During the second group assessment in the trainee camp, Isabella found that due to the reversal of public opinion, many people wanted to be in a group with her. Zinnia, Lylia, and Masha all joined her team.
Coincidentally, the group limit was four members, and they delivered an excellent performance.
After their performance, the scores would be combined with votes from fans online to determine which one-third of the hundred participants would be eliminated.
Before the list was announced, to create an emotional atmosphere, the show’s production team allowed the trainees to call their family and friends, showcasing heartwarming moments.
Seizing this opportunity, Cynthia immediately called her father, discussing how Isabella was in the trainee camp. As expected, her father reprimanded her, accusing her of doing things without informing the family.
It was unexpected that ‘Next Girls’ had become a major hit, especially with Isabella stunning everyone on her debut stage. This had catapulted her into the spotlight, and the rumors surrounding her and Derek had further increased her fame. As they walked down the street, some people recognized her.But unlike other rising stars, Isabella had a unique status—she was both popular and controversial. Thus, when people saw her, they didn’t rush over for selfies or autographs. Instead, they simply took out their phones and began filming her.Isabella understood that if she chose the path of acting, she would inevitably face this kind of attention. She didn’t mind it for herself, but with Lucius beside her, who wasn’t part of the industry, she wanted to protect him from being photographed. She stepped forward and said to the two girls, “Hi, were you just filming us?”“No, I was just taking pictures of the scenery. I wasn’
Within an hour, he had gathered all the information into a report and sent it to Lucius’s phone. He also managed to block all negative comments about Isabella across the internet.He made sure that all terms related to her were blacklisted in search engines on major platforms, hoping this would quell Lucius’s fury.He worked efficiently; Lysander knew him well.It turned out that after the ‘Next Girls’ announcement, Knight Entertainment had quickly arranged for both Isabella and Masha to participate. To prevent Masha from overshadowing Isabella, they had even scheduled them to perform separately.Knight Entertainment had been trying to promote Isabella, but the subsequent editing had taken an unexpected turn.The staff misunderstood Isabella's background, assuming she only wanted fame. As a result, they failed to consult the higher-ups and allowed her to become 'controv
Samuel continued to chatter about how he wanted to help Isabella as he walked alongside her up to the fourth floor of the dormitory.However, his so-called help amounted to nothing more than empty words, with no real action to back it up. It was as if he were blind, completely oblivious to the fact that Isabella was juggling bags in both hands, walking slowly while having to endure his incessant buzzing in her ear like a fly.Isabella had long grown accustomed to Samuel's annoying presence.If she responded to him, it would only encourage him to be even more persistent.So, she decided to pretend she hadn’t heard him at all, giving him no reaction.But the girl and her father following them up the stairs could no longer stand it. Her father pointed at Samuel and gently advised, “If you really want to help, you should take the girl’s things and carry them for her. Just t
Isabella hadn’t kept up with the rumors circulating online. After leaving the training camp, she was eager to get home, took a flight back, and rushed to her house. With the start of the new school term approaching, she had been busy eating out and shopping with Lucius, completely forgetting to address the rumors.The rumors continued to spread like wildfire online.But regardless, other people were now being dragged into the mess, and Isabella knew she couldn’t let things continue to spiral out of control.After a quick lunch in the cafeteria with Celia, Isabella hurried back to her dorm and called Mr. Derek.“Mr. Derek, this is Isabella.”“Oh, Isabella, aren’t you still at the training camp?” Mr. Derek was surprised to receive Isabella’s call.“I was eliminated. Recently, there have been rumors circulating that I have an improper relationship with
After hastily apologizing to Isabella, Samuel quickly redirected the conversation back to romance.Once he finished speaking, he let out a light sigh and was about to say something else to Isabella. However, after rambling on for a while without hearing any response from her, he glanced at his phone and realized she had already hung up.The post had been deleted, and this makeshift forum run by students didn’t have any backup features, so Isabella couldn’t use it to track down who was scheming against her.However, this person was indeed very suspicious, seemingly intent on ruining her reputation.Isabella was currently just an insignificant actress with very little fame; aside from Cynthia and her mother, who would want to target her like this?“Hello, are you Isabella Rivera from Next Girl?” A new person had entered the dorm room; it was Melissa.
