‘They tried to keep that secret from us!’ someone cried out. Olivia couldn’t believe it. How many more things was she going to get attacked for?
Just then, Ivy burst into the wings. ‘Olivia!’ she called.
‘What is going on?’ Amy raged at a stage manager.
He looked terrified and shouted into his headset. ‘Commercial break! Go! Now!’
Jackson, still in front of the audience, was forcing a smile but people were up out of their seats, the video had cut out part-way through and the whole event was in chaos.
Olivia couldn’t face it any more. She dropped her bag on the nearest chair and fled.
‘Olivia!’ Ivy called, but Olivia couldn’t stop. She had to get away.
Chapter Nine
‘Where is she?’ Jackson demanded, rushing over to the wings the instant the commercial break began.
‘I want somebody FIRED!’ Amy was shouting.
‘I don’t know,’ Ivy admitted. ‘But we’ll find her.’
Ivy took off in the direction that Olivia went, desperately hoping that her sister hadn’t left the building. She wished there was something she could have done to prevent this mess.
‘Where did she go?’ Jackson demanded of a stunned stagehand.
He pointed towards the back of the stage area and Jackson set off after Ivy, with a producer shouting that Jackson had to be back on stage in three minutes.
‘Jackson!’ Amy called after them.
Ivy rushed up to a woman all in black, carrying a brush and hand-mirror. ‘Which way did the girl in turquoise go?’
The make-up artist pointed along the curtain.
Ivy and Jackson tore down the path and eventually found Olivia in a small dressing room tucked away behind a bunch of glittering backdrop props.
Her face was buried in her arms, as she leaned on a counter in front of a well-lit mirror. When Olivia looked up to see who was at the door, Ivy could see that her sister’s cheeks were streaked with tears.
Ivy rushed in to hug her, with Jackson right behind. Ivy felt tears welling in her own eyes seeing her sister so upset.
‘I should never have dreamed I could belong here,’ Olivia said.
‘Oh, Olivia,’ Jackson said. ‘This is all my fault. I should have made Amy let us go public weeks ago.’
‘I’m sorry, too,’ Amy said from the doorway. ‘I’ve handled this exactly the wrong way.’
Olivia shook her head. ‘It’s not even that. It’s awful to get booed but, really, I’m just horrified that Jessica could be so vindictive.’
Ivy decided right then and there that something had to be done about Jessica.
‘I will never work with her again,’ Jackson vowed.
The stage manager knocked sharply on the door. ‘There’s no time for this. Jackson you’re on.’
‘Give me a minute!’ Jackson insisted. ‘Olivia, please don’t leave. Don’t give up.’
‘There’s no way Harker will want me now,’ Olivia said.
‘Jackson –’ the stage manager started again.