Her Rebirth.

The internet turned ruthless overnight.

Criticism flooded the news and social media, with hashtags trending at an alarming speed.

"I can’t believe she was so evil."

"She’s such a bully!"

"Leave the fashion industry, we don’t need you."

"Boycott Liavenne!"

A few days after Amelia’s success, an anonymous post surfaced, claiming she had bullied Lilac, her stepsister. The post included carefully selected pictures that showed Amelia bullying Lilac. The post quickly gained traction, and soon, Lilac’s classmates from Lysander College began speaking up.

"I remember that banquet. Lilac was talking to her friends when Amelia went up to her and poured wine on her because she was an illegitimate child."

The comments section was filled with people fueling the hate.

— So disgusting. Is this the real Amelia Cosgrove?

— People like her don’t deserve success.

— Lilac must have suffered so much. Poor girl.

In Liavenne’s office, Damien read the latest updates, his expression growing darker by the second. With a frustrated growl, he slammed his phone onto the desk and turned to Amelia.

"Don’t go online," he told her. "They don’t know what they’re saying."

Amelia, who had been sketching on her tablet, barely spared him a glance. She hummed indifferently. "I figured something like this would happen."

She wasn’t surprised, nor was she panicked. These things always had a cycle, after some time, the heat would die down, and another scandal would take its place.

Damien frowned. "You can’t be so calm. This may have a huge effect on your career in the future."

Amelia sighed, finally setting her tablet down. "And what do you suggest I do? Apologize? Cry? Beg? Besides, I really did those things."

Damien looked at her, stunned, quite surprised that she even admitted to doing such. So he scrambled for a defense.

"But you really didn’t mean it, right? You must have had a reason for doing such."

Damien truly believed that she had a reason. Ever since she started working with him, he had seen a version of her that was a far cry from the rumors in the circle. She was quiet, kind, never spoke unnecessarily, hardworking, and dedicated. She had never insulted or bullied anyone, except when attacked first.

Or was it all just a pretense to win his goodwill? 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Then he heard Amelia say, "Yes, I did have a reason... I had just realized my dear sister was having an affair with my ex-fiancé, after all."

Amelia Cosgrove had overheard Lilac shyly telling her friends how she had given Ace her first time, and her friends giggling over it. For someone who was crazily in love with Ace, how could she not get mad? So she grabbed a glass of wine and splashed it on Lilac while screaming, Die, you fucking bitch!

For those who didn’t know what truly happened, it was expected that they would automatically believe Amelia was bullying Lilac, and Amelia’s reaction wasn’t helping matters either.

Damien’s eyes lit up when he heard Amelia’s statement. He was right after all, she did have a reason.

"That’s very good. Though our PR team had already begun working on it, this will give them more material to work with. It won’t be long before things turn in our favor," he said, then fell into thought before continuing. "But who would do this? You’re just new in the industry, it’s not like you’ve made any major enemies."

Amelia frowned. That was true. In the fashion industry, she barely had any enemies.

But that was in the industry.

Outside the industry, there were so many people praying for her downfall.

The one in the top spot obviously being...

Lilac.

Meanwhile...

In his office, Kai’s gaze was ice-cold.

He leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping slowly against his desk as he listened to Secretary Wen’s report.

"Find out who the anonymous poster is," he ordered coldly.

"Yes, Sir."

"And buy out the trending spots," Kai continued. "Replace the headlines with other scandals. I don’t care what, just make sure Amelia’s name disappears from it."

If the internet wanted to play dirty, he would simply bury the story with bigger, juicier scandals.

Despite looking calm on the surface, Kai’s thoughts were turbulent, and he couldn’t help but worry about Amelia.

Was Amelia alright? Was she currently hiding somewhere, crying her heart out?

She usually acted tough, but she had to be affected somehow. Besides, this scandal was targeting something she was passionate about.

But even as Kai worried about Amelia inside, something darker twisted.

Of course, he was angry that someone dared to drag Amelia’s name through the mud.

He hated that someone had done this to her.

But at the same time... wasn’t this a good thing?

She would be alone. She would realize that the world had turned against her, except for him. No one else would stand by her. No one else would defend her.

She would come running to him. Crying in his arms. And he would comfort her. Whisper sweet nothings into her ear, telling her she was safe, that she didn’t need anyone else.

And then...then he would lock her away.

Keep her in the perfect little cage he had built just for her.

But... but...

Would she be happy?

Would her lips still curl into that soft, beautiful smile? The one that lit up even the darkest spaces inside him?

And if he didn’t lock her away... what if someone else comforted her?

What if she cried in another man’s arms? What if he whispered sweet nothings to her instead?

Kai clenched his fists.

He would kill him. He would fucking torture him. Then he would cut him into pieces.

Amelia... she could only belong to him.

In the evening, when Kai arrived home, the scene before him was different from what he had expected.

Amelia was in the living room, kneeling on the floor while playing with Poppy. The small cat mewed happily, rubbing against her hands. She looked relaxed, even amused, as if the world wasn’t currently dragging her through the mud.

Hearing the door open, Amelia looked up and greeted him with a smile. "You’re back."

Kai watched her for a moment, his heart thudding vigorously, then suddenly said, "Let’s go on vacation."

Amelia blinked. "Huh? Why?"

"Let’s leave for a while," he repeated.

"Why?" she asked, her brows furrowing.

Kai’s gaze darkened slightly. "Aren’t you bothered by the news?"

Amelia tilted her head, considering his question. "Not really."

Kai stared at her for a moment before scoffing lightly.

Even if she wasn’t bothered, he wouldn’t let anyone stain her name.