When Lucius got home, he found Isabella in the kitchen wearing an apron, cooking. The delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen to the entrance of the living room, greeting Lucius the moment he walked through the door.Although this place was small—perhaps not even one-tenth the size of his residence—it filled Lucius with an overwhelming sense of warmth and happiness.He thought to himself that it would be wonderful if the days ahead could be as eternally beautiful as this moment.As he walked toward the kitchen, he wrapped his arms around Isabella from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder, leaning into her. In that embrace, they both felt each other's heartbeat and the fragrance surrounding them.“Bella, thank you for preparing this dinner for me. Just the smell is making me so hungry. You’ve worked hard,” Lucius said, savoring the scent of Isa
After leaving the training camp, she received countless messages from people wanting to cut ties with her.The entertainment news had exposed Cynthia's true colors, making those wealthy young men who had been deceived by her finally wake up.But she thought, let those small fry go; after feeling down for a while, Cynthia came to realize that Samuel was her best option.With the situation having escalated so dramatically, Samuel hadn’t even called to confront her, which led Cynthia to misinterpret the situation, believing he must love her dearly. He didn’t care about the photos and videos, and he must trust her, thinking the person in those clips wasn’t her.Feeling somewhat reassured, Cynthia decided to call Samuel.“Samuel!” As soon as the call connected, her sweet voice rang out.However, on the other end, Samuel’s response was cold and indifferen
Since Carlos had already decided that it was Isabella’s fault, if Regina spoke up for Isabella, it would only add fuel to the fire, making him even angrier with his biological daughter.“Mom is right. Maybe it’s just that my sister doesn’t understand the seriousness of the situation. Dad, you should clearly explain to her the urgency of the matter and make her pull herself together. She shouldn’t always be hanging around with that good-for-nothing boy who depends on her for a living. A daughter of the Rivera family is too precious to be associating with someone like that,” Cynthia said, cleverly fanning the flames and deepening the rift between father and daughter.Her insinuations suggested that Isabella, as Carlos’s biological daughter, was not nearly as good as his stepdaughter. The Rivera family had already suffered significant financial losses and was facing a massive crisis, yet Isabella was out there enjoying herself and keeping a
As if reading her thoughts, Lucius embraced her and held her face, looking into her eyes. “I love you,” he admitted, his gaze unwavering. “I always have. Ever since the first time we met, I admired your strength and your passion. I wanted to be someone you could rely on, someone who would stand by you, even if it meant hiding who I was.”Isabella searched his eyes for any sign of deception, but all she found was raw honesty. The realization settled within her like a weight being lifted. The anger that had flared between them now seemed trivial compared to the bond they had forged through adversity. “No more secrets, okay?”“Agreed,” he said, relief flooding his features. “I promise to be honest with you from here on out. And please don’t worry about the Rivera Corporation. I’ll help you resolve everything.”“You know?” Isabella blinked, startled once again.“I said I was on a business trip because I’m helping you solve the problems at the Rivera Corporation. Your father is critically i
When Isabella finally finished her work and could take a moment to rest, she remembered that someone was waiting for her at home. She quickly took out her phone to send a message.She had expected to find numerous missed calls and messages from Lucius, given his personality, but to her surprise, there was only one message.“Bella, I’ll be busy traveling with my boss for the next few days, so don’t worry about me.”Of course, Lucius had his own life and couldn’t revolve entirely around her. Yet, for some reason, Isabella felt uneasy upon reading that message.As fatigue set in, she had no choice but to rest in the office for a while.She slept soundly until night fell and was awakened by Nate shaking her.“Miss, there’s a banquet tonight where you need to attend as the representative of the Rivera Corporation. We can't let others see us in a bad light; it’s best if you can bring in some investment for the company,” Nate said, immediately arranging for a stylist and a wardrobe for Isabe
"Are you sure it’s not needed?"“Miss, what do you mean?” Nate, perceptive and sharp, immediately understood after hearing Isabella’s words—Regina was involved.Isabella nodded and said to Nate, “Before, when I was slandered, I had a huge argument with my father because I discovered that Regina was behind the losses of the Rivera Corporation. But I only heard fragments of her conversation; I had no evidence.”“I’ll go retrieve the accounts! As long as there are financial transactions, we should be able to uncover the truth,” Nate said, quickly heading towards the company.After all, with Carlos in his current state, only the doctors and nurses could help him now.Once Nate left, no one else appeared outside the hospital room.Isabella dialed Regina’s number.
