At Ashthorne Studios, the director announced, "Alright, cut! That's a wrap, everyone. Great work today! You can all head off to the hotel and get some rest." Crew members chuckled and began filing out. They were chatting as they made their way to their rooms.But Yvonne, who was still on set, was fuming as she clutched her phone. She had seen Ophelia's reply, and it only made her angrier.One of her assistants, who was trailing behind with genuine concern, asked, "Yvonne, are you alright? Feeling unwell?""Get lost!" Yvonne snapped, glaring. "You're an eyesore!"The assistant shrank back, clearly frightened and hurt by her harsh tone.Yvonne hurried off to her hotel room with her phone clutched tightly as she replayed a particular video over and over. There was no mistaking that the person in the video was one of her biggest fans from back in the day, the same fan who had once waited for her at the airport in Huntaria.A seething mix of jealousy, anger, and bitter resentment chur
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-
Liesel Sharp had just unlocked her phone while waiting for her IV drip to be done when she received a message from her best friend, Chelsea Walden. "Jacob's back."She faltered. She and Jacob Ford had barely spoken throughout their month-long cold war, so she had no idea he was back.Soon, she received another message. "He's brought a young woman back with him."A photo had been sent with the message. The young woman in the photo resembled Liesel a little—she was Natalie Sharp, Liesel's younger half-sister. She'd been raised in the countryside.Chelsea continued, "The Sharp family is throwing them a welcome-back party. Do you want to crash it, Lili?"She knew what Liesel was like. Liesel would give Jacob a taste of his own medicine if he dared to do anything to her. There was even a chance she would set the Sharp residence on fire.Liesel checked her IV bag. She'd had a high fever for three days now, and the back of her hand was swollen from the constant IV drips she'd been on. S
Liesel had taken a week of sick leave. She'd only learned about the transfer when returning to work.A colleague gossiped with her, sounding pointed as they said, "I bet you still don't know this, Ms. Sharp. We have a new secretary whose last name is also Sharp. It looks like there's something special about her."Liesel didn't expect to hear that. Had Jacob actually given Natalie a job by his side?Soon, Jacob summoned Liesel to the CEO's office. When she entered and stood before him, he looked at her indifferently. "Since you want to stay at the company, continuing to hold the position of my personal secretary isn't appropriate."The project department manager was transferred to a branch company, leaving a vacancy there. The timing is just right."Liesel knew very well that Jacob had always been clear-headed. He would never allow her to cause Natalie any discomfort or disappointment. Rather than saying the transfer was his recognition of Liesel's abilities, it would be more accur
Liesel's heart twinged slightly, but she said calmly, "I reminded Ms. Natalie about the stock handover. The office has surveillance cameras. You can check the footage if you don't believe me, Mr. Ford."Natalie paled. Tears welled in her eyes, and she said pitifully, "I-I probably didn't hear you because my mind wandered. That's why I made such a mistake."Liesel ignored her. "We can't let Hardin Group manipulate us for stocks worth millions of dollars. I'll handle this, but the company also has rules to uphold. Natalie will need to be reprimanded accordingly."She turned and left the office to check on the stocks. Now that they'd already been accepted, from a legal perspective, Ford Corporation had no choice but to swallow its woes and live with the situation.Still, there was hope for this. Uriah Hardin, the third son of the Hardin family, managed Hardin Group. However, his brother, Elijah Hardin, was the second son and favored by his family. He also wanted to usurp Uriah's posit
Liesel held the pregnancy test tightly. "I'm not sure yet."Her period had yet to come this month, and the retching from before… She suspected something was up."What are you going to do if you are?" Chelsea looked at her hesitantly. "Will Jacob accept it?"Liesel dropped her gaze. Jacob would never want a child she'd brought into the world. Besides, they were already divorced—it was bad for them both if she were to keep the child… even if it was one she'd longed for in the past.After a long silence, she said, "No, he won't. There's no point in keeping lingering attachments or forcing someone to do something against their will. If I'm pregnant, I'll get an abortion."She'd waited for a baby that hadn't come over the past three years. Now, it was long past the time for that.Liesel was in a bad mood, so she didn't do the pregnancy test on the spot. Instead, she and Chelsea had some drinks. Well, she only had a sip or two of a drink with the lowest possible alcohol content.She o
