Chapter 1347: Chapter 1347: Suspecting Riley Thompson
"She graduated from a formal acting school. Since she came from a professional academy, it’s normal for her acting style to resemble some of her fellow alumni, isn’t it?"
Hearing Annie Anne’s explanation, Charlotte Thompson found it reasonable and stopped dwelling on the matter.
Soon, Charlotte and Riley Thompson’s duet scene came to an end, and the camera moved on to interview other actors in the cast.
At that moment, a startled cry rang out off-camera. When the lens shifted, Justin Battleson was seen shielding Charlotte in his arms, while the prop ladder had fallen onto his body.
Even though Charlotte already knew Justin was unharmed, seeing the incident unfold again from a bystander’s perspective still made her heart clench uncontrollably.
"This camera is the only one to capture the ladder collapsing, but even so, it only caught a small part of it. The rest happened outside the frame."
Annie Anne, who had paused the footage on the computer, looked at the screen with some frustration. She gestured with her fingers on the screen, tracing the direction the ladder had fallen.
Moreover, the footage showed that no one was standing near the ladder’s side, which reluctantly supported the assumption that it might truly have fallen due to negligence by the props department.
"Didn’t we already review all the video recordings from different angles? Nothing unusual came up."
Even though Charlotte said this, she furrowed her brow tighter.
If there wasn’t any solid evidence, all suspicions were merely conjectures of her own mind.
"Wait a second."
Suddenly, Annie Anne exclaimed as if she’d noticed something in the footage, drawing Charlotte’s averted gaze back to the screen.
"Look here. Isn’t it strange that Riley wasn’t around at this moment?"
Pointing at the paused video, Annie Anne indicated that Riley Thompson was conspicuously absent from the frame.
This wasn’t idle speculation on Annie Anne’s part. The frame almost captured everyone from the cast and crew, except for Riley.
"She might’ve just had something urgent and stepped away," Charlotte said softly, staring at the screen.
"But her next scene is right after this. She has no reason to not be here."
Speaking, Annie Anne rewound the footage by a few minutes. When the camera panned across the crowd again, Riley was already standing among them.
"She wasn’t there just a moment ago, but now she suddenly appears in the shot. This..." Annie Anne trailed off.
"And Charlotte, don’t forget—the ladder originally fell toward you. If Justin hadn’t protected you, it’d probably be you lying in the hospital now."
Annie Anne’s words reminded Charlotte of something. She bit her lip lightly but didn’t say anything.
Because at that moment, Charlotte also recalled the resentful look Riley had given her.
Was it really just because of acting that Riley would go to such lengths?
"We can’t accuse her without evidence. Maybe she was just standing in a blind spot the camera didn’t catch."
Charlotte’s words made Annie Anne shake her head.
Annie knew this as well. She could only press her fist to her lips, clearing her throat with a soft cough.
"I know, but I just can’t shake the feeling that Riley has something against you. And didn’t she make snide remarks about your lack of formal training, questioning your acting skills? That day was the first time you two met, wasn’t it? Most people wouldn’t say something like that for no reason."