As Isabella listened to their conversation, a realization struck her. She stepped forward, hesitating for a moment before asking, “Is this the woman you saw?”Barely able to contain her excitement, she pulled out a photo of her mother and handed it to the person who had been speaking.“Yes, yes, that’s her!” The person, startled by Isabella’s sudden appearance, nodded in recognition. After all, such a beautiful woman was unforgettable after just one meeting.“I clearly remember that she was kidnapped by a man living in this building, and Regina was being chased by debt collectors. She even tried to confront that man, provoking him and putting herself at risk with those pursuing her for money.”“Oh, isn’t that just typical of her? Deep in debt and not even trying to earn her way out,” one person scoffed.“I can’t believe it!” Isabella clenched her fists in anger, her eyes wide with disbelief.Her mother had only mentioned her benefactor once,
“You don’t even share the Knight last name, and you dare to argue with me in front of my parents, and my own nephew? You really have some nerve!” Giselle coldly shot a glance at Lydia, not holding back her disdain for her. When it came to matters of interest, she didn’t even want to pretend anymore.“What do you mean I don’t share the last name? I’ve carried a Knight family member in my belly! My poor Lily is still in the hospital, all alone, receiving treatment while her mother is being bullied like this. It’s really inhumane!” Lydia put on her usual act, crying and making a scene, appealing to everyone’s sympathy for her sick daughter.Lydia was merely the daughter of a subordinate of Lucius’ father—Jay. At a banquet, she climbed the social ladder and successfully became Jay’s mistress, even getting pregnant.She gave birth to a daughter, Lily Knight, but the child was born frail and weak.
“Did they send you as a negotiator?” Hearing Lysander mention the Knight family, Lucius couldn't help but sneer, dismissively saying, “They’re all useless leeches clinging to me. None of them genuinely care about my well-being.”The reason Lucius had been gravely injured in front of Isabella was recently revealed to be the work of a business competitorBut at that time, some members of the Knight family weren’t in a hurry to find him; they even tried to take advantage of his absence to seize control of the Knight Group.The ‘useless’ people Lucius referred to included his stepmother—Lydia, his aunt—Giselle, and Lydia's brother, Hans.They all had their eyes on the Knight Group, clearly incompetent and unable to do anything, yet they harbored grand ambitions of taking it for themselves.Over the years, Lucius had cleaned up many of their messes.Fo
Seeing that the crowd was about to be won over by Isabella, Samuel couldn’t hold back his frustration any longer. He turned and walked away, almost fleeing, and his back looked utterly defeated.“I do not regret choosing Aetheron Film Academy; it has always been my dream school because it is open-minded and inclusive, a place where all aspiring performers wish to be. So today, I will not shy away from being broad-minded and accommodating of everyone’s opinions. Now that I stand on this stage, I am not just myself; I am embodying a character whose image is open to any judgment. Thus, I welcome all your doubts.”“However, I also hope everyone can think critically and analyze dialectically. It’s best to bring strong evidence before questioning me. When you defame me, don’t just follow the crowd; have your own insights. If you have grievances against me, feel free to confront me directly; I am never afraid.”“Lastly, I
Clearly, Isabella's powerful presence had intimidated them.In the audience, surrounded by so many people, it was easy for them to hurl defamatory remarks and throw a few paper balls without fear of being immediately identified by Isabella. They felt shielded by their large numbers.But when Isabella asked who among them could replace her, no one dared to speak up. Many of them bowed their heads, afraid to meet her gaze, fearing that if they made eye contact with her, they might be called up to the stage.However, not everyone present was without courage. Some were accustomed to bullying Isabella under the cover of numbers, while others genuinely disliked her due to the rumors circulating about her. One of these was Molly.Glancing around, Molly noticed that those who had thrown things the hardest were silent, not daring to contradict Isabella. Without fear, she stood up, becoming the center
After wrapping up the matter, Isabella went to Aetheron Film Academy for classes.Today was her opening ceremony, and due to her excellent grades, she had been chosen to represent the freshmen and give a speech.Such things had always been routine for Isabella.Having excelled academically throughout her life, Isabella was not intimidated at all; she delivered her speech as the representative of the new students with great fluency. “I’m very happy to enter Aetheron Film Academy and become a diligent student of Aetheron. In the near future, we will surely be the creators of this glorious era.”However, just as she was concluding her speech, someone in the audience threw a rotten egg at her, hitting her squarely.Wearing a pure white dress that day, the foul-smelling egg not only covered her in a terrible odor but also instantly stained her dress, causing the crowd to eru