Chapter 27
Miranda glanced away, closing her eyes for a moment to relax.
Once back at her villa, she logged onto the black market website.
The recent influx into her account brought a satisfied smile to her lips. As long as her product continued to sell in the market, she wouldn’t have to worry. The customers would come to her.
Just then, her phone buzzed with a message from an anonymous one, I’m out.”
The name wasn’t included, but Miranda knew exactly who it was. She smirked, set her phone down, and turned her attention back to nurturing her herb seedlings.
Meanwhile, the Hawke brothers were having a hectic evening. Ever since that infamous live stream, they had been caught up in a whirlwind of chaos. The broadcast had lasted only a few minutes, but it created a massive uproar online.
Now, the internet was ablaze with criticism aimed at Arabella and her brother, Dorian. The carefully constructed image of a “devoted brother” was now torn apart, revealing the ugly side of bullying.
Their social media pages were flooded with comments.
“Devoted brother? More like a bully!”
“Is this the sweet little princess of the Hawke family we’ve been hearing about? What a shock!”
“Keep this sibling duo away from the rest of us, please.”
“Is this her way of making an audition? Surely it looks different once she’s got a brother backing her.”
“Is this bullying reportable?”
“Am I the only one who’s kinda jealous of Arabella’s life? Whenever she feels like acting, she does it. There’s her brother throwing money her way after all, and if she doesn’t get a role, her brothers just withdraw funding. Talk about a charmed life!”
“Wake up, people! Most of us are the ones getting bulldozed by the likes of Arabella, not living her life.”
“Focus, everyone! The problem is their attitude towards the film crew.”
“Mr. Hawke, do you need another sister? I’d love to be one if it means winning awards!”
Amidst the chaos, some quieter voices surfaced.
“Is it just me, or does the girl behind the camera have a lovely voice?”
“I noticed it too! And the way her hand moved over the screen was just… beautiful. I took a screenshot!”
…
The tide of public opinion was quickly turning against Arabella and Dorian, a scandal for the otherwise pristine Hawke family. If it got any bigger, it could impact the family’s business.
Naturally, the Hawkes took this matter seriously.
Moreover, Arabella’s public persona was totally different.
This persona she created, who attracted numerous followers, despite her being a daughter of a wealthy family and blindly pampered by her parents and four brothers, was yet kind and sweet, wanting to earn her place through her own efforts – albeit with the help from her brothers in the end due to her silliness.
This image, a dream for many ordinary girls who’d project their imagination onto Arabella, was shattered during the live stream; they witnessed the other side of her.
People were more upset by the collapse of her persona than by her actions with the film crew. Arabella faced a
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Chapter 27
barrage of criticism from both fans and detractors.
Though Theo tried to protect her by having the video taken down, it quickly resurfaced along with the
screenshots and harsh comments. It became clear that someone was deliberately working against them from the shadows.
