Whether it was Blair or Gloria, all the young protesters knew that a company as massive as Sony Columbia wouldn't easily back down. They understood that this situation wouldn't be resolved anytime soon.
Yet, the young people still showed up, unafraid, to support Anson. More importantly, they were there to take a stand.
But then, what happened?
In just 30 minutes, Sony Columbia not only responded but gave an official statement to everyone:
"Hey, it's just a misunderstanding. Blame TMZ and those damned paparazzi."
So, what now? Should they all just disperse?
Blair was lost in her thoughts. "Don't you all find this strange?"
"We thought Sony Columbia wouldn't even acknowledge us, and even if they did, it would take at least three days."
"But now?"
"Thirty minutes. Isn't that way too fast?"
"It's almost like…"
Blair looked up at her friends, her expression filled with doubt.
"It's almost like they're hiding something. Like they're desperate to shut us up and make us go away quickly, solving the issue in haste."
Karen's perfectly shaped eyebrows furrowed. "But why? Why would they do that? Could TMZ actually be telling the truth?"
Blair shook her head. "I don't know."
After all, they were still too young, standing outside the inner circle, lacking enough information to understand the deeper, more complicated reasons behind the scenes.
It was just a gut feeling—a refusal to believe that Sony Columbia would respond so easily.
Then, Gloria's voice suddenly cut through from the side.
"They didn't guarantee Anson's role."
Karen blinked. "What do you mean?"
Gloria, carefully studying the printed-out statement from Sony Columbia word by word, held it up to show everyone.
"Look, they denied the list, said they cared about Anson, but they never directly addressed the rumor that Anson was being replaced. They didn't say for sure that they're waiting 100% for Anson to return to the set."
"Of course, from the tone of the statement, we can infer that, but that's exactly the point. They could've cleared things up, straightforwardly denying the rumor of replacing Anson."
"But they didn't."
There was a glint of determination in Gloria's eyes.
"There's something fishy going on."
Karen was stunned, and Elaine covered her mouth with both hands in shock.
Gloria looked around at her friends, firmly conveying her point.
"We can't leave."
"Even though I don't know why, I feel like they want us to leave quickly."
Blair was startled. "I just said the same thing!"
Gloria, lost in thought earlier, had missed Blair's comment. Now, she was fully energized. "You think so too? Then we definitely can't leave."
"Listen, girls, we need to stay calm. We need patience."
"Even though we don't know exactly what's going on, at the very least, we can stick around and wait it out. Let's see if anything changes, if there's a twist in the situation."
Karen still didn't quite understand what Blair and Gloria were worried about, but that didn't really matter. "We were planning to stay here all day anyway. It's just following the plan. I'm in."
Blair knew her friends well, shaking her head. "No, Blair. We need to convince the others to stay too. We need to gather everyone's strength."
"Remember? Just one or two of us standing in front of Sony Columbia won't do anything. But if we all unite, it's a different story. Sony Columbia will have to take notice."
"That's why they responded in 30 minutes—it shows we did something right. Now, we need to keep going."
Karen nodded, understanding. "Alright, let's split up and start convincing the others before Sony Columbia's plan takes effect."
They dispersed, spreading the word, calming each other down one by one.
The crowd in front of Sony Columbia's headquarters never thinned out.
"…A thousand people!"
"No, more than a thousand. At least a thousand."
"The scene is unimaginable. A massive, overwhelming crowd—it's impressive."
"Sony Columbia panicked immediately. They realized how serious the situation was and responded as soon as they could. But in doing so, they might've just exposed themselves, making it clear that something fishy is going on."
"From my perspective, Sony Columbia covered all the bases, but still slipped up. There were some cracks, and now they can't keep up."
It was rare to see Eve so animated, gesturing wildly.
For Eve, this was an adrenaline-filled moment, facing off against a giant like Sony Columbia and making them lose their composure.
But Edgar had a different concern.
"No matter what, Sony Columbia's response was comprehensive. The public will probably buy into it. In this case, we need to be careful not to come across as overreaching."
His words were vague, but his stance was clear. They needed to seize the opportunity to land a fatal blow on Sony Columbia.
It was obvious that they were on the brink of success. But just one misstep could ruin everything, letting Sony Columbia escape unscathed.
Eve nodded in agreement. "Right now, Anson shouldn't show his face. He needs to stay here and keep playing the role of the perfect victim."
Anson lay obediently in his hospital bed. "So, should I get wrapped up like a mummy and take a picture to 'accidentally' leak to TMZ?"
Eve's face was completely serious. "That's actually a good idea. We could continue playing the victim of the paparazzi and successfully stir up public sympathy."
But this was only a joke.
If Anson's injury photos leaked now, the intent would be too obvious, easily exposed. And if Anson's condition was truly that severe, Sony Columbia would have even more reason to audition other actors as backup.
"What if I showed up at the protest site?"
A voice suddenly spoke up, and everyone turned to look.
Lucas, dressed all in black, stood like a looming figure in the corner.
"I'm not Anson, but I'm his brother."
"If I show up at the protest, it won't be as direct, but it will make my stance clear. Obviously, I'm dissatisfied with Sony Columbia's response. Obviously, something shady is going on."
"Obviously, Sony Columbia's polished statement is all lies."
"Even though Sony Columbia would know that my actions reflect Anson's feelings, they wouldn't be able to admit it. And if things don't go well, Anson can just say he had no idea about my actions and distance himself from me."
"Just like Sony Columbia's official statement."
The real meaning, hidden beneath the surface, was to deliberately lead the audience to imagine something different.
Once the storm passes, they'll tear off the mask and reveal their true selves, only to argue that they never meant it that way, blaming it on the audience's overactive imagination.
After all, with enough clever wording, anything can be spun either way.