Meanwhile, at Cortex, Mariah had been busy with filming.
Working on set during the day and investigating the fake account at night had left Mariah exhausted.
The next day on set, Mariah was out of sorts. Several times, staff members called her name before she responded, making her colleagues think she was lost in thought. One joked, “Miss Hutchson, where were you last night? You seem so distracted!”
“I…” Mariah was about to explain when suddenly her vision darkened, and she collapsed.
“Miss Hutchson!”
Leonardo was posing according to the photographer’s instructions when he heard the shout. He quickly turned to see Mariah fainting and rushed over, forgetting about the ongoing shoot.
“Mariah! Mariah…” He called out several times, but she didn’t respond. Worried, Leonardo picked her up in his arms and instructed a nearby staff member, “Call for a car. We’re going to the hospital.”
The scene descended into chaos as the shooting was
For some reason, seeing Mariah like this made Leonardo feel uncomfortable.“Enough. Let’s not discuss this anymore.” He directly pulled his manager out of the room.“You’ve misunderstood her; we’re not in that kind of relationship,” Leonardo stated plainly.Though he understood his artist well, the manager still felt uneasy. The girl was indeed attractive, and it was normal for Leonardo to feel drawn to her.Reading the manager’s suspicious expression, Leonardo suppressed his unease and said, “Don’t worry; I’m not interested in her and won’t date her.”Hearing this assurance, the manager’s expression improved a little. “That’s best. Don’t worry; the company will quickly suppress this matter. But you must remember, no dating.”Knowing the manager was looking out for him and the company, Leonardo nodded.Unbeknownst to them, M
Cassandra was unaware that after William had asked her to be his wingwoman, he had already confessed his feelings to Mariah—only to be rejected on the spot.That day, they had talked a lot.Strangely, after being turned down, William didn’t feel as devastated as he had imagined. Instead, he felt as if a weight had been lifted off his chest, bringing him a sense of relief.William had long suspected from Mariah’s behavior that she didn’t have feelings for him. His years of affection had made it difficult for him to let go. However, Mariah’s decisive rejection had given him a fresh start, allowing him to fully release those feelings.Even now, hearing Mariah’s request didn’t stir any emotions within him.When Mariah heard William agree, she immediately said, “William, I think the sooner we go public, the better. If we wait too long, it might affect Leonardo’s life.”William furrowed h
Knock knock.The sudden sound of knocking interrupted the two's thoughts.It was Luca, who was worried about Vanessa and had followed her to the hospital, bringing along some late-night snacks.“Are you hungry? I brought some snacks. Want to eat?” Luca waved the food in front of Vanessa, but she showed little reaction, and Mariah shook her head as well.Clearly, neither of them had much of an appetite at the moment.However, seeing Luca gave Vanessa an idea.“If you have some free time, could you go talk to Cassandra?”“Talk to Cassandra? Is she sick too?” Luca looked confused.“Of course not! What I mean is, can you find a chance to chat with her and see who she actually likes?”Vanessa
At that time, Vanessa was at the hospital taking care of Mariah. Mariah suddenly stopped scrolling through her phone and looked at Vanessa, hesitating to speak.“What’s wrong? If you have something to say, just say it directly,” Vanessa said, frowning.Mariah didn’t know how to start, hinting, “Uh... Vanessa, why don’t you check your phone?”It was only then that Vanessa noticed the content Mariah had shared with her. She read the entire message with a blank expression, but her heart was already in turmoil.She had clearly sent Luca to check on things, and something might have happened between him and Cassandra, but why did she still feel upset?Meanwhile, Luca had just arrived at the office when he noticed the strange looks from his employees. Feeling puzzled, he didn’t think much of it.It wasn’t until his assistant had looked at him multiple times throughout the morning that Luca final
Luca felt a deep sense of guilt. As he watched Cassandra's career plummet, he could no longer sit idly by. He instructed his assistant, "Get everything ready; I'm going to hold a press conference later.""A press conference?" The assistant was puzzled, as there were no new products from the K Group to launch."Yes, to clarify some rumors about Cassandra."Understanding, the assistant set off to prepare for the press conference.However, somehow, this matter reached the ears of the board members, and they unanimously opposed Luca's suggestion."President, I think we shouldn't hold a press conference. This scandal has increased our visibility; if we leverage this hype well, it could be beneficial for K Group's future development.""Exactly, President. Although K Group is a big company, we still need recognition. This is free exposure for us."Hearing the words from below, Luca's frown deepened. "Enough. K Group does not need this kind o
