Chapter 4
The next afternoon, just as I left my office building, my phone buzzed with a notification.
It was a livestream alert:
[Thea Riviera Tearfully Exposes Family Drama: Beloved Actress Dahlia Stone Victimized by Ruthless Businesswoman.]
I stopped walking.
A livestream?
When I clicked on it, the stream already had over 150,000 viewers.
Thea sat before the camera, eyes puffy and red, tears streaking her face.
She wore a simple, modest dress that made her look utterly vulnerable.
“Do you know there are people who use their money and power to bully others?” Thea choked out between sobs.
“My brother is a good person. He’s kind to everyone, including that woman. But what does she do in return? She steals Dahlia’s necklace and tries to steal her endorsement too!”
The comments section exploded:
“What’s happening?”
“Is this the celebrated film star’s sister?”
“Who’s bullying you?”
I clutched my phone, feeling the blood rush to my face.
Thea continued her tearful monologue:
“That necklace was specially designed by my brother for Dahlia. But that woman not only took it, she had the audacity to claim the whole brand belongs to her! Have you ever seen someone so shameless?”
“She even threatened my brother with divorce and taking everything from him! My sweet brother-how could anyone treat him like this?”
The comments went wild:
“WTF, what kind of evil witch is this?”
“Knox Riviera’s wife?”
“Stealing necklaces and acting entitled? Disgusting!”
My hands began to shake-not from anger but from sheer disbelief.
A necklace specially designed for Dahlia?
That was MY design I sketched a month ago!
Just then, a notification appeared on the livestream: someone was joining the broadcast.
“Dahlia’s joining us!” Thea quickly wiped her tears.
“Please don’t criticize Dahlia-she’s done nothing wrong!”
The screen split, and Dahlia appeared on the other half.
Her makeup was minimal, her eyes red-rimmed, her hair slightly disheveled-the perfect picture of distress.
“Thea, please stop…” Dahlia’s voice quivered with emotion. “Wren isn’t doing this intentionally. It’s all my fault.”
“I shouldn’t have reappeared in Knox’s life. I shouldn’t be the reason you’re fighting.”
The comments immediately flooded with “Poor Dahlia” messages.
Tears streamed down Dahlia’s face as she addressed the camera: “Please don’t blame Wren. She just loves Knox too much. Love can make people irrational-I understand that.”
“That necklace… if Wren likes it, she should keep it. And that endorsement-I never deserved it anyway.”
“I’ll step back. I don’t want anything. I just hope she’ll be good to Knox.”
“Knox is a good man. He shouldn’t be caught in the middle suffering because of us.”
Hearing this, I nearly smashed my phone against the dashboard.
Her acting?
Oscar-worthy!
The comments section completely lost it:
“Dahlia is so selfless!”
“What kind of evil woman would bully such a sweet girl?”
“Who is Knox Riviera’s wife? Expose her!”
“#WrenLockhart GetOutOfEntertainment”
“Greedy bitch!”
Each comment felt like a knife to my heart.
What were they portraying me as?
A homewrecker who stole someone else’s relationship?
A vindictive rich woman abusing her power?
A greedy thief who stole another woman’s necklace?
My phone began vibrating non-stop. Unknown numbers calling one after another.
I answered one. “Are you Wren Lockhart? Shameless bitch!” I hung up immediately.
Another call came through. “Get out of the industry! Stop bullying Dahlia!”
Not only that, text messages kept pouring in as well:
[Evil witch, die!]
[Return the necklace!]
[Disgusting homewrecker!]
Sitting in my car, I felt the entire world turning against me.
Yet I’d done nothing wrong.
I was the one who’d been deceived.
I was the one being manipulated.
So why was the entire internet attacking me?
Chapter 4
My phone rang again-this time a message from Knox:
[Wren, are you satisfied now? Did you have to make this so ugly?]
[The internet is exploding. Do you realize how much this affects my career?]
[Come to the restaurant RIGHT NOW and apologize to Dahlia and Thea, or face the consequences!]
I stared at his message and suddenly laughed.
Apologize?
He wanted ME to apologize?
After being set up by them, I’m supposed to apologize?
I let out a cold laugh and dialed a number.
“Attorney Parker, it’s me.”
“Prepare for L&W Group’s highest-profile press conference. Tomorrow morning, 10 AM.”
“Press conference? Ms. Lockhart, what’s happened?”
Without addressing his question, I kept issuing commands:
“Also, notify Stellar Studios-the production company we just acquired-to terminate all contracts with Knox Riviera. We’ll cover the breach penalties.”
The line went silent for a moment.
“Ms. Lockhart, isn’t Knox Riviera your-”
“Not anymore,” I cut him off.
“And contact our PR director. Tell her I want the entire internet to understand what true power really looks like.”