Liesel looked at Jacob. Her tone was calm as she said, "I don't owe Natalie anything, nor do I owe you. Work-wise, I'm only her senior. Regarding my personal life, my mother didn't owe her anything."Natalie came knocking on our door when her mother chose to marry another. No woman can accept her husband's illegitimate daughter. She might have had Natalie sent to the countryside, but Natalie was also given more than enough money to survive there."I don't owe her, whether professionally or personally. Why should I be more accommodating and tolerant of her? Why should I back down when facing off against her?"When she finished her speech, silence descended upon the car. Jacob looked at her. She wore a simple dress that clung to her curves, and her delicate features were arranged into her usual mask of aloofness.There was something cold and tenacious about her. She was so brilliant that one could almost neglect her beauty.His gaze flitted over her eyes. After a moment of silence,
"Mr. Ford, this is the latest document from Mr. Hardin."Liesel pushed open the door and entered. Her expression was calm and composed as her gaze swept past Natalie. She placed a printed document on Jacob's desk.It was a new contract.It was the new contract that Elijah had proposed.Elijah was someone who thought long and hard about things. Yet, he was now casually proposing a subsequent collaboration, as if he had set his sights on something and was certain that he would get it.Jacob frowned slightly, and his gaze slowly landed on Liesel.At work, she was always dressed in a pencil skirt. Her waist was slim and dainty, yet it gave off a feeling of tenacity.Her delicate and stunning features carried a hint of unapproachability, reminiscent of an edelweiss at the peak of a snowy mountain.She was cold and beautiful.The reason why Elijah had suggested they collaborate was most likely because he had his eyes on her."Elijah is trying to court you," Jacob said in a neutral
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-
At Ashthorne Studios, the director announced, "Alright, cut! That's a wrap, everyone. Great work today! You can all head off to the hotel and get some rest." Crew members chuckled and began filing out. They were chatting as they made their way to their rooms.But Yvonne, who was still on set, was fuming as she clutched her phone. She had seen Ophelia's reply, and it only made her angrier.One of her assistants, who was trailing behind with genuine concern, asked, "Yvonne, are you alright? Feeling unwell?""Get lost!" Yvonne snapped, glaring. "You're an eyesore!"The assistant shrank back, clearly frightened and hurt by her harsh tone.Yvonne hurried off to her hotel room with her phone clutched tightly as she replayed a particular video over and over. There was no mistaking that the person in the video was one of her biggest fans from back in the day, the same fan who had once waited for her at the airport in Huntaria.A seething mix of jealousy, anger, and bitter resentment chur
Ophelia was done with Yvonne. Unable to hold back her emotions any longer, she took to Twitter to attack her."Did you really think that every gift I painstakingly made was worthless? After years of devotion, the person I once adored has become completely unrecognizable. When I confronted her, she acted as if nothing was wrong."She even claimed that because I was her fan, I had no right to criticize her. I find that utterly absurd."I once asked her what a fan meant to her, and she dismissed us as shallow, saying our love was something that could be discarded. I always believed an idol should be the pillar of her fans' dreams, a beacon of hope. "But the Yvonne I loved—the one who shone so brightly in pursuit of her dreams—was gone."So, from that day on, I severed all ties. The doll I once gave her on Twitter was my final farewell gift. It was a proper goodbye, not a sign of regret. I stopped logging into that account because I wanted to leave with dignity."And don't say Chels
Ophelia was utterly disgusted. She felt that any shred of loyalty she once had for Yvonne had completely vanished.She retweeted Yvonne's latest Twitter post and attached a formal statement of her own."I hereby solemnly declare that I was once a die-hard fan of Yvonne. I never betrayed her—I simply grew tired of the endless fan duties. I refuse to support an idol who is self-absorbed, caring only about herself while dismissing her fans. Today, I proudly stand as a fan of Chelsea because she is truly worth it."Honestly, when I first stopped being a fan, I never intended to expose all this. At the time, I just wanted to part ways amicably. Publicly trashing someone you once adored is downright disgusting, and I didn't want her remaining fans to follow suit. So, I swallowed my disgust."But it seems she saw me trending and thinks she can win back a fan with some influence. She even brought Chelsea into the mess and hinted that her fans should attack my current favorite idol. I simpl
