"Who posted this?" "The top paparazzi in the entertainment industry did. They confirmed the rumor about you," the girl replied smugly."So don’t take the audience for fools."Brandon stood there in silence, feeling like a complete fool himself. With a dark expression, he said to the two girls, "I don't have time to argue with you."The girl smirked. "You're feeling guilty, that's why you can't continue arguing.""Better hurry back to the inn and check on your angel," she added with a teasing tone. "She’s lying there, waiting for you to take care of her after fainting at the sight of blood."Brandon couldn't help but emphasize, "Let me make this clear for the last time: there’s nothing inappropriate between Via and me. It’s your choice to believe it or not."Both girls shook their heads without hesitation. "Of course, we don’t believe you."Brandon sighed, feeling like a huge burden had just dropped on his head. "You’re absolutely unreasonable," he muttered, realizing it was impossibl
Alex looked at Brandon's furious expression. Instead of feeling sympathy, he almost wanted to laugh at his misfortune. Could Raymond really be behind this? If so, Alex thought, “Well done, Ray!”During the first episode of the show, Alex had been set up by Olivia and was publicly ridiculed. Brandon had mocked him then, enjoying his misery. But now, the tables had turned, and it was finally Brandon’s turn to face the backlash.Both brothers had landed on the trending searches for being too close to Olivia, and now Brandon had taken it even further. If he managed to escape the consequences, it would be incredibly unfair to the rest of them. This was perfect. If they were brothers, they should all get scolded together...Neither of them considered that it might have been Oliver who leaked the video. They were both convinced Raymond was the culprit.After Brandon had ranted enough, Alex finally spoke, "Let’s go, back to the inn."Luckily, the street was quiet; otherwise, Brandon’s
Brandon couldn’t agree more. "Exactly. That jerk is getting more and more petty.""When we get back, I’m definitely going to settle this with him," he said, his voice filled with frustration.Olivia nodded in agreement. "We have to. What does humiliating us get him anyway? He’s so narrow-minded, pulling a stunt that harms everyone without gaining anything himself. It’s ridiculous."She could already imagine the fallout. Not only were they getting criticized, but their parents would likely be furious too. And once they returned, there was no telling if the blame would fall on her again. She felt incredibly wronged."Brandon, I really did faint from the sight of blood last night. You’re not mad at me, are you?"Her expression was serious as she promised, "I’ll return your luck once the show is over, I swear." She’d just find a way to delay it later.Brandon was only half convinced, but what could he do? He couldn’t exactly force her to fix things right now. So, he nodded. "Alright, af
The next morning, the three groups gradually came downstairs for breakfast. Olivia, as if nothing had happened, arrived looking radiant, her makeup sweet and flawless. In contrast, Brandon looked drained, clearly having not slept well the night before. His weary expression was hard to miss.Seeing the stark difference between them, everyone couldn’t help but marvel at Olivia's composure. Her mental fortitude was remarkable—no wonder she could play the Harper brothers like puppets.After breakfast, the groups prepared to head out to earn money for the day. Elric, having spent so much time with Lindsay, had picked up on many of her habits: observe, ask questions, plan, and then act. So, while he was working as a server the day before, he chatted with the restaurant owner and the other servers, picking up useful information.He learned that a tailor shop on the main street had been looking for temporary models to wear their traditional-style clothing. The job was simple: put on the sh
But those two annoying people thinking they could just slack off and take it easy? Dream on.Brandon's face darkened as he felt cornered by the pair. "It’s not like we can’t find other work. Do you really need to talk like that?"He turned to Olivia. "How about we go look for another job? We’ve got our pride."He really didn’t want to stand there and be stared at by everyone. But Olivia had different thoughts. She wanted to spend more time around Elric, and besides, standing around in a beautiful outfit and getting paid for it sounded much better than the hard and dirty work of being a server, like the day before. She didn’t want to go through that again.So, she looked at Brandon and coaxed gently, "Brandon, I think Mr. Edgeworth's suggestion is great. Let’s join them."From what Elric said, they could even earn commissions by bringing in customers. For her, this was the perfect opportunity to shine.Brandon sighed, feeling like everyone was against him. Even Olivia was siding w
Olivia and Brandon had no choice but to swallow their pride and endure the treatment if they wanted to stay. The store clerk treated them like any other colleagues, nothing more, as she led them to the display area. Pointing to the clothes, she said, "These are all for the models to wear. Pick out a few and try them on."Olivia’s face darkened, and she asked the clerk, "We have to pick them ourselves? Then what are you here for?"She assumed the clerk was there to serve them, after all.The clerk was momentarily taken aback by Olivia's sharp tone, not expecting such a blunt response. Did this woman think she was some kind of servant?With a frown, the clerk replied, "We’re all just workers here. I’m helping you pick out clothes, but that doesn’t mean I’m here to wait on you.""Besides," she added, "I wouldn’t want to choose something you don’t like. You’ve got quite the reputation on the livestream for being difficult."Olivia, feeling irritated, said, "The boss asked you to help us
