hapter 266
Celestine had always chalked it up to puberty. Maybe her features had just matured, she thought.
It wasn’t until much later that she realized the truth.
There was a performance coming up in the drama club–Joanna was supposed to play the lead, but at the last minute, another girl was cast instead. Word was, Joanna had cozied up to the club president and managed to get her rival cut from the show, just a day before opening night.
No one expected that girl to come from such a powerful family.
On the day of the performance, the school’s social feed erupted with rumors about Joanna’s plastic surgery. Things got so out of hand that the school administration had to step in to suppress the scandal.
Back then, Celestine had thrown herself into defending Joanna, fighting back against the rumor mill. Her hard drive was packed with photos and videos she’d gathered as “evidence.”
She never imagined Joanna would betray her–confessing in person that the rumors were true, and even getting down on her knees to apologize to that other girl.
Celestine remembered holding all those flimsy “proofs” in her hands, her heart bleeding from the humiliation.
Now, while cleaning out her cloud drive, she’d come across those old photos and videos. She’d even sorted them again, thinking she might give Joanna a little surprise.
She hadn’t expected Joanna to come begging for them.
Fine, Celestine thought. If Joanna wanted them so badly, she’d hand them over.
But clearly, something had gone awry.
If Joanna had actually seen what was in those files, there’s no way she’d have let those videos leak.
The videos couldn’t be commented on, but the trending topics were on fire–users on the live feed trading insults faster than anyone could keep up.
“Holy crap, that ugly duckling is Joanna?!”
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Chapter 266
“No way! I really thought she was a natural beauty. There’s even a ‘golden face model of her at the cosmetic surgery clinic–I thought it was a knockoff, but turns
out it’s the real deal!”
“Who keeps hyping Joanna as the most gorgeous woman in the country? Still think so now?”
“Shut up, you guys! Everyone in showbiz gets work done these days. Joanna’s still gorgeous!”
A handful of fans were still hanging on, but in just an hour, Joanna had lost three million followers across the internet.
Joanna’s first role had been a sensation–not because of her acting, but for her looks. People saw her through rose–colored glasses. Some had even gone to war for her, attacking another actress who’d quit after her own plastic surgery scandal. But with even her appearance exposed as fake, the illusion was shattered. More – fans jumped ship, unable to cope.
Mirabelle was still marveling over the phone. Celestine blew on her mug of tea, her tone mild: “She rode her looks to the top. Now she’s paying the price–serves her right.”
There was a brief pause before Mirabelle burst out, “Hey! My face is the real deal–more valuable than gold!”
Celestine couldn’t help laughing. “Alright, alright, I know. You should get it insured.” Mirabelle patted her own cheek. “Yeah, I really should find time to do that.”
After all, Joanna had famously insured her face for ten million, just to prove she’d never had work done: The entire industry had talked about it for weeks.
Celestine chuckled.
Suddenly, Mirabelle exploded. “That jerk Zeke Sterling is asking for old photos of me–stuff from middle and high school that no one’s ever seen!”
His intentions were obvious.
Celestine’s voice turned icy. “He’s trying to use your photos to divert attention from Joanna.”
Everyone has awkward photos growing up. With the right angle, anyone c∙ld be accused of having work done.
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Mirabelle was the only actress with the same star power as Joanna. If a scandal hit her, too–even if it didn’t erase Joanna’s mess–it would at least share the
backlash.
Celestine’s expression hardened. “If he goes through with this, I’ve got plenty more evidence on Joanna. Let him try–I’ll make sure everything comes out.”
Chapter 267
