The man's voice grew even more impatient. "Then what's the point of going?""But I've bought the tickets. Each one cost over a hundred dollars," the woman murmured."My friends want to go. Give me the tickets. I'll have them go instead.""Can't we go?""The back row is too far. Can I even hear anything from there? Get someone to deliver the tickets to me now!" The man's tone was full of commands."How about I find a scalper? They should have VIP tickets," the woman suggested reluctantly. She opened her contact list to search for someone.The video call continued.At the top of the stairs, around the corner, Thomas took out his phone and began texting Liesel. "This woman is being manipulated. If her boyfriend gets the tickets, he'll surely take another woman to the concert."Liesel nodded."Should we help her?" Thomas asked.They exchanged glances. Liesel hesitated. As a woman, of course, she wanted to help prevent this fiasco, but intervening in someone else's personal matter
Alisha's crying suddenly stopped.Since she was working at the research institute, her intelligence was not in question. She had probably always known her boyfriend didn't truly care about her.Perhaps she had even wanted to escape this unhealthy relationship. But under the mental control over time, she had lost the ability to resist.Austin's appearance was an opportunity for a way out."I-I'll sell you the tickets." Alisha's voice was choked, but her tone had calmed.Upon hearing that, her boyfriend had lost all reason. He shouted and cursed, making a fool of himself. "You bitch! Those are my tickets! How dare you sell them? How could you date a boy toy behind my back? Are you crazy?""Shut up! I'm going to talk to Ms. Olsen about the concert. Please don't bother us." Austin seemed to have taken the phone from Alisha and ended the video call."Stop crying. Let me take you to wash your face. He doesn't deserve you…"The door opened with a slight creak, and the soft comforting
Liesel noticed that Austin and Alisha grew closer, and her interest in Austin reignited. She visited the cafeteria almost every day to observe Austin's every move.It was only during meals that Howard's researchers were able to leave their labs and meet with employees from the research department.The cafeteria became a place for Austin and Alisha's dates.Alisha seemed to have broken up with her boyfriend. For a while, she appeared very downcast. Austin made efforts at the table to lighten the mood. He would tell jokes and share stories and amusing anecdotes from work to help Alisha move past the darkness.The two grew closer, often appearing together.But in just half a month, they drifted apart. When they met, they didn't greet each other. They merely walked past each other as if they were strangers.Had they fallen out?Liesel didn't think the answer she saw was the full truth. The more they tried to avoid suspicion, the deeper their relationship might have been behind close
Jeffrey's lips were dry, and fear was evident in his eyes. "No... I can't... I can't do that... They can't insult Heather..."Despite everything, he still refused to utter a single word against Heather.Natalie trembled with rage."You're the evil one all this time, and now you're pretending to be romantic? You love Heather, but did she love you? She betrayed you a long time ago! She never loved you!"She tried to frame you! Isn't that what you said? If it weren't for her plot, you wouldn't have ended up in bed with my mom, and I wouldn't even exist! Heather's the truly vile and malicious one! She ruined all our lives! She's the real sinner!"It was all Heather's fault.If not for Heather, her mother wouldn't have become a mistress, and she wouldn't have been an illegitimate child. It was all because of Heather that she could never hold her head high in life."Shut up! Don't talk about her like that!"Jeffrey's face twisted in fury as he slapped Natalie hard across the face. "S
Natalie continued, "He just didn't want to raise a child who isn't his own flesh and blood. Is that a crime? Years ago, Zack was an upstanding teacher. Who could've predicted he'd later become a gambling addict? Who would've known that he'd do those despicable things?"My dad tried his best to find Xavier a better place. He's already done more than enough. It's unreasonable to expect him to keep caring for the disgrace left behind by his deceased wife for over a decade. Show me a man who would do that.""The ones in the wrong are the Scotts, not my dad!"The reporters were stunned.Nobody had expected this. How did Heather get involved?"H-Heather wouldn't do something like that. From what I heard, Xavier was born after Heather and Jeffrey divorced. Besides, Jeffrey cheated on Heather. Otherwise, how do you explain your existence as a love child?"Some reporters, who were fans of Heather, turned their cameras on Natalie. They challenged her accusations with fierce determination.
