"If you''re calling me just to chew me out, I don''t mind recording this and posting it online so everyone can see your true colors."


    When Cherry said that, Lionel''s first instinct was to call her shameless.


    But he thought better of it and immediately bit his tongue.


    After all, that psycho Cherry was the type to follow through on her threats. If he really got into a shouting match with her now, he''d be trending online again in no time.


    He was still dealing with the fallout from the livestream, and adding another mess to the pile was...


    Before Cherry could even process it, Lionel abruptly hung up.


    The sudden disconnection caught Cherry, Hannah, and Samuelpletely off guard.


    The three of them stared at the phone for several seconds before it finally sank in.


    "Wow, just wow. He hangs up the second he can''t win an argument. I''ve never seen anyone like that before!"


    Samuel couldn''t help but click his tongue.


    Cherry nodded. "You and me both. He calls me out of the blue to nder me, and when that fails, he just hangs up. What a spineless loser!"


    If she''d known Lionel would bail that quickly, she would haveid into him a lot harder.


    She felt like she hadn''t even gotten warmed up.


    After hanging up, Lionel sank onto the sofa and pinched the bridge of his nose again.


    A strange sense of dread began to creep into his heart.


    He wasn''t sure if Cherry would post their conversation online anyway.


    If she did, the Elders would see it and would undoubtedly tear into him again.


    The thought alone gave him a headache.


    He wished he had never teamed up with Cherry in the first ce. After all this time and all the drama, he thought he might get some useful Information out of it, but in the end he got nothing but a mountain of trouble.


    one


    Filled with anxiety, Lionel spent the entire night refreshing the trending topics,


    terrified that Cherry would actually post their conversation online.


    Thankfully, the night passed without any new posts from her.


    He was finally able to get a decent night''s sleep.


    The next day, as soon as he woke up and came downstairs, he saw Quennel, who was, for once, at the family estate.


    "I have to say, I''m impressed. To think you can sleep so soundly at a time like this. I''m almost envious."


    Hearing Quennel''s sarcastic tone, Lionel felt a vague sense of unease.


    He frowned slightly and walked over to sit down.


    "What do you mean?"


    "The Elders have already found the person who spread the news. Don''t you know?" Quennel feigned surprise as he looked at him.


    Qu


    "I would have thought, being wrongly used by the Elders, you''d be keeping a close eye on the situation. But you dont seem to care aball You''re a strange one.


    "They found him?"


    Hearing this, Lionel gasped in disbelief, his gaze sharpening as he studied Quennel.


    "It seems


    it, which is suspect I was behind


    it, which is why you''re staring at me


    like that But im afraid I have to


    disappoint you. It really wasn''t me.


    Quennel chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "After all, if it were me, you


    wouldn''t be seeing me here right now."


    "If it wasn''t you, then who was it?!"