into her private life but if they do, it would be subtle. Yet this woman was dwelling on a sensitive topic for her while ignoring Lisa who was willing to share those juicy gossips with her.
"Are you trying to say you never dated Niklaus?" Lily asked.
Maya didn't want to answer but this was a live television show, it would rouse jeers from fans watching from the internet If she said nothing and stared on like a moron. Maybe, this was an opportunity to clear her name.
"I dated Niklaus, I mean, who wouldn't?" She shrugged, "The man's a walking sex," Maya added humor to her tone not to seem too hung up on the issue.
The audience's laughter showed they acquiesced with her words.
"But the point is, Niklaus broke up with Tina before I dated him, the media should get their fact straight on that one," Maya summarized when out of the corner of her eyes, she caught Camile from backstage making an x gesture with her arms, meaning she shouldn't say a word anymore.
Lily smiled at her, "So when you failed to get Niklaus, you considered Eden?"
"What?" Maya was stunned, "What are you talking about?"
Suddenly, the large screen lit up with a picture of her and Eden kissing.
Maya instantly went pale.
"That picture was just released on the internet two minutes ago," Lily disclosed, eliciting a great murmuring from the audience.
Everyone at once reached for their phones to search up the news while Maya sat glued to the chair, stricken with shock.
"Maya Octavia, did you sleep with Eden to get the role of Maddy in Finding Paradise?" Lily asked her pointedly.
Maya tried to speak but no words came out, her lips just kept trembling.
"Those photos are photoshopped" Lily, the more experienced actress, stood to her defense. This was not the first time she had witnessed such a scandal and had a bit of experience to curb the damages.
"I'll assure you Lisa that our station does not support fake news and as you can see, Maya had been wearing her hospital gown. There are several footages from the hospital to prove that the photos are real," As Lily was still speaking, the photo slides to reveal another of Maya leaving for the garden with Eden at first and others from the hospital hallway.
Lily continued "Moreover, rumors are circulating that Maya was not the initial cast intended for the role of Maggy but was given that due to her strong backing,"
Another great roar came from the crowd; a murmur of disgust and disapproval.
"I'll ask once again Maya, did you sleep around for the role?" Lily pressed.
Meanwhile, Camille was yelling backstage.
"What the hell are you guys doing?! This was not part of the script?! I'll sue you all for any damages made to my actress! End that show right now! End it now !"
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