The internet buzzed with outrage and intrigue."Heather is Liesel's mother. Heather Mallone is the woman who first proposed the research into 3D holography at Draskia. She was the one who had her notebook sold for an insane price recently and had won design awards abroad."The daughter of the Mallone family, raised as the heiress, could never be a weakling. I didn't believe for a second she was ever humiliated into suicide!"Another netizen commented, "Exactly! That's Heather we're talking about! Who would dare betray a woman like her? Do you know how ruthless she was in the business world? She could destroy your company with a single word! Liesel may seem harsh, but compared to Heather, Liesel is soft-hearted!""Who does Jeffrey think he is to betray Heather? If he tried, she'd castrate him in a heartbeat. I totally believe this!"This was related to the Sharp family, and those who had been paying attention to it were all from high society. The scandal had dragged too many people
Jeffrey had a heart attack at home out of sheer anger. After he took his medication and regained consciousness, the first thing he did was point at Natalie and accuse her."Why did you say that? You better explain yourself! It was your mom who seduced me! Heather had nothing to do with this!" he spat.Natalie merely shoved him aside and scoffed coldly."Even now, you're still worried about Heather's reputation? You're so blinded by love for her that you can't see she doesn't care about you at all! My mom may have had designs on you, but if it wasn't for Heather's scheming, you two would never have ended up in bed together!""That still doesn't—"Natalie shoved her phone in front of Jeffrey. "Take a good look. It's Xavier being attacked right now, not your precious Heather!"Hearing those words, Jeffrey finally fell silent.As her gaze fixed on him, she clenched her teeth tightly in frustration. Her anger bubbled over, and once again, she hired online trolls to flood the internet
The Heather Mallone Jeffrey had married was actually someone with the same name. In other words, everyone had been played by Heather.From the beginning to the end, there had never been a real marriage between Heather and Jeffrey. She only used him for her own benefit.The post showed a wedding photo and certificate of marriage between Jeffrey and another woman named Heather Mallone.The foreign company offered a brief explanation, but it was obvious what they meant.It was nothing more than a warning to certain people that Xavier and Liesel were not Jeffrey's children. They were Heather's bloodline and had no connection to the Sharp family.Jeffrey's infidelity was true as well. He had an affair with Natalie's mother, Angeline Herrera, during his marriage to the other Heather. And that was how Natalie came into the picture.Jeffrey was the only one who had cheated.Natalie felt a wave of dizziness.How could this be? How could this happen? Why would Heather do this?Heather's
"Dad, Mom. Yvonne has always been filming on set this whole time. How could she have offended Chelsea? It probably has nothing to do with Chelsea."As soon as Brandon finished speaking, Sebastian and Veronica thought his words made sense. However, Yvonne became sheepish and didn't say a word.She had sought out Sebastian, Veronica, and Brandon to seek justice for her, yet she felt extremely embarrassed. She continued sobbing, sounding sadder than ever."Yvonne, what's going on? Say something! I won't know what actually happened if you keep crying!" Veronica was so upset that she began tearing up.Yvonne threw herself into Veronica's arms. "Mom! What am I going to do? They're going to blacklist me from the industry. What should I do…"Brandon's eyes twitched. He felt that something wasn't right. He wondered if Yvonne had gone viral after offending someone in the entertainment industry.Brandon's heart raced as he scrolled through the Twitter trends. His heart sank instantly, and h
Yvonne had fallen to that point. She couldn't continue falling any further and get embroiled in more scandals. She averted her gaze as she took off in a hurry. Even at a distance, she could still hear the crew members mocking her name loudly while insulting her. As soon as Yvonne entered the elevator, she could no longer hold back her tears. By the time she left the elevator and reached the car, she was already a crying mess. She leaned against the steering wheel and sobbed nonstop. Once she had cried enough, she drove back to Zima Villa as her last hope. At that point, she was forced to return to beg her parents, Sebastian Zima and Veronica Pole. Meanwhile, Joseph had kept an eye on Ophelia's situation. He always had been one to keep up with the gossip and not interfere no matter how bad things got. He even intentionally messaged Edward, leaving him uneasy after learning what happened to Ophelia. Joseph: "Are you aware that Ophelia has been bullied?"Joseph: "Do you remembe
How could Yvonne say that her fans were for her to exploit? That was one way to drive her fans away completely. They weren't pathetic for wanting to idolize someone.Yvonne's remaining fans tagged her on Twitter to demand answers, but she dared not respond at all. A few of her die-hard fans were left dismayed and completely disappointed in her. This prompted them to announce their departure from the fandom. Meanwhile, her remaining fans were clueless and couldn't make much impact.The video exposing Yvonne's true colors triggered a new trend "A Discussion About The Relationship Between Idols And Their Fans". Many inevitably brought up Chelsea, and Damian's fans chimed in that he was even more gentle and considerate. He even beat up a worker for stalking his fans, and that revelation earned Damian more fans.The fiasco this time had caused a wave of discussion about fans in the entertainment industry. Fans were made aware of their status so they would understand that they weren't
