Behind The Spotlight Chapter 260
Inside the control room, Director Patrick made a decision. He weighed the consequences and decided to go with what he believed was right.
'It's a good thing that Collin gave us a warning, so I had some time to think about it.'
"Point the camera at the old couple. Invite them to the stage, prepare chairs for them, and place the chairs on the opposite side of Shawn. Beware of any situation that might arise," he informed the production crew.
Joel also contacted a few people, ensuring that additional security personnel remained nearby.
The crew members quickly moved and followed Patrick's orders. While wearing headsets to receive instructions, they carried chairs and led the old couple to the stage.
Shawn was stunned, and his face stiffened. His confidence from earlier completely disappeared.
'But I thought they already made a deal and signed the contract? Fuck those lawyers!' Shawn blamed his team. His mind raced as anger and panic collided.
What he didn't know was that the grandparents who had signed the deal were the parents from the husband's side, those people were not close to the deceased family and had accepted the money, treating it as a settlement rather than justice.
Mr. and Mrs. Diaz were the parents of the wife, and the grandparents who had truly cherished the two children who died in the accident. Their grief was still raw and etched deeply into their aging faces.
"Is it true that Shawn asked for forgiveness?" Jennifer turned to the old couple and asked them, her posture straight.
"No, he never showed up at all," the old man answered calmly, his hands trembling slightly as they rested on his lap.
Suddenly, the murmurs intensified among the crowd. The audience stared at Shawn with shock and disbelief.
Even Shawn was shocked. His lips parted to speak, yet no words came out. He looked around and spotted Salvador standing afar. Just like Shawn, Salvador was also completely stunned.
This was not what they had planned, and everyone in the room could feel it.
Shawn was being interrogated, yet he couldn't find the right words to answer. This was not part of his briefing.
While Shawn was being humiliated in front of the crowd, Salvador made his move and headed for the control room. He knew that something had gone terribly wrong and he had to fix it. He had to talk to Patrick and Joel to convince them to stop the broadcast.
Yet, before he could even reach the door, Joel stopped him.
"What are you doing? Only a few people are allowed inside." Joel was holding a phone.
"Joel, you must stop the broadcast."
"Why?"
"This is a setup." Salvador's face was turning red.
"What do you mean? Isn't this what you wanted?"
"Bullshit, this is not what we agreed on."
"Salvador, let me remind you. You asked Patrick and me to guest-star your actor on our show, and we agreed. That was the agreement. You didn't even pay us, you were just asking for a favor. As for what the questions will be, it depends on how we want to do it. How dare you turn this on me?"
"Joel!"
"Don't raise your voice, the broadcast is ongoing. I'll kick you out if you yell again." Joel's expression turned serious.
"I want to speak with Patrick."
"He is busy."
"Joel, are you sure you want to face me?"
Joel chuckled.
"It seems like you don't understand your position. You are nothing but a talent agent, I'm the producer of this show. I can do whatever I want. I can kick out your director if I want to." Joel stared at Salvador without a hint of fear.
"..."
Suddenly, a call came through, and Joel answered it. He didn't care that Salvador was staring daggers at him.
"Yes, it's me. Is that so? I see. Thank you, update me again in a few minutes." The call ended shortly after.
"The viewership has reached 14 million, almost twice our average viewership, and it's further increasing. The management said that I must continue the broadcast. Sorry, I'm just following orders." Joel shrugged. The executives only cared about ratings, not the discomfort of the guests.
Salvador was speechless.
In this industry, someone like Shawn was not actually that important. The higher-ups could destroy his career if they wanted to. Besides, Shawn Jacob was the one who had destroyed his own career. Nation TV just wanted to milk his controversy as best as they could.
Salvador turned around in anger, clenching his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white.
'Fuck!'
Suddenly, before he could even form another plan, he heard a loud gasp from the audience, followed by a scream.
Salvador's face turned pale. He had an idea of what had just happened. Shawn was a known alcoholic, but he also had severe anger issues, especially when he was being ridiculed and humiliated. For a prideful actor, stepping on his image was the last thing Shawn could ever accept.
Salvador ran toward the stage and found Collin protecting Jennifer. Shawn had almost struck her, but Collin was faster and shielded her.
Jennifer shivered as she hid behind Collin, her heart beating rapidly.
"So what if I was driving past the speed limit? I just slightly hit their car! It wasn't my fault that the driver lost control and the car rolled over. I'm innocent! How dare you say those words to me! Don't ever accuse me again!"
Shawn roared and tried to pounce on Jennifer, but the crew members on standby grabbed him and stopped his assault.
"If there's someone you should blame, it should be the driver! He doesn't know how to fucking drive!" Shawn didn't bother to find out who the driver actually was. He just didn't care... He only cared about the time he would spend in jail. For a millionaire like him, the lives of ordinary people were nothing. His words revealed exactly how detached he had become from reality.
The entire show had reached its peak viewership of 23 million before the broadcast was cut off.
The last thing the viewers saw was Shawn's malicious expression as he screamed like a madman and threw things, an image that would be replayed repeatedly by news stations and remembered by the public for years to come.