Chapter 8
Three months later, Serena lost her lawsuit.
Not only was she ordered to pay L&W Group a hefty sum in damages, but the court also ruled that she had engaged in malicious hype and defamation.
The compensation amounted to twenty million-a sum that would bankrupt a third-tier celebrity like her. Worse still, after the verdict, netizens began digging up dirt on Serena.
Rumors about sleeping her way to the top, secret sugar daddies, and pre-plastic surgery photos flooded the internet all at
once.
Her once pure and innocent goddess persona completely crumbled.
Major brands terminated their contracts with her, and her agency dropped her without hesitation.
Serena had no choice but to leave the entertainment industry for good.
Amber wasn’t faring much better.
The video of her spreading rumors during a livestream was reported, and the platform banned her account outright.
Her university gave her a disciplinary record, nearly expelling her.
The worst blow came when the Grayson family found out-they kicked her out of the family group chat without a second
thought.
Even her own parents refused to answer her calls.
That afternoon, as I was reviewing documents in my office, Lauren suddenly knocked on the door. “Miss Lockwood,
someone is here to see you.”
“Who?”
“Amber.” Lauren’s expression was complicated. “She’s crying downstairs, saying she wants to see you one last time.”
I set down my pen. “Let her come up.”
Ten minutes later, Amber walked into my office.
Compared to the arrogant, domineering girl from three months ago, she was practically unrecognizable.
Her hair was a mess, her face bare of makeup, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
She wore a faded T-shirt and looked utterly disheveled.
She stood at the door, not daring to step forward. “Evelyn…” Her voice was hoarse. “Can I come in?”
I gestured to the chair across from me. “Sit.”
Amber sat down cautiously, her hands clenched tightly together. “Evelyn, I… I came to apologize.”
Tears streamed down her face. “I fucked up. Said horrible things-should never have dragged you online, never helped Serena play that sick game. God, I was so wrong.”
1 leaned back in my chair, silent.
Amber cried harder. “Evelyn, I know you hate me, and I don’t expect you to forgive me. But my brother… Damian is really suffering right now.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Suffering?”
“He can’t get any work-investors won’t touch him. His house was seized by the court, so he doesn’t even have a place to live.” Amber was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. “He’s barely scraping by doing small gigs. Some days, he can only afford one meal. When I saw him a few days ago, he’d lost over twenty pounds. He looks like a ghost of himself.”
I listened, unmoved.
Then, suddenly, Amber dropped to her knees. “Evelyn, please! Give Damian another chance!”
She kowtowed so hard her forehead quickly turned red. “I know it’s all my fault-I ruined everything for him. If you want revenge, take it out on me! Please, spare him! He really regrets everything!”
Looking at her kneeling on the floor, I remembered three months ago.
How she had pointed at my face and accused me of wearing a fake.
How she had tearfully painted me as the villain in her livestream.
How she had arrogantly demanded I hand the endorsement over to Serena.
“A chance?” My voice was calm. “I gave him one. He was the one who pushed it away-straight into Serena’s hands.”
Amber lifted her head, tears brimming in her eyes. “But he’s so miserable now… He thinks about you every day, regrets
everything…”
“He earned it.” My words cut through her pleas like a knife.
Amber froze. “Evelyn…”
“Amber, do you remember what you said in your livestream?” I stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. “You called
me a scheming villain. Said I stole Serena’s necklace. Said I bullied others with my power. You even told me to get out of
the entertainment industry.”
I turned back to face her. “Now that it’s your turn to be kicked out, you come begging?”
Amber’s face went pale. “I… I was young and stupid back then…”
“Young and stupid?” I laughed. “Amber, you’re twenty-fucking-three, not some clueless kid. Welcome to adulthood-where actions have consequences.”