Seeing this, Vanessa elaborated, "Mariah wanted to protect Leonardo, so she asked William to pretend to be her boyfriend. William might have liked Mariah before, but now he has someone else he likes."Before Cassandra could feel happy about the first part of that statement, her mood plummeted at the latter half.Vanessa didn’t notice the change and continued, "However, they’ve changed their minds again. After your incident, William and Mariah don’t plan to pretend to be a couple anymore."The thought that her situation had influenced William’s decision made Cassandra feel a flutter of excitement, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he cared about her.But if they weren’t pretending to be a couple, what would happen to Leonardo?Cassandra voiced her concerns, and Vanessa reassured her, "You’re barely holding it together; why worry about others? Don’t worry, everything is fine with Leonardo. He’ll
A day had passed, but the overnight scandal involving Cassandra and Luca showed no signs of dying down. Instead, the uproar online grew louder.An anonymous user even dug up old photos of Cassandra and Luca together, claiming the two had known each other for a long time. Some netizens fixated on Cassandra’s expressions in the pictures, saying that she had admired Luca back then, with her eyes full of affection for him. This, they argued, only proved the accusations of her having ulterior motives.Under these posts, the comments were filled with sarcasm and insults directed at Cassandra.Some users even went to the social media pages of brands still working with Cassandra, threatening to boycott their products unless they canceled her endorsement deals, putting enormous pressure on the companies.At this point, Cassandra was practically trapped at home. Her agent, Nicole, ordered her to stay off the internet and avoid reading the posts and comments.
Ever since William met Cassandra, he feared rumors would surface that could harm her reputation, so he didn’t stay at her house that night.Even though he left, William couldn’t stop worrying about her. Despite repeatedly reminding Cassandra not to open the entertainment news sections or care about the hateful comments, the barrage of insults still infuriated him. He couldn’t bear the thought of Cassandra reading those words and feeling hurt.William knew that he was already deeply involved, but he accepted it willingly.Determined to help her get through the storm, William devised a plan—to confess his feelings as soon as possible. He believed that if they were together, it would give her the strength to leave the scandal behind.A confession was something a man had to take the lead on, and William had made up his mind. But uncertainty gnawed at him—what if Cassandra didn’t feel the same? This thought
"Uh...," the maid hesitated and asked, "What about Mr. Kensington now?"Hearing this, Beatriz snorted with laughter. "What a loyal little dog you are, still worrying about your master at a time like this. But you might be disappointed—Grandpa Kensington is gone, and you shouldn't expect anything from him anymore."The maid froze at these words, seemingly unable to believe that a perfectly fine person could just disappear like that."Have you thought it over? Or should I give you more time?" Beatriz fixed her gaze on the maid without blinking.At this point, the maid realized that her and her brother's lives were completely in the hands of the woman in front of her, leaving her with no real options."I'll help you identify Vanessa," she pleaded, "but please keep your promise to let me and my brother go afterward. He’s my only family; I can’t let anything happen t
The maid fell unconscious after being hit. Beatriz quickly found a sturdy rope and securely tied her up, throwing her into the storage room.Looking at Ezra, who stood in the living room looking bewildered, Beatriz approached to comfort him. “Ezra, don’t be afraid. Leave this to Mommy; you go upstairs and rest.”As she spoke, Beatriz fetched her son’s medication and fed it to him. Originally meant to control his emotions, she had secretly replaced it with sleeping pills.Ezra had no idea, and after taking the medicine, he soon drifted into a deep sleep.Beatriz went downstairs and searched the living room, finding Grandpa Kensington’s phone. She opened the contacts, found Vanessa’s number, and sent her a message asking her to come to the residence immediately.When Vanessa saw the message, she was puzzled.Why would Grandpa
Leo, are you really okay?” the assistant asked cautiously.Leonardo's tone had lightened. “I’m fine. You all don’t need to worry about me. This matter doesn’t really affect me. I could withdraw from the industry to accommodate those people, but if I do leave, I’ll do so cleanly—no one will be able to throw dirt on me.”Hearing such assertive words, the assistant felt reassured, realizing this was the boss she knew.That night, Leonardo posted a message on his personal social media account:"First of all, I want to apologize to everyone who has supported me for a long time and made you worry. However, you don’t need to be too scared about my downfall. I have always believed that those who are innocent will clear their names. No one will pin false accusations on me for things I didn’t do.Secondly, I have an i
