Chapter 205
“What’s going on?” Audrey murmured. She opened her social media to find a flood of mentions. [What goes around comes around. It’s just a matter of time. @Ex]
[Scoundrels get what they deserve; the once beloved girl turned out to be a venomous woman, @Ex]
[Enjoy your downfall. Justice served. @Ex]
Audrey scrolled through dozens of similar comments. Following the trending hashtag, she discovered the reasori behind the sudden backlash.
It all started with a video posted by someone located in Ashbourne, pleading for help. The poster announced that Ping–PongStar, a fifteen–year–old boy who had been a beloved figure in the online community, had finally found a matching bone marrow donor.
The boy had been a social media darling since childhood–crying through coach’s drills but never quitting, earning him the nickname Table Tennis Heir. The account had amassed over 300 thousand followers.
Not long ago, he was diagnosed with leukemia, and due to his rare blood type, finding a suitable bone marrow match proved to be extremely difficult.
Many people mourned the cruelty of fate, gifting talent but then snatching it away.
Just when everyone was united in sympathy for him, the poster announced that a matching donor had finally been found, and the person had agreed to
donate.
After plummeting into despair, the netizens‘ emotions had risen again with renewed hope.
Just as hope soared among netizens, it crashed last night. The donor had backed out.
The poster confessed: [I know I shouldn’t expose them, but I can’t watch hope dangled then snatched away.]
The boy, already elated about the surgery, couldn’t bear the truth. The poster turned to the internet for help from fellow netizens.
Netizens jumped in enthusiastically, determined to see justice served. As soon as the video came out, they began piecing together key clues hidden in the poster’s vague descriptions.
Soon, a flood of “insiders” emerged.
Insider A: [I work at a hospital in Ironhaven. When Ping–PongStar found out there was a match, he was genuinely over the moon.]
Insider B: [I was in the room next to the donor. His wife is such a kind–hearted person. She took the initiative to contact the hospital on his behalf.]
Insider C: [The wife volunteers her husband’s marrow? The donor’s law firm is toast, and his dad is in jail for graft. He took the deal for money. Backing out? He probably wanted more.]
Insider D: [Not donating is one thing, but beating his wife until she miscarried? He’s inhuman!]
Before long, someone compiled the entire information, such as names, dates, locations, and background details, uncovering
The poster didn’t deny it. Instead, she liked that comment.
Since Clayton had no socials, the netizens flooded Valerie’s accounts instead.
The last video Valerie posted was filmed in a hospital, where she was receiving an IV drip.
All the clues lined up. Netizens flooded the comment section with remarks like (Love turned to mutual destruction.]
[Homewreckers always eat their own poison.]
on’s identity.
10:40 Tue, 10 Jun WWO
Chapter 205
[Trash deserves trash. Glad the ex gave up, or she would still be suffering at their hands.)
Valerie had intended to pressure Clayton, but instead, the backlash hit her like a boomerang. She disabled comments within minutes.
“Ms. Henderson?” Paige knocked on the door.
Audrey set her phone down. “Come in.”
“Did I say anything stupid last night?” Paige said as she walked in, placing a glass of honey water in front of Audrey.
She glanced casually at Audrey’s phone screen. “You follow Valerie, too?”
Audrey looked from the phone to Paige, thinking that the best fit for her would be the publicity department.
“Valerie’s just ridiculous,” Paige continued. “She drugged the scumbag to confirm their relationship, then pretended to be innocent while sending her mom to cause chaos in the Patel family.
“She got pregnant, so the scumbag had to marry her. But it turns out the child wasn’t even his, and who knows how many other men she slept with.
“The scumbag wants a divorce, and Valerie won’t agree. Well look where that got her–no baby, and now she’s been diagnosed with an STD. She deserves it.”
Audrey leaned on her elbow, listening quietly until Paige finished. Then, she asked, “You’ve been keeping up with this?”
Paige nodded. “It’s one of the many juicy stories I follow.”
Audrey nodded and took a sip of honey water. “Do you know who the ‘Ex‘ is?”
“Yeah.” Paige picked up Audrey’s phone and opened the comment section. “It’s this. I tagged her last night, telling her to check out what happened to that scumbag and…”
Her voice trailed off as she looked at the username–TimeFlies.
Paige stared at Audrey in shock, noticing her faint smile. Quickly, she put Audrey’s phone down and pulled out her own.
She scrolled through her following accounts and remembered she had labeled Audrey’s account as ‘Ex‘, so she had never even checked what name was attached to the profile.
Looking at the two identical profile pictures, Paige fell into deep thought. Whether or not she had said something stupid last night no longer mattered.
She looked at Audrey nervously. “Ms. Henderson, I’m sorry.”
Audrey asked calmly, “What exactly did you do wrong?”
Paige stammered, “I shouldn’t have… gossiped during work hours. No… I mean, I shouldn’t have gossiped about you.”
Audrey held her glass with both hands, her tone cool “Who you follow is your business. But accusations like druggin Otherwise, how are you any different from a keyboard warrior?”
“But it’s true,” Paige whimpered, her fingers nervously picking at her thumbnail.
Seeing Audrey waiting for her to continue, she added, “Valerie admitted it.”
“She told you?” Audrey asked, raising an eyebrow.
STDs? Those require proof.
“No,” Paige mumbled/pouting slightly. “She told my cousin. Valerie went to my cousin for legal help and told her everything.”
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Chapter 205
“Your cousin?”
“My cousin worked at Blackthorn Legal. Valerie hired her. They were on speakerphone, and I heard everything. Oh, my cousin is Jade Baker.”
Audrey thought, ‘Ironhaven has millions of people. Why does my circle feel this small?‘
She handed Paige a file. “Take this to Baldwin Biotechnology for testing. Just say it’s for me. No more details. By the way, tell your cousin to keep those two tangled up. Nail this, and the new project is yours.”
Paige’s eyes lit up. She clutched the folder. “I won’t mess up.”
She thought, ‘Jade, my career depends on you now!‘
At the hospital, Jade returned from a call, sitting beside Valerie’s bed. “So, what’s your goal?”
Valerie’s grip twisted the sheets, her eyes red and swollen. “He killed my baby. Can I sue for reproductive coercion?”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
