Approximately five minutes later, when the patience of the three of them was wearing thin, Julie finally sighed.

"I'm sorry, Vivian. But I'm afraid that I can't do this for you."

“Why? Give me a good reason!"

Vivian's outburst was a result of her immaturity. Patience was not a virtue to her.

She questioned Julie in a shrill voice, as if she had forgotten she was talking to her mother who had raised her for twenty years.

“Is it because of Maria? You know she is shooting a movie too. You are jealous that my movie will do better than hers at the box office. I just knew it! You want Maria to be more successful than me! You are so biased! How could you?"

Vivian went on a tirade of accusations, not noticing that Patricia was secretly tugging at her sleeve.

Finally, Vivian came back to her senses and realized her gaffe was dramatic.

Tears welled up in her eyes, as if her world was already crumbling. She said in a choked voice, “Mom! Am I not your daughter?

Why? Please tell me why you won't Lend me your support?"

Julie was not stone-hearted so she was a little touched by Vivian's words.

But she kept a clear head and stuck to her guns. She refused outright to support Vivian.

“Song of Phoenix is a controversial work. There is a claim that the work has plagiarized someone else's idea. I don't think it's a good idea for the Smith family to get embroiled in any kind of controversy."

Julie had carefully read both novels, Female Military Counsellor and Song of Phoenix.

As a discerning reader, she was also convinced that Song of Phoenix was a plagiarized piece.

Julie was curious as to why the online publisher of Female Military Counsellor, Novel Hub, had never brought up the matter of plagiarism and sued Vivian. However, their silence did not mean that Song of Phoenix was in the clear.

It was not morally right for the Smith family to support a questionable film.

At some stage, if the plagiarism were exposed, Song of Phoenix would be in great trouble and the Smith family would also be dragged through the mud.

Therefore, Julie would not agree to Vivian's request no matter what.

“A controversial work? Mom, how could you accuse me of something like that? I'm your daughter, after all. Don't you trust me?"

Vivian asked, horrified.

Then in true Vivian style, she began to cry hysterically. Julie was filled with mixed feelings. She felt sorry for Vivian but was also dismissive.

She recalled there was a sentence in Mia's work, the Mountains, that was written like this—"A typical sign of reaching adulthood is going astray."

Vivian was the one who wrote Song of Phoenix. Nobody knew it better than herself whether she had actually plagiarized Mia's work.