When Love is a Question Mark
Chapter 153: Tense Conversations

Chapter 153: Tense Conversations

"Well," Lily said after a long pause, her tone thoughtful, "that’s a nice offer, Timmy. But I have something to do right now."

Timmy’s heart sank a little, but then she continued, her voice softening. "But, I appreciate it. And who knows? Maybe another time, when things are less chaotic."

Timmy breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t outright rejected him. And there was still hope. He couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face, despite his still-flushed cheeks.

"Right," Timmy said, trying to keep his voice steady, though he could hear the faint excitement creeping in. "Another time, then. I’ll take you up on that ’another time’ offer for sure."

Lily’s voice came through again, now tinged with a teasing tone. "Just make sure you don’t call me again by accident, okay? I wouldn’t want you to end up asking me about dinner every time you’re distracted by my contact picture."

Timmy laughed nervously, realizing how much more self-aware he had to be when it came to her. "I’ll try not to, Lily. Really. I promise."

Lily chuckled on the other end, the sound warm and easy. "Good. Now, if you really want to do something for me, Timmy, maybe next time you could just save me the trouble of calling me by... actually thinking before you press the buttons?"

Timmy groaned, shaking his head as if she could see him. "I swear, I’ll be better next time, Lily. No more mistakes, I promise."

"Better be," she replied, her voice still light with amusement. "I’ll talk to you later, Timmy."

"Later, Lily," he said, hanging up the phone, his heart still racing but feeling a little lighter than before.

Timmy sat back on the bed, his fingers absently tapping against his knee. That had been... a lot. He had definitely made a fool of himself, but at least it had been in a way that didn’t feel like total disaster.

---

Victoria paced back and forth in her room, her thoughts racing. The incident with Lopez Digital Studios weighed heavily on her mind. She knew she had to inform Ms. Aquila, but the entire ordeal had been kept under wraps.

If Ms. Aquila discovered the truth from someone else, it could jeopardize her position. She paused, biting her lower lip. The incident during the movie shoot hadn’t escalated into a full-blown disaster, but the false bomb threat had still caused chaos on set.

Taking a deep breath, she reached for her phone. Her fingers hovered over the screen before finally dialing Ms. Aquila’s number. She listened anxiously as the line connected. But instead of a greeting, a recorded message informed her that the line was busy.

Victoria sighed, frustration bubbling within her. "Of course," she muttered to herself. "She’s on another call."

She tossed her phone onto the bed and sank into a nearby chair. Her mind raced. Should she try again immediately or wait for a while? The decision wasn’t easy. After all, this wasn’t a minor update. The bomb scare could have endangered lives—and reputations.

After a few moments of debating, she resolved to give it a little time. "Maybe she’ll finish her call soon," Victoria thought, glancing at the clock. She stood up and resumed her pacing, unable to sit still for long.

Ten minutes later, Victoria dialed Ms. Aquila’s number again. This time, the line connected. Her heart pounded as she heard the familiar, composed voice on the other end.

"Good evening, Victoria," Ms. Aquila greeted. "I hope this is urgent, considering the hour."

Victoria swallowed hard, trying to steady her voice. "Good evening, Ms. Aquila. I’m sorry to disturb you, but there’s something important I need to report."

There was a brief pause. Then, Ms. Aquila’s voice came through, calm but expectant. "Go on."

Victoria took another deep breath, her palms slightly sweaty. "It’s about the movie shoot with Lopez Digital Studios the other day. There was an incident... a false alarm bomb threat."

She paused, letting her words sink in. The other end of the line was silent, so she continued. "Samuel Lucas of Lucas Realty Group and Zinnia’s fiancé approached me directly, asking for help. They received a threat claiming there was a bomb on the ship they were filming on. It turned out to be a false alarm, but it caused a lot of chaos."

The silence on the other end stretched on, and Victoria’s anxiety grew. She imagined Ms. Aquila’s sharp mind processing every word, dissecting every detail.

When Ms. Aquila finally spoke, her voice was unnervingly calm. "A bomb threat?" she repeated, as though testing the words for weight.

Victoria hesitated, unsure if she should elaborate, but Ms. Aquila continued before she could. "And who exactly thought it was a good idea to disrupt one of our shoots with such a threat?"

Her tone, though controlled, carried an edge of steel. Victoria could practically feel the cold fury simmering beneath her words.

"I... I don’t know yet," Victoria admitted. "But I can look into it further if you’d like."

Ms. Aquila’s voice turned sharper. "Of course you’ll look into it. Whoever made that threat will pay dearly. No one disrupts our operations and gets away with it. Do I make myself clear?"

Victoria nodded instinctively, even though Ms. Aquila couldn’t see her. "Crystal clear, ma’am. I’ll make sure they face consequences."

"And Victoria," Ms. Aquila added, her tone softening slightly, "ensure the crew is taken care of. Especially Zinnia. If anyone even thought of hurting her, I will personally see to it that they regret it."

Her words sent a shiver down Victoria’s spine. It was clear how much Ms. Aquila cared about Zinnia. "Understood, ma’am," Victoria replied, her voice firm.

The call ended, and Victoria let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She set the phone down and rubbed her temples. Ms. Aquila’s composed but deadly tone replayed in her mind.

Victoria sat on the edge of her bed, her phone in hand. She stared at the screen, debating her next move. The incident during the movie shoot of Lopez Digital Studios had left too many unanswered questions, and she couldn’t afford to waste time chasing rumors. If anyone knew the details, it was Samuel Lucas.