Hollywood What If Chapter 506
The incident blew up. The media became so excited with this news that every news station talked about it. This was a big scoop, something that would catch the interest of America. Especially when there was footage of the incident, although most of the footage was in the hands of the police.
Assassination was not a new thing in showbiz. Heck, four U.S. presidents had been assassinated in the history of America. So it was not a surprise that celebrities could experience the same thing. And actually, many celebrities had been killed for varied reasons.
In Kazir's case, it was revenge. The suspect attacked Kazir because he was fired from his job.
These were the headlines that were circulating in Hollywood... They made it look like Kazir was a bad person.
The CCTV cameras near the incident caught almost everything, from the car crash up to the moment when Aquino, the suspect, stepped out of his dented car holding an AK-47. By the way, owning an AK-47 was not legal in Los Angeles, so Aquino probably got it from someone.
Kazir was in the hospital while the media were having a blast with the news. Some of the reporters and paparazzi tried to infiltrate the hospital, but Grey Pictures hired guards to make sure that no one could disturb Kazir and Anderson, the bodyguard, who was currently in the ICU having surgery for his left foot.
Some people who lived in constant defeat saw this situation as a way to cancel Kazir. This was one of the rarest moments where they could pull Kazir into deep waters.
Obviously, the news painted Kazir with a bad reputation. They said that Aquino was justified because he lost his job. It was also disappointing that Aquino died... "He didn't deserve it," the media quoted.
In the mid-2000s, when the internet was still just starting, the media was the strongest entity that influenced people. Most people heard information from television.
Right now, the media giants were making sure that they would control this situation in their favor. They didn't care if Kazir was a good person. If they wanted Kazir to be the most vile person in Hollywood, then they would make him one.
Hollywood blacklisted Brendan Fraser for speaking about sexual harassment, Richard Gere because he spoke about Tibet. They also canceled Johnny Depp, Janet Jackson, and many celebrities who obviously didn't deserve it.
Now, Kazir was being labeled as one of the worst bosses in America because he fired an extra. As for the reason why he did that, who gives a fuck!? Right?
Only Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox helped Kazir and protected his name.
Not even Universal Pictures helped Kazir. Funny, because Shadows Beneath had just grossed $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Universal Pictures acted like they weren't even doing business with Kazir. Perhaps Universal Pictures believed that Kazir wouldn't survive this ordeal.
Anyway, Universal Pictures could afford to pay Grey Pictures that 5% box office share, then consider it done.
Unfortunately, the media giants had a hard time convincing people. From the footage they saw, it was clear that Aquino was the bad guy. He was clearly insane. Furthermore, it was heartbreaking to see an injured man fighting for his life under the threat of an AK-47.
They saw how Kazir crawled out of the car just to survive. Now that was amazing. It was hard to paint him as a villain when he was doing his best to crawl in order to survive. The footage spoke for itself, Kazir was the victim.
Kazir's will to live and his determination despite the terrifying weapon before him, everything resonated with the people. Even those who were doubtful about whether Kazir was a good person admitted that the director displayed courage, something they were amazed by.
As for the grudges between the two... Who gives a fuck? At this point, Kazir was too famous to get canceled.
...
...
...
Scarlett was in tears as she stared at Kazir sleeping. The guy had bruises on his face and some stitches on his head and arms. Based on his appearance, he had suffered a terrible accident.
Kazir slowly opened his eyes and found Scarlett crying.
"You're awake," Scarlett's voice was trembling as she sighed in relief.
Kazir weakly smiled and wiped her tears.
"Don't move, I don't want your wounds to open up," Scarlett muttered and wiped her own tears instead. She was happy that Kazir woke up.
"I'm fine. They're just small cuts." Kazir chuckled, a faint smile on his face... But deep inside, he was scared. He recalled what had happened a few hours ago and his face subconsciously paled.
"What about the filming today?"
To forget about the terrible memory, Kazir decided to change the topic.
"You're hurt, you don't have to think about other things. Enrico canceled the shooting." Scarlett was part of the cast, so she heard about it firsthand.
"Good thing that we are just a week away from finishing the shoot, we can afford a few days of day-offs," Kazir muttered, but he shut his mouth when he saw that Scarlett was concerned about him.
"Don't think too much," she said.
She had already been on set when she heard that Kazir was in a car crash. When she heard that, she immediately asked if Kazir was okay. She went to the hospital the moment she found out he was staying there.
"It's fortunate that you weren't with me at that time. I don't know what I'd do if something bad happened to you." He smiled and looked at the ceiling.
Then, Scarlett sobbed again and kissed Kazir's hand.
"Don't talk like that."
"Sorry."
The two stared at each other before they shared a kiss.
A moment later, Kazir's relatives and friends also showed up. The room had been quiet for a reason, and the couple were acting awkward when the people showed up to check if Kazir was doing fine.
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[Honestly, I have no idea what to do about the aftermath, but I decided to just think of it in a way that Hollywood will use this chance to erase their strongest rival which is Kazir.]