Once they were alone, Khloe turned to Lily and said, "It is your entire fault. Because of you, not only did Miller not recognize me, but he thought I was a whore!"

Lily frowned at Khloe and snapped at her. "How the fuck was that my fault," she hissed. "When are you ever going to grow up and take responsibility for your actions? Face it – between your make-up and your dress, and you actually do look like a whore. Kylie recognized it. She called you out on it, but you ignored her, so this is what you get! How pathetic! You even blame me for your own fault, get a life, and act like a lady, not a whore,"

​​

"What did you say?" Khloe snapped at Lily. "You should be the one to praise me, not to insult, after all, you're my assistant!"

"Do I need to repeat my words? I think you heard it; clearly, there is no need for me to insult you again because believe me, you will lose your face!"

Khloe felt mad when Lily acted indifferent towards her, but she held back her words to not draw other people's attention.

Khloe and Lily watched as Director Miller joined the table where Johnson and Kylie were sitting. Seeing this, Khloe could not contain her anger. "That man is an asshole," she said. "I can't believe that, after the way he treated me, he is so nice to Kylie. This is like my worst nightmare!"

Not wanting to be left out, they joined the group and sat down to the left of Kylie, just in time to overhear Johnson say to Director Millar. "She was the lead in The Tea Maiden."

"I know," Miller replied. "I watched The Tea Maiden from beginning to end." Miller leaned forward to shake Kylie's hand and said that it was an honor to meet her. Meanwhile, Khloe just sat there getting angrier and angrier by the second. First, she'd been scorned, and now she was being ignored! She can't accept that Kylie got the praises and attention from Director Miller.

William arrived and sat down with them. He said hello to Miller, Johnson, Lily, and Kylie, but acted as though he hadn't seen Khloe. His eyes finally settled on Kylie, and he said, "You sure are a sight for sore eyes. It has been too long since last I've seen you. Darling, have you missed me? I am dying to show my affection towards you,"

Kylie smiled in a friendly manner, but she didn't answer the question directly. She knew William is trying to flirt with her, but she can't accept him. She still thought about Ethan.

William took a deep breath, and then he looked from Director Miller to Director Johnson. "I heard that there's another variety show in the making; it looks like there's going to be a bit of friendly competition. Win or lose, and it makes me happy that we can be a gentleman and not take anything personally. In the end, the ratings will determine the winner. Regardless of whom that is, I have the utmost regard for both of you."

"I agree. There is no reason that we can't all be friends. I think you have the upper hand, though," Johnson explained, "because you have Kylie. There has always been a friendly rivalry between Hamorna and Seattle. In the past, our ratings have come in pretty close. This season though, we will have to pull out all of the stops if we hope to compete against you."

Khloe listened to all of this as she silently brooded. More and more, she was beginning to feel like the child at the adult's table. She wished that she'd never joined them, but she didn't know how to walk away without looking like a fool.

Miller leaned forward and said, "I have an idea that I think would be mutually beneficial. I would like to offer Kylie a lead role in a drama that I have in the works. It seems to me that between us, we tailor to very different audiences. If my audience saw Kylie on one of my programs and liked her, it would lead her to the body of work she has done with your team. Inversely, if your audience likes her, they will also find her through my work. In that way, we would build each other up and place Kylie on the pedestal that she so deserves to stand on. What do you think? She works hard recently, but she's not recognized,"

Khloe scowled as she tried to figure out what they saw in Kylie that they didn't see in her. She leaned over to Lily and pinched her leg, which was a signal they'd arranged in advance. Lily turned to Miller and said, "I heard that your next project would be a situational comedy. I don't have any experience, but I have been training with an acting coach, and I wonder if I could read for a small part? How about that?"

Khloe turned to Lily, startled, and angry. This was not what they'd discussed. She looked at Miller and said, "I apologize for my assistant's insolence. She is a huge fan of your work and meeting you seems to have addled her brain… I will surely train her next time,"

Miller scowled at Khloe and said, "Do you think I need your input to make a decision? Do you think I am an idiot? Whether I allow the girl to read or not read is none of your business, I do admire her courage. Perhaps she was thought to be vulgar like her boss. Many people would be too nervous about approaching me so directly. She is a breath of fresh air, don't you think?"

Khloe's face turned red as she realized that the only way to save face would be to humble herself before him. "I… I suppose that she is a breath of fresh air," she stammered. "Furthermore, I didn't mean to imply that you were anything other than the genius that you are… I am sorry if I misspoke."