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
"Looks like Jeffrey thinks way too highly of himself. He really thought he was Heather's husband. No wonder he's got such a grudge against Xavier. What a joke! Doesn't he ever look in the mirror and wonder if he's even worthy of Heather's affection?"These were the mocking comments from people in the circle who had seen Heather before.Some younger folks, not understanding why Heather could stir such a huge uproar in the network, asked, "What makes Heather so special?"Before they even knew it, an old photo from a decade ago surfaced.It was a black-and-white picture. But the moment anyone looked at it, their eyes would be drawn to the person in the center, as if her presence alone illuminated the entire space.She wore a simple black evening dress, but she shone like the brightest star in the night sky. The dress perfectly hugged her graceful figure, and her face was like something out of a masterful painting. Her beauty was unforgettable.Her eyebrows were like strokes of art,
"My dad has terminal colon cancer, and he's in so much pain every night he can't sleep. The chemotherapy isn't helping. The doctors have told me to take him home to spend his final days with family."My dad is the most respected person in my life. I can't live without him. I've spent all our family's savings just to try to keep him alive. Hardin Group, I beg you to give my dad a chance."The official Hardin Group Twitter was flooded with similar messages from families of cancer patients, all pleading for a chance at life for their loved ones.Meanwhile, in a rundown house in the remote Crullfeld region, a young man sat at a simple, tidy table while staring intently at the latest Hardin Group tweet on his phone. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes."Damian, you can be saved! You can be saved! Hardin Group has developed a real anticancer drug, and they're looking for volunteers for the trial. You'll surely get better if you take this medicine!"The old house was sparsely decorate
"Damian! Liesel Sharp replied! She asked me to bring you to Hardin Group! It's Liesel Sharp who replied to me!"Liesel Sharp…Damian froze. He remembered that name.Two years ago, when he was working at the Ashthorne construction site building a hotel for Ford Corporation, he had come into close contact with Liesel.He vividly recalled that late night when he sat in the security booth, reading a book under the dim light.Liesel, who was inspecting the site as an executive of Ford Corporation, had seen him reading but hadn't scolded him. Instead, she flipped through the book he was reading and praised his taste.Before leaving, she had said, "If you get the chance, continue your studies."She even left him a business card and told him, "If you ever need help, you can contact me or reach out to the Alden University Foundation. Someone will assist you."Since Damian was still young, Liesel didn't want him to waste his life.But at that time, it was the most crucial time for Hendr
The senior executives at Hardin Group, who were furious over Liesel's lavish spending to help ordinary people, stormed in to question her about her motives.At that moment, Liesel was engaged in a heated argument with Howard in the research department over some herbs. The executives barged in just as the tension between the two reached its peak.Howard's face darkened after being sharply rebuked by Liesel. Standing off to the side, he glanced at the executives and clicked his tongue. "They're here for you. Deal with them first, then we'll talk."Liesel frowned. "What's this about?"One of the executives snapped, "What do you think? Liesel, why are you spending so much money on saving those ordinary people?"You and Howard may have come up with the anticancer drug, but those herbs don't come cheap! Do you think you're some sort of charity case, handing out money? This is Hardin Group's money!""Exactly," another chimed in. "I've never seen anyone so generous when it comes to R&D."
"Right, Elijah is your lover, so his things are naturally yours," Howard said, biting into his candy and slyly snatching the data sheets Liesel was working on. He began scribbling notes on it with his pen.Liesel was rendered speechless by his actions.Rubbing her temples, she said, "Howard, just because you take this doesn't mean I'll blindly follow your advice. We need to stick to the data and analyze it properly."Howard, who was unperturbed, pressed on with his argument. "But pyraflora clearly works faster than cryophloem. We're treating cancer patients, right? If we need to destroy cancer cells, we need the most powerful herbs.""Have you considered that the faster-acting herbs come with more side effects?" Liesel asked. "Cancer patients already have weakened immune systems. If we use a drug that acts quickly, it may kill the cancer cells, but it could also kill the patient."People with cancer often have other underlying conditions. If such a potent drug can't be applicable
"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-