"I don't believe idols are superior to their fans. We're equals—our bond is mutual. We're responsible for accompanying each other and growing together."Chelsea popped a signed photograph into a paper bag and handed it to her loyal fan next to her. She continued, "Some became my fans because of my looks and performance. "All these are definitely important, but I hope they continue being my fans in the future because of my character and excellent talents."I hope my fans will notice my efforts, and they'll do the same as I did—walk toward the future with determination. The fans' support and admiration will give me more confidence, and my hard work will also inspire my fans to be better."Chelsea confidently walked away from the crowd to Ophelia and took out a wet wipe to dry the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Becoming a fan doesn't mean you should exhaust yourself. "Idolizing others is also a great way to improve yourself. An idol is like a guiding light. If she doesn't hel
While Ophelia had been quite harsh, her eyes turned red as soon as she spun on her heel. She had been Yvonne's fan for so many years and idolized her. It wasn't easy for Ophelia to simply dislike her right away.But Ophelia knew that she would really be a fool if she continued looking up to Yvonne. The snippet of the exchange ended there. After that, Ophelia and the others left the backstage area with reddened eyes. It was crowded outside the performance venue. Many held red LED boards, and some even held Chelsea's fan merchandise. One glance at them told Ophelia that they were Chelsians.While it seemed crowded, everyone was actually standing in two lines in an orderly fashion. Chelsea cheerfully handed out small gift bags to her fans. Afraid that Chelsea might exhaust herself, some fans took the initiative to help her hand out the bags. Others obediently distributed hot bubble tea Chelsea had bought as well. Since the weather was getting colder, she was worried that the fans wo
A twisted expression crossed Yvonne's face. "Your love for me has always been superficial! You supported me because of my looks!"Once better and prettier idols debut, you'll immediately switch sides and support them! Why should I give back so much to fans like you?"Yvonne pointed at the door. "Look how many people have shown support for Chelsea after she debuted? How many of my fans have turned into Chelsians and how many of them even started insulting me online?"Your support has always been ridiculous and superficial! What's wrong with me for taking advantage of people like you? "Fans who stan idols have always been childish and ridiculous! Serve all of you right for being so useless! Those in their right minds would never keep up with any idols!""Have you gone mad?" Ophelia couldn't help but push Yvonne aside. Ophelia couldn't believe that Yvonne, whom she had admired for so many years, had uttered such unkind words. Ophelia threw the LED board to the ground. The utter fo
The paparazzo burst into laughter. He held his stomach as he rolled on the couch in glee. "Oh, wow! You still invited your fans here in your current situation. They're really your diehard fans."A vein throbbed on Yvonne's forehead. She couldn't help but hiss under her breath. "Aren't you my fans? Since you are, you should be on my side and continue helping me!""We might be fans, but does that mean you can treat us as fools?"While Ophelia's eyes had gone red, she did not hold back as she lashed out at Yvonne. "You already knew that we're just useless female students. Why did you even message us privately and invite us to the performance venue?"We worried about you. We showed up with light sticks and gifts, just hoping to let you know we were still here and that we still had your back. "And what did you do? What are fans to you, Yvonne? Are we even people in your eyes? Or are we just tools—things you can use and toss aside whenever you feel like it?"Yvonne froze. Meanwhile, t
Yvonne opened the door and was startled by the sight of Ophelia and her friends. She patted her chest. "When did you guys arrive? Don't you know how to knock on the door?"Ophelia and her two friends stared at Yvonne with reddened eyes and did not respond. Yvonne recalled the public's opinions toward her as well as the online criticism toward her fans. Their expressions made Yvonne feel rather sympathetic toward them. Since their eyes had turned red, she believed they must have cried out of exasperation after learning that Yvonne was being bullied in the group. They really did seem to be her true fans. "Come in." Yvonne gestured with her chin. After the three entered the lounge, Yvonne handed them three bottles of juice. "Have something to drink for now. I'll take you out for a bite later."Ophelia held the bottle of juice but did not drink it. Finally, Yvonne noticed that each of them was holding a cat doll. "Are you giving me these cat dolls as presents?"The three did not say
Yvonne's chest ached, making it hard for her to breathe. The words Ophelia once said had left her feeling extremely miserable. Yvonne sat at the table and sobbed."Chelsea became what others have always dreamed to be because she didn't need any persona. She always shone the brightest on stage. Chelsea can lead her fans into a brighter future, and you'll only lead us into darkness and nightmares."Those were Ophelia's last words before leaving. Until now, her words haunted Yvonne like a relentless nightmare. It was like a projector that couldn't be switched off, replaying over and over that she was nothing compared to Chelsea.How did that happen? Ophelia was Yvonne's fan, and Yvonne believed Ophelia, the daughter of the Fords, should always be her fan. Yvonne wiped her tears away. As soon as she turned around, she saw the cat doll Ophelia had given her as a final gift. These days, Yvonne took the cat doll with her everywhere. She still kept it with her even while filming a self-