55 vouchers
The next day, a trending topic about Tessa Schultz, the chief dancer, leaving her position shot to the top of major news sites. Clicking the link, one would see Tessa’s newly recorded video.
In the video, <b>Tessa’s </b>face was pale. She was smiling, but tears were brimming in her eyes. She looked strong. yet so fragile, making people’s hearts ache for her.
“I’m really sorry, everyone. I twisted my ankle a couple of days ago, and it’s still pretty swollen, so I won’t be able to join the dancepetition next week. I hate to disappoint you all,” Tessa said.
“Once I’m better, I promise I’ll dance for you again, okay? Thank you so much for all your love and support,” she added.
With just a few simple sentences, Tessa <b>managed </b>to show both her vulnerability and her strength.
Her fans were heartbroken, and everyone started asking what happened to her. Soon, people started bringing up Xylia Schultz in thements.
[It’s all because of Tessa’s shameless sister. She got hurt in prison and couldn’t stand seeing Tessa doing well, so she ended up causing Tessa to hurt her ankle.]
[I really feel bad for Tessa. How did she get stuck with a sister like her?]
[I heard Xylia was in a hit–and–run and got off after just three months. Now she’s married into the Ford Group and living the high life.]
[Big families always get away with everything. Even if they kill someone, they barely spend any time behind bars. Why didn’t those prison queens just take her out for good?]
Tessa scrolled through thements, a mocking smirk appearing on her lips.
A few minutester, Tessa posted another update. She wrote: [Guys, please don’t make wild guesses. Xylia was framed.]
Within seconds, her post went viral, racking up thousands of shares andments.
Everyone felt even more sorry for Tessa, the chief dancer; her evil sister <b>was </b>the reason she got hurt, yet Tessal was still defending her..
The drama online just exploded even more.
It wasn’t until Xylia got a call from <b>a </b><b>total </b>stranger, their voice shrill and furious, screaming at her to go die, that she realized just how bad things had gotten.
Wait? I’ve been doxxed?‘ Xylia thought. She yanked out her SIM card and refused to pick up any more calls.
When Connor found Xylia in the bedroom with a grim frown, she was <b>sitting </b>at her desk,pletely absorbed <b>in </b>sketching her designs.
9:50 <b>Fri</b>, Sep <b>12 </b>
55 vouchers.
Chase had already gone overseas and was still getting used to the new environment. They’d agreed that once Xylia finished her designs, she’d send them over for his feedback whenever he had time.
Seeing <b>how </b>indifferent Xylia seemed, acting like all the chaos online had nothing to do with her, only made Connor’s anger boil over.
Connor stormed over and, with a swift kick, knocked Xylia’s drawing board to the ground.
The designs she’d painstakingly worked on all morning were utterly destroyed, torn and scattered across the
floor.
Xylia’s expression turned icy in an instant.
“Do you even realize how much trouble you’ve caused? And you still have the nerve to sit here drawing like nothing happened. How could you be so heartless, Xylia?<b>” </b>Connor shouted.
Xylia just red at him, not understanding what had gotten into him. “Get out,” she snapped.
“This is my house. <b>Who </b>are you to tell me to get out?” Connor shot back.
“Because your grandfather begged me to move in, Xylia replied, her voice calm but sharp enough to cut through the tension.
Connor was left speechless, clenching his jaw as he red at Xylia. His chiseled jaw tightened, and for a split second, his handsome features twisted with anger.
‘Since when did Xylia get so quick with herebacks?‘ Connor thought, a bit thrown off.
Connor’s voice was cold. “Don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing. You’re just trying to use all this media attention totch yourself onto the Ford family.
“But these cheap tactics of yours are only dragging the Ford Group’s name through the mud. Do you even realize that?”
Xylia finally understood what Connor was so angry about. It was just all the online smear campaigns about her, dragging the Ford Group into the mess.
She looked at Connor. “<b>You </b>know I wasn’t the one behind <b>that </b>hit–and–run. All of this is happening because you never even tried to find the real culprit.
“If you just told everyone who really did it, neither I nor the Ford Group would be in this mess.”
“Xylia, still making excuses, huh?” Connor snapped, his anger ring.
“There’s no way I could throw Tessa under the bus. That would destroy her life for good, Connor thought. He shot Xylia an annoyed look.
“What’s done is done. Why are you still dwelling on it? You think it’s easy to find someone willing to lie to the police?” he snapped.
Maybe out of guilt, Connor didn’t wait for Xylia to say anything and stormed out of the bedroom.
Xylia got up, locked the door, and started sketching again.
<b>55 </b>vouche
Meanwhile, in the Norhill Airport lounge, a man wearing sunsses was scrolling through what’s trending on his tablet.
He was dressed in a ck suit with gold–threaded patterns, his blond hair voluminous and slicked back with gel.
The tips of his hair brushed against his smooth forehead, and even though his sunsses hid his eyes, the rest
of his features still stood out.
A pair of gray headphones sat snugly in his ears. “Just trying to shut down the rumors won’t work. Let’s leave it for now. Once I get to Jupiton, I’ll <b>find </b>out who set up Xylia,” the man said.
“Alright, don’t you trust me? Even if we don’t shut down the gossip, I’ll help Xylia get through this,” he added.
“Okay, enough talk; my flight’s boarding. Get the party ready at home. I’ll make sure Xyliaes back with her head held high,” the man said..
He lifted his hand, tapping his headphones with those long, well–defined fingers to end the call.
Leon Sadler switched off his tablet and handed it to his assistant. “Let Yasmeen know I’ll go along with her artist’s PR stunt, but I’ve got one condition,” he <b>said</b>.
The assistant took the tablet, feeling a wave of dread at his boss’s words. ‘Great, Mr. Sadler is about to stir up trouble again, he thought.
Less than half an hourter, rumors about Leon, the Best Actor, and the new trending star’s secret romance. dominated the headlines of every major site. Eighty percent of the trending topics were about them.
In an instant, all the negative press Tessa had generated against Xylia was instantly shifted elsewhere.
[Didn’t expect to wake up and see Leon caught up in a dating rumor.]
[Wait, who is it? Is Leon really in <b>a </b>scandal? No way. He’s always kept such a squeaky–clean image. How could he be in a rtionship? Leon, if you’re being forced, just blink twice.]
[Leon’s almost thirty, and this is his first dating rumor. Could this actually be real?]
[Isn’t this the new rising starlet from that hit drama? She used to be a girl group leader, and now she’s already linked up with Leon? That was fast.]
[Maybe she’s just using Leon’s name to get some hype.]
[Leon’s been in showbiz for over ten years and never had a single dating rumor. You really think anyone could pull this off without Leon being in on it?]
9:50 Fri, Sep 12
55 vouchers
Social media blew up with debates. Everyone was obsessed with whether Leon’s romance was real, and the gossip spread like crazy.
Leon’s scandal totally crushed Xylia’s trending topic.
Joshua was checking out Leon’s profile when the news broke.
Leon Sadler, the Best Actor, had basically swept every major acting award both in the country and overseas–a true legend.
And that wasn’t all. He was also the third son of the Sadler family from Norhill.
Joshua’s eyes glinted with intrigue, <b>a </b>storm of thoughts flickering in his gaze. “It was obvious Leon was taking the heat for Xylia. Wait? Is Xylia actually a member of the Sadler family? he wondered.
9:50 Fri, Sep 12