Back in the day, when Ophelia first visited Huntaria, she had seen Yvonne performing at a local event and instantly became a fan. Coming from a wealthy family herself, Ophelia never hesitated to shower Yvonne with lavish gifts and even rallied her few devoted fans to support her idol.Later, when she learned that Yvonne had returned home to compete in a training camp, Ophelia was among the very first to cheer her on. But things took a bitter turn when Ophelia overheard Yvonne berating reporters backstage.Yvonne claimed that her fans were useless and couldn't secure her a center spot. She even mentioned Ophelia's name. According to Yvonne, Ophelia only sent gifts that she didn't want, and she'd be better off using her connections to get a debut instead.Ophelia finally realized what kind of person she had been supporting.Furious and heartbroken, Ophelia stormed into the backstage area and declared that she was done being a fan.Up close, she realized that Yvonne was pretty averag
Joseph immediately took a jab at Jeremy in the group chat. "Jasper was right. This mess is all on you, Jeremy."Jeremy was stunned. In his mind, he fumed, "I was the first one to change my avatar—and back then, I never even egged you shameless bastards on to do it together! Now you're all blaming me? Have you lost your minds?"Everyone was trying to avoid the barrage of marriage talks from their parents."This whole situation can be taken one way or another. I promise I'll set Damian straight so he stops stirring up scandals, but let's be clear, if it weren't for Jeremy changing his profile picture, the media wouldn't have run wild with rumors. And if you're going to call my grandfather, don't mention my name.""What? Jasper shoved this mess onto me, but now you're the one egging me on so I end up taking the fall?""I only shared the comments, headlines, and videos in the group. The one who kicked off this whole avatar fiasco was you," Joseph rebutted.Jeremy gritted his teeth an
Jimmy scrolled through the chat logs on his phone. His eyes grew wider with every message. He noticed that the group's avatar change had even hit trending topics. "Man, these guys are totally off their rocker," he thought—but then he grinned. "Maybe I should jump in!"He quickly typed. "They all switched their avatars and went completely nuts. Why not add one more crazy guy? Tobey can't get me over the phone!"So what if we change our avatars? It's all in good fun. Look on the bright side. If Chelsea ends up divorcing Tobey, being with Damian might not be so bad. As they say, 'good stuff stays in the family,' right?"The group was speechless. Everyone else had changed their avatars on a sudden whim. But Jimmy was different. His wild mind was always a few steps ahead and constantly fired off impulsive ideas.Even Elijah was stunned silent.After a beat, Jeremy couldn't hold back any longer and added, "Tobey's going to log in after a long day and see his world crumble!"At that ver
Headlines such as "Covering Up Only Makes It More Obvious!" and "Top Execs Switching Avatars to Hype the DamSea Pairing! If DamSea Isn't real, Then Who Is?!" started appearing.The group fell silent.Justin practically pounced on Joseph. His tone was seething with anger. "What the hell, Joseph? I told you to change your avatar! What kind of nonsense is this? You're shipping this couple, aren't you? Stop it, now!"Joseph immediately realized that Justin had turned into a hardcore hater of Damian and a rabid Chelsian. He clicked on Justin's profile and saw that his status read "Fake, fake, fake!" He had even posted on his Twitter saying, "It's all fake!"Meanwhile, Justin genuinely adored Chelsea and, at the same time, despised Damian with every fiber of his being.As chaos ensued among the top execs, Jeremy kept the group chat buzzing."No way—we've all switched to the water droplet avatar. Tobey, you need to change yours too! @Tobey You can't sit out the fun, man! @Tobey"Everyo
Jeremy was the first to speak."I was just trying to change my profile picture for a little fun! If the system's gonna go down for maintenance, it might as well be now. I'm about to party so hard my legs give out!"If Tobey finds out the truth, he'll probably try to assassinate me! And how am I supposed to flirt with the ladies? A water droplet? That basically tells them I'm a total player!""I'm the one who should be worried here," Joseph replied.Joseph's phone was buzzing non-stop as his WhatsApp notifications were blowing up.Unlike the others, who only had a couple of reporter contacts in their circles, Joseph had acquired an entertainment company for Damian and invested heavily in showbiz ventures. His WhatsApp was loaded with gossip accounts, celebrity insiders, and directors with a penchant for scandal.Since many stars and celebrities were still out late shooting scenes or rushing between gigs, most hadn't gone to bed yet. They were all catching wind of Damian's latest s