Now having to endure all this frustration, Brandon felt even more suffocated. He regretted ever joining this reality show. It seemed like nothing was going right, and everyone was out to make things harder for them.Brandon was ready to give up, but Olivia pulled him along, selecting a few outfits for him to try on. She picked out a few for herself as well, determined to let their sales performance speak for itself and prove those two store clerks wrong.Once they had chosen their outfits, they headed to the makeup artist. While the artist’s attitude was cool, she didn’t sabotage anything and matched their makeup and accessories to the clothes they’d selected.When they were ready and went downstairs, they saw Elric and Wendy already working, asking the staff about the fabric, materials, and other details of the clothes. They were engaging with the store workers, asking plenty of questions.Olivia and Brandon didn’t feel like joining them. They weren’t serious about this kind of work
Seeing someone familiar with Olivia walk in, Brandon asked, "Who’s this?"Olivia replied, "He’s a college classmate."Both Brandon and Olivia had studied abroad, but not at the same school. Still, the guy looked familiar to Brandon. There had been a time when Olivia would go out with a group of friends, and this guy was part of that crowd. He vaguely remembered him because the guy was also from a wealthy family and liked to party.Brandon gave him a polite greeting, which the guy returned just as cordially. Since they didn’t know each other well, there wasn’t much small talk.Olivia then led her classmate over to pick out some clothes, steering him toward the most expensive options and suggesting he try them on. Whatever she recommended, he bought without hesitation.As he checked out, his gaze toward Olivia held a hint of flirtation. It was clear they knew each other well, and while they didn’t have any physical contact, their interactions seemed overly familiar, almost flirtatiou
In the vibrant district of the historic town, the streets were lined with vintage boutiques and various artisan stalls. Lindsay's group visited the town’s administration office and rented a temporary booth.Alex and Justin eagerly borrowed a table and chairs, setting up the booth. Following Lindsay's instructions, they also bought a piece of white fabric and worked together to create a simple sign. The production team provided markers and other supplies.Lindsay glanced over at Benedict and said, "Benedict, I’ll let you handle writing the banner."She was eager to observe his writing and the energy he gave off while doing it.Benedict sighed inwardly—this girl was constantly trying to test him. After a moment’s thought, he nodded. "Alright, I’ll write it."He grabbed a marker, uncapped it, and wrote in bold letters across the white fabric: “Fortune Telling, Divination, and Tarot Readings.”Lindsay watched him closely, noticing the fluidity of his movements as he wrote, his posture exud
Justin added, "My mom’s been trying to get me to help Olivia and distance myself from Lindsay. She’s also said plenty of nasty things about Lindsay. This time, not only did I ignore her, but I even pushed back. It probably pissed her off, and now she’s taking it out on Lindsay."Alex, clearly upset, said, "You should talk to her and tell her to stop fixating on Lindsay. Lindsay hasn’t done anything to provoke her. It’s ridiculous."He was frustrated that Justin’s mom had been stirring up trouble, making Grace even more difficult to deal with.Justin nodded. "Alright, after the show is over, I’ll have a talk with her."He also felt his mom was acting out of line. Back when he liked Lindsay, her disapproval at least made sense. But now that Lindsay had kicked him to the curb, his mom’s continued obsession was baffling.Although they were speaking softly, Lindsay and Benedict, walking ahead, heard every word.Lindsay found the situation with Abby baffling as well. A woman who fawned over
After Lindsay left, the other guests quickly followed, leaving only Alex standing there awkwardly. He spoke briefly to the production staff, and they soon shifted the cameras away from that area. Alex then walked over to Grace, saying, "Mom, since Lindsay won’t lend it, let’s just drop it."Grace shot him a cold glare, her expression dark. "How can you be so heartless? The one lying in bed is your fourth brother. Are you hanging around Lindsay all the time just to learn how to be cold and ruthless?"Unable to contain her frustration toward Lindsay, Grace directed it at Alex instead.Alex sighed in exasperation. "Even if we need help, it has to be something she’s willing to do! We’ve wronged Lindsay enough as it is, so why do you keep trying to guilt-trip her? Brandon’s situation isn’t Lindsay’s fault. Why don’t you go find Olivia? She’s the one who caused all this, maybe she can fix it. After all, whoever’s behind her is no easy target."Right now, all Alex felt toward Lindsay was gui