The company executives hesitated upon hearing her words.Beatriz sensed their indecision and continued, “Mr. Salt, just look at it. Leonardo has already terminated his contract with the company. I understand you want to help him as an old employer, but think about it: you’re all in the same entertainment circle. Now that he’s left the company, conflicts over resources with other artists are inevitable. Do you really believe that when the time comes, he’ll still remember these feelings? It’s only a matter of time before the relationship deteriorates.”Hearing this, the other party recalled how such situations were common in the entertainment industry and hesitated even more.Seeing their reluctance to make a decision, Beatriz grew impatient and considered abandoning this pawn.Just then, the other party finally relented, “Alright, Miss Langley, I’ll coop
Beatriz's actions were nothing but fabrications, and they might even tarnish Ness Corp's reputation as a result.During the shareholders' meeting, Vanessa stood up and directly opposed such behavior.“How can you exploit online discourse to hype up the company? You must understand that once the company gets embroiled in such controversies, it will be difficult to extricate ourselves. Moreover, this matter is not as you claim; if it gets exposed, it will undoubtedly affect the company’s future development.”Beatriz, however, remained unfazed. She had tasted the benefits of this incident and disregarded Vanessa's warnings.Vanessa felt helpless and looked toward the other shareholders.These shareholders were indifferent.After all, for them, once Ness Corp gained recognition, its stock price would rise accordingly.For th
Vanessa walked into the living room and took out a bottle of wine. She felt overwhelmed by the emotions she had been harboring and wanted to vent them through drinking.Luca remained silent but quietly sat down beside her, nudging his glass toward her.The two shared a silent understanding, drinking one cup after another without speaking.After a few glasses, Vanessa felt a little better and finally confessed to Luca about what had just happened.“I don’t know why I had such a nightmare, but if it weren’t for me, Mariah should be very happy at this moment, not having lost her life at such a young age. I was the one who caused her harm.”Seemingly affected by Vanessa's emotions, Luca felt a pang of sympathy. He gently pulled Vanessa into his arms and comforted her, “Don’t think too much. The reason you have these dreams is that you’ve put
Luca and Isla exchanged a knowing glance and shook their heads at Vanessa, who looked puzzled.Isla said mysteriously, “Mommy, don’t ask anymore. This is a secret between Uncle Luca and me, and you can’t tell anyone.”Upon hearing this, Vanessa didn’t press further but secretly observed their interactions, sensing that they were hiding something from her.Seeing her mother’s expression, Isla felt a twinge of guilt and asked Luca again, “Uncle, can’t you really tell Mommy? I can see she really wants to know.”Actually, whether Vanessa knew about the situation wasn’t the main issue. Luca was worried that if she found out, she would directly refuse him or say something that would hurt him. He had tried before, but it hadn’t gone well. He feared that Vanessa would reject him again.Luca didn’t know how to express
Although everyone was reluctant to part with Mariah, they all understood that this was the procedure that couldn’t be disrupted. Vanessa had no choice but to turn away, pretending not to see, as if that would somehow dull the pain of separation.Considering everyone’s emotions, the police, before leaving, solemnly said, “Don’t worry, we will return the body to you soon. We will also initiate an immediate investigation and provide you with answers.”In truth, the answers didn’t matter much anymore. A person could not be brought back to life; what could be more significant than a life lost?Moreover, everyone present knew that the culprit was Beatriz, but without any evidence, they could only swallow their bitterness in silence.After Mariah was taken away, the remaining few had no reason to stay at the hospital and each returned home.As soon as
As the surrounding reporters multiplied, Luca furrowed his brow, unsure of what to do.Leonardo’s expression darkened noticeably as he listened to the barrage of questions from the reporters.Just as he was about to act, a doctor emerged from the chaos, frowning and angrily shouting, “What are you doing? This is a hospital. There are patients inside who need peace and quiet. Get out of here and stop causing trouble at the hospital entrance!”The reporters seemed to ignore the doctor’s words, their frenzy undiminished.However, the doctor’s admonition reminded Leonardo that he couldn’t afford to make a scene here, or things would spiral completely out of control.But just because Leonardo was holding back didn’t mean Luca had to do the same.Seeing the reporters targeting Mariah with their questions, the veins on Luca'