“Come on.” Eric wrapped an arm around her and led her back toward the bedroom. “This time, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay right here with you.”

At Eric’s request, Phillips began by looking into Tamara first. Within a short span, he confirmed Tamara had nothing to do with the situation.

“I had to check everyone to be thorough,” Phillips said to her apologetically. “This is about Hadley’s safety, so I couldn’t take any chances—not even with you.”

Unbothered, Tamara gave a calm nod. “No offense taken. I get it.”

Once her name was cleared, the next step was to investigate Hadley’s circle more closely.

“Hadley hasn’t been in contact with many people lately, even while filming,” Tamara said.

A brief look passed between her and Phillips before she added, “Since the problem came from something she consumed, Chelsey is the most likely person.”

“You mean her assistant?” Phillips asked, already aware of who she was. From what he remembered, Chelsey was still new to the job—a soft-spoken girl who gave off a quiet, innocent air.

A thought suddenly came to him. “Didn’t you say something recently about her family going through something?”

“Yeah. Her mom’s been ill, and the medical bills are piling up.”

“That explains a lot…” Phillips gave a slow nod, the pieces starting to fit together. “Now it makes sense…”

He leaned in slightly and said to Tamara, “Watch her closely. But don’t make a move unless we have something concrete.”

“Understood.”

Without delay, Phillips brought the update to Eric and offered his recommendation. “Mr. Scott, it would be wise for Hadley to keep showing up on set over the next few days.”

Now that they had a clue, the only way to confirm their suspicions and expose the true culprit was to keep the game going.

Your imagination thrives at puntocom

Eric said nothing at first. His jaw clenched, and a chilling look settled on his face. “Her assistant, huh? That’s interesting… Dig deeper. Let’s find out if this is really just about her mother’s illness.”

“Of course.”

If it all came down to money, then Chelsey’s actions were nothing short of betrayal.

“As for Hadley…” After a moment of thought, Eric gave a slow nod. “We don’t tell her anything for now, and she will continue filming like nothing’s wrong.” To catch Chelsey in the act, they had to let her believe everything was still under control.

“From today forward, I want our people to check anything Chelsey handles before it gets anywhere near Hadley,” Eric added firmly.

“Got it, Mr. Scott.”

Hadley didn’t hesitate for a second. She was ready to go back to work. Despite feeling unwell, she never once thought about stopping. So when Eric offered to drive her to the set instead of insisting she rest at home like she had expected, her face lit up with joy.

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