Grace held back her anger and said, "It'll only take a few minutes. I have something important to discuss with you."Lindsay sat back down in her seat. "Fine, go ahead."The livestream was on, and Lindsay was fully aware of it—she was doing this on purpose.Grace was about to speak when her assistant whispered something in her ear. Her expression changed, and she subtly shifted her body to turn away from the camera.Then she looked at Lindsay. "Can we talk outside?"In her rush to find Lindsay, she had almost forgotten that this was a live-streamed variety show. She didn’t want to be on camera, much less discuss such personal matters in front of an audience.Lindsay, however, refused. "If it's important, say it here. If not, then don’t say anything."Grace’s expression darkened. "It’s because it’s important that we need to talk privately."She emphasized, "It’s not appropriate in front of the camera."Lindsay just smiled. "Unless it's something shady, what’s wrong with saying it on cam
Lindsay thought about it for a while and figured that if Grace was coming to find her, it was probably for Brandon. The only thing she could want would be the artifact in her possession.Alex saw her reply and couldn’t help but smile wryly. His sister was indeed sharp and saw right through it.He sent a voice message, repeating what the head of the Divination Association had told them. "Mom just wants to borrow the artifact from you to suppress Brandon’s condition."Lindsay replied, "Tell her not to waste her energy."Seeing that message, Alex knew right away that she wouldn’t lend it out. It didn’t surprise him—his sister could be ruthless when she wanted to be."We can’t convince her otherwise, not even Dad can stop her... sigh," Alex added. When their mom’s temper flared, she wouldn’t listen to anyone.Lindsay didn’t seem to care. "Then let her come. I’m not going to do her any favors."Alex recalled the conversation between their parents at the hospital and decided to warn her, "M
Recently, Grace had been spending more time with Abby, often meeting up for outings. Over time, Richard noticed that Grace's anger towards their biological daughter had deepened. Abby had always disliked Lindsay and showed more favoritism towards Olivia. She must have been stirring up trouble and egging Grace on whenever they met. With time, Grace was bound to be influenced.Grace, clearly annoyed, said, "You even want to control who I make friends with? Aren't you going too far? What's wrong with me getting along with Mrs. Ford and spending more time with her?"Richard felt cornered. "I just think there's something off about her. Her intentions in getting close to you don't seem good. That's why I'm trying to give you a heads-up."Grace didn't believe him at all. "I think you're overthinking it. We’ve always had a decent relationship. We’re just closer now, that’s all.""What do you men know about women’s matters? Don't interfere." She now had plenty to talk about with Abby. Jenny wa
Richard glanced at Grace with clear disapproval. “This whole mess was caused by Olivia and Brandon. What does any of it have to do with Lindsay?”He could tell that recent events, and the embarrassment caused by their sons, had left his wife feeling bitter. It seemed she had begun to project that frustration onto Lindsay, despite the situation having little to do with her.Grace crossed her arms defensively. “If it wasn’t for her ongoing fight with Olivia, Brandon wouldn’t have gotten involved. He’s her brother. Doesn’t she owe him some consideration now that he’s in this condition?”Richard frowned. “What exactly are you trying to say?”Valarie, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up, her displeasure clear. “I see it differently. It’s Olivia and your son who started the trouble, and all Lindsay did was defend herself. Are you really looking to embarrass yourselves even more?”Grace shifted uncomfortably, feeling the sting of her mother-in-law’s words. “I’m just thinking abou
Given the Harper family's persistence, there was no way the Divination Association could avoid a thorough investigation. Seeing that Randolph wouldn’t back down, the official left, courteously escorted out by Randolph, who, for the moment, had ceased his protests.Valarie carefully placed the multicolored stone inside a small protective pouch before securing it around Brandon's neck. Though he felt a slight relief after putting it on, the bad luck continued. As the official had warned, his misfortune was too severe for one artifact to fully contain.Randolph tried every connection he had, attempting to borrow a second artifact, but came up empty-handed. Time slipped by, and evening approached before they could find any further solutions.By the time Richard and Grace arrived at the hospital, they were met with the weary faces of their parents. Feeling guilty for everything his father had gone through, Richard bowed his head. "Dad, Mom, I'm so sorry you had to go through this today."
Hearing their words, the hope that had briefly flickered in Brandon’s eyes quickly faded, leaving him more devastated than before. "Grandfather, I know I was wrong," he muttered, finally realizing the truth. His foster sister had been nothing but trouble—far from trustworthy, she had been a constant source of harm. Meanwhile, his real sister, though harsh and distant, had proven to be far more reliable. Regret gnawed at him deeply.Randolph sighed, his voice heavy with disappointment. “Knowing you’re wrong doesn’t change anything. It’s too late now.”Turning back to the two mystics, Randolph asked, “If you can’t break the curse directly, could you at least help suppress his misfortune? Maybe with a protective charm or some kind of mystical object?”Despite his frustration with his grandson’s foolishness, he couldn’t just leave him to suffer.Both mystics exchanged uneasy glances. “We don’t have the ability to suppress his bad luck with charms.”“For something like that, you’d need t