Ynda Sherwin is on the phone with the assistant director.


    "Quit the show?!" Ynda shrieked. "I paid you good money for this! You can''t just take it and do nothing!"


    "Ms. Sherwin, your little bribe almost ruined my career," the assistant director snapped back impatiently. "I''ll refund every cent you paid, but you are getting out of this show."


    "What?" Ynda''s voice trembled.


    "You heard me." The assistant director grew angrier. "If you hadn''t maliciously spread rumors attacking Juniper Payne, we wouldn''t be in this mess. Use your brain! Juniper and Mr. Schwartz have already met each other''s families. And Miranda Zuniga is her future mother-inw. Do you really think she''d just stand by and watch her daughter-inw get bullied?"


    Ynda froze, unable to utter a single sound.


    Right.


    How could she have forgotten? Miranda was Juniper''s future mother-inw.


    No wonder she favored Juniper so much on the show.


    "Then... what should I do now?"


    Ynda asked shakily, looking at the overwhelming wave of online hate.


    "What should you do?"


    A coldugh echoed through the receiver before his voice spiked in volume. "How the hell should I know? Get lost!"


    He hung up before Ynda could say another word.


    Ynda stood rooted to the spot, holding her phone.


    The inte was ripping her apart; her ssmates at the university definitely knew by now.


    She had hoped to use the reality show to salvage her public image...


    Now, everything was ruined.


    Wait.


    After a moment of despair, she suddenly thought of Jerrold Lonsdale.


    Jerrold could help connect her with the director, and he surely had other ways to save her reputation.


    Just as she was scrolling through her contacts, Jerrold called her first.


    "Were you the one who leaked the rumors about Juniper to the press?!"


    Jerroldshed out instantly. "Why didn''t you tell me something this huge beforehand?"


    "I"


    Ynda tried to exin, but Jerrold cut her off.


    "If I had seen the photos sooner, I would''ve known that Juniper''s boyfriend is Shanley Schwartz!"


    He had seen that back before.


    Thinking back to a couple of days ago when he had tried to mess with Juniper, a lingering fear gripped him.


    Who did he think he was?


    Thank God he had only been kicked twice. If he had actuallyid a hand on her...


    Jerrold shuddered to think how Shanley would have destroyed him.


    "I thought he was just some toy boy," Ynda exined pitifully. "Jerrold, I only wanted to make my sister trip. up Who asked her to


    constantly bully me at school?"


    "I never imagined those men were her brother and boyfriend."


    The thought of Shanley Schwartz bowing to Juniper made Ynda grind her teeth in jealousy.


    "It''s toote."


    Jerrold said, his voice low and drained.


    His reputation had beenpletely dragged down by Ynda.


    Now, the entire Lonsdale family was treating him, the illegitimate son, like an absolute joke.


    "We''re breaking up." Jerrold stated


    coldly after a pause. "From this


    momeer a


    on, the Lonsdale family has


    nothing to co


    nothing to do with the Sherwin family."


    "We go our separate ways."


    "Break up?"


    Ynda nearly copsed upon hearing this, bursting into tears. "Jerrold, I..." "Ynda, you really are a lost cause." Jerrold sneered. "That''s it. We''re done."


    He needed to find another woman-someone more suitable for an alliance who could help him climb the ranks.


    Ynda...


    What an idiot.


    The call disconnected.


    Ynda stood rooted to the spot, her mindpletely nk.


    She was being cursed out by the entire inte, her reputation was in tatters and now her engagement was broken off...


    Was this what Juniper had meant by...


    A fate worse than death!