Chapter 123

The afternoon sun glared harshly.

The trending list on social media suddenly exploded.

Popular entertainment influencer "Gossip Insider" dropped a bombshell:

—At Evelyn Sullivan's request, we are releasing the full audio recording and mother-daughter call logs. The truth speaks for itself.

Two audio clips instantly went viral.

Comments flooded in:

[Victoria's hypocrisy is unreal! Crying crocodile tears at the press conference while being so cruel to her own daughter in private?]

[Waiting for the plot twist. Is this legit?]

[Both mother and daughter are equally toxic. Apples don't fall far from the tree.]

[The real villain is William. Forcing his daughter to submit for the sake of the company!]

The hashtag remained at the top of the charts, thanks to Evelyn's behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

Victoria woke from her nap, expecting her daughter's apology, only to find herself drowning in online hate.

Her hands trembled with rage, nails digging into her palms.

She should have kicked that ungrateful wretch out right after the bone marrow donation!

Jackson Group's stock continued to plummet—clearly, someone was pulling strings.

During the board meeting, shareholders mocked William relentlessly, humiliating him.

"Useless!" He smashed a teacup and called Victoria. "Clean up this mess online—now!"

The pampered socialite had never faced such a crisis. Panicked, she turned to Isabella.

"Isabella, you said Evelyn would drop the lawsuit after the press conference!" Her voice shook. "Now the entire internet is attacking me!"

Isabella patted her mother's back. "Don't worry, Mom. Evelyn has gone too far."

"She's just jealous of you!" Victoria's eyes burned with venom. "She can't stand seeing you happy!"

Isabella bit her lip, then looked up. "I'll ask Ethan for help."

"Yes!" Victoria clutched at the lifeline. "He adores you..."

In Ethan Sullivan's office, Isabella pushed open the door with red-rimmed eyes.

"Ethan, please... help me."

He didn't look up from his documents. "If this is about the trending scandal, the answer is no."

"But if Evelyn keeps this up..." A tear rolled down her cheek. "It'll damage both our families."

His pen scratched a jagged line across the page.

"Did you consider the consequences when Victoria held that press conference?"

Isabella paled. "You think I orchestrated it?"

The air turned to ice.