Chapter 162: Confrontation

"Sorry, Kerry, I can't go shopping with you anymore."

Elizabeth Banks put away her phone, her face marked with uncontrollable disappointment and dejection. "My agent wants to see me right now."

She stood up.

"Liz, wait!" Kerry Mulligan grabbed her, her pretty face seemingly more anxious than Elizabeth's. "How could it not be you? Paul said Murphy was very fond of you, right? Is there some mistake?"

Elizabeth hoped for a mistake too. Such an opportunity to play a lead role was incredibly rare for her.

Missing this chance, she didn't know how long she would have to wait for another lead role.

"Could there really be a mistake?" Elizabeth also hoped it was so, saying with hope, "Kerry, could you...?"

It was difficult for her to ask, but thinking of her future, she still made the request, "Could you ask Murphy for me?"

Kerry Mulligan was her good friend and the director's girlfriend; perhaps...

Though she knew the chances of a mistake were slim, Elizabeth still wanted to try, given her good relationship with Kerry Mulligan.

"Sure!" Kerry nodded emphatically, pulling out her phone to call Murphy, but there was no answer.

She frowned, tried again, and got the same result.

"What's going on?" Kerry looked worried.

Compared to Elizabeth, who managed to keep her composure despite her anxiousness, Kerry was as always unable to hide her emotions.

Or rather, she hadn't learned to hide them in such a short time.

After all, she was still just a sixteen-year-old girl.

Seeing Kerry unable to reach Murphy, Elizabeth's heart sank, "Kerry, I better go see my agent first."

Seeing her friend's downtrodden expression, Kerry scratched her short blonde hair in frustration, "You go see your agent. I'll find Murphy and ask what's going on."

She was even more anxious than Elizabeth, the person directly involved.

No one wants to let go of such an opportunity. Holding onto the last glimmer of hope, Elizabeth nodded, "Thank you, Kerry, I..."

Kerry stepped forward and hugged Elizabeth, "We don't need to thank each other."

She shook her phone, "Keep in touch."

The two left the cold drink shop separately, Kerry once again tried calling Murphy, to no avail. Her brow furrowed in frustration, as if facing an apocalypse.

She hailed a cab and called her agent, immediately blurting out as soon as the call connected, "Bill, what's going on? Why can't I reach Murphy?"

The other side seemed startled by her raised voice, taking a moment before responding, "I just left the Venice set, Murphy turned off his phone..."

Before he could finish, Kerry interrupted anxiously, "Why?"

"Today, the casting results were announced," he explained briefly, "Some people tried to reach Murphy through connections. He turned off his phone to avoid being disturbed by those who didn't get selected."

Kerry's brows furrowed instantly. Not selected? Connections? Wasn't that about her and Elizabeth Banks?

Was he avoiding me? Kerry asked, "Is Murphy still at the Venice set?"

After getting a confirmation, she ended the call, took the taxi straight to Venice, determined to find Murphy and get some answers.

In the Venice set's office, Murphy and a few others were reviewing experimental footage shot by Philip Lasher, discussing the final visual style of the film. Suddenly, the door was knocked and pushed open.

Kerry stormed in, focused solely on Murphy, "Why is your phone off? I couldn't reach you!"

"Oh, I turned it off," Murphy thought her urgency was because she couldn't contact him, "Sorry, I forgot to tell you."

Kerry approached Murphy, demanding, "Why isn't it Liz? You liked her, didn't you? What happened?"

Her haste made her tone somewhat accusatory.

Erica Stanberg and Kim Klayman exchanged glances, puzzled about who Liz was.

"Murphy, did you make a mistake?" Kerry didn't notice anyone else, blurting out whatever came to mind, "You said you were considering Liz before, what's going on?"

"Liz? When did I say she was the lead actress?" Murphy frowned, looking at the others, "Alright, Kerry, we'll talk later. Please wait outside for now; I'm working."

"Are you... are you asking me to leave?" Kerry was stunned.

Murphy nodded, "Please wait outside."

"You're kicking me out?" Kerry pointed at herself, her face a mix of heartbreak and anger, "My best friend is hurting, and you won't give me a reasonable explanation but want me to leave?"

Her emotions were clear as day, her face clouded with gloom.

Philip Lasher coughed lightly, suggesting perhaps it was time to wrap up for the day.

"No need!" Kerry heard Philip's suggestion and stormed out, seeking a satisfactory explanation for her friend's rejection. She hadn't expected to be asked to leave. The Murphy who always treated her gently was now pushing her away.

"I'm leaving!" Kerry glared at Murphy before storming out, slamming the door behind her.

Murphy, left staring at the closed door, wondered what went wrong.

Compared to the amused Kim Klayman and Erica Stanberg, Philip Lasher, being closer to Murphy, nudged him, "What are you waiting for? Go after her."

Thinking of Kerry's inherent rebelliousness, Murphy hurried out, but she was already gone.

After asking around, he learned she had left the set. Murphy started his car and drove around, trying to find her, reflecting on their relationship. Kerry was still the same person, unchanged by their time together. When things went her way, she was an angel; otherwise, she remained a rebel.

Previously, he had always found ways to gently persuade her, but this time...

Murphy shook his head. It was the wrong time, place, and audience for such a question.

"Bad Murphy! Jerk Murphy!" In the passenger seat of another car, Kerry sobbed, "Is this how you treat me? You actually kicked me out!"

Tears streamed down her face as she cried bitterly, upset. Where had the understanding Murphy gone?

Feeling as if her world had collapsed, Kerry couldn't help but think of her parents, who had fallen out over her acting career. What was the difference between them and Murphy now?

"What's wrong, Kerry?" The driver asked, "This isn't like you."

"Nothing," Kerry wiped her tears, "Just feeling down."

"Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere," she looked ahead, "Mike, are you heading back to Century City? I'll go there."

Mike glanced at her curiously, "What exactly happened?"

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