Chapter 176

The morning sun cast golden rays through Evelyn Sinclair's penthouse windows as she sipped her coffee, scrolling through her phone. A smirk played on her lips—today’s gossip columns were deliciously scandalous.

"Nathan Blackwood Spotted Leaving Elite Hotel with Mystery Woman," one headline screamed.

Evelyn nearly choked on her latte. Oh, this is too good.

Her mind-reading ability—a secret she guarded fiercely—hummed to life as she imagined Nathan’s reaction. She could practically hear his internal panic: "Damn it, that was just a business meeting!"

But the tabloids didn’t care about context. Neither did Victoria Hayes, Nathan’s scheming secretary, who’d likely leaked the photos herself. Evelyn could already picture Victoria’s smug grin.

Then her phone buzzed—a text from Serena Whitmore, her agent:

"Turn on E! News. NOW."

Evelyn tapped the screen, and there it was: grainy footage of Nathan and the "mystery woman" (who, upon closer inspection, was just his cousin Genevieve). The caption, however, read: "Blackwood Heir’s Secret Affair?"

Evelyn burst out laughing. Oh, Nathan, you poor, misunderstood billionaire.

But her amusement faded when another notification popped up—a DM from an anonymous account:

"You think you know everything, Evelyn. But you don’t."

Her blood ran cold.

Who the hell was this?

Claudia Bennett's expression twisted in an instant. Though she had never warmed to Sophia Reed, she still expected basic respect. The mocking glint in Sophia's eyes and her half-uttered words made Claudia snap, "What exactly are you implying?"

Sophia smirked, tilting her head. "Oh, I heard the most fascinating rumor—that you despised me, your own flesh and blood, because of some ridiculous dream. A dream where I ruined you and landed you behind bars."

Claudia stiffened, her fingers curling into fists as Sophia continued, voice dripping with amusement. "And yet, here we are. Who actually destroyed you? Me? No. It was your precious godson, Gabriel. Congratulations, Mother. Your prophecy came true—just not the way you imagined."

The officer beside them coughed into his fist, clearly fighting a laugh.

Claudia's face contorted with rage. She lunged forward, hand raised to strike, but Sophia caught her wrist effortlessly. "You gave up your rights to me," Sophia said coldly. "You don’t get to play parent now."

With that, she released Claudia’s arm and strode away, leaving her mother trembling in her wake.

As Sophia pushed open the precinct door, she nearly collided with Vivienne Monroe, who was being escorted by Daniel Wright to finalize paperwork for the fraud case. Sophia didn’t recognize them and made to step past—until she heard Claudia’s enraged shriek behind her.

"You!" Claudia snarled, rounding on Vivienne. "This is all your fault, you conniving little witch! If it weren’t for you, none of this would’ve happened! Admit it—you set this up, didn’t you?"

Daniel rolled his eyes so dramatically that Sophia paused, momentarily thrown. She’d expected police officers to be stern, professional. Not... this. And yet, something about him tugged at her memory. Had she seen him before?

Vivienne, however, had clearly reached her limit. She met Claudia’s glare head-on, voice icy. "Mrs. Harrison, are you still deluding yourself? The drugs were found on Gabriel. How, exactly, is that my doing?" She paused, then feigned sudden realization. "Ah, but now that you mention it—I remember why you hated me so much. You accused me of stealing your necklace."

Claudia blanched, clearly unprepared for Vivienne to air this publicly.

"Funny thing," Vivienne mused. "That necklace did go missing. But if it was stolen... well, who had access? Who suddenly started paying off gambling debts around that time?" Her gaze dropped pointedly to the pearls around Claudia’s throat. "That necklace alone would cover quite a few debts, wouldn’t it?"

Every eye in the room locked onto Claudia’s jewelry.

Claudia’s hand flew to her neck, fingers tightening around the strand. "You’re lying! Gabriel would never—"

"Wouldn’t he?" Vivienne arched a brow. "He was my boyfriend once too. And yet, he still took secret photos of me and tried to blackmail me. Face it, Claudia—your golden boy wasn’t so golden after all."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Some habits became second nature over time. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have perfected such a method for smuggling drugs so effortlessly.

Had he not been caught mid-operation—had Claudia not alerted the authorities—he might never have been exposed. Vivienne shuddered in relief, grateful she had never been fond of jewelry. The thought of having worn that necklace made her stomach churn.

Claudia stood frozen, her face drained of color. Even the officers, including Daniel, recoiled, their expressions twisting in disgust.

"That massive pearl necklace could hide that?" Daniel muttered under his breath, then added dryly, "If so, his operation was modest. The proctologist might’ve missed a few... souvenirs."

The words struck Claudia like a physical blow. Her legs buckled, but no one rushed to steady her—not even Sophia, who now understood the horrifying truth. Disgust rooted everyone in place. In the end, Claudia caught herself against the wall, trembling.

When reality crashed over her, she clawed at the necklace, desperate to tear it off—but her hands froze mid-air. Despite meticulous care, the pearls were... tainted.

Like a venomous serpent coiled around her throat, she couldn’t bear to touch it—yet leaving it on was unbearable. A strangled gasp escaped her before her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed.

Paramedics arrived swiftly, loading her onto a stretcher. Sophia had no choice but to follow, though her reluctance was palpable.

Outside, Daniel turned to Sophia. "You're Mrs. Harrison's daughter, right? Riding in the ambulance?"

"I’ll take my car," Sophia replied curtly. She braced for judgment—her coldness would surely draw criticism—but Daniel only nodded, assigning another officer to accompany Claudia. His lack of reaction made Sophia study him closer.

"Sophie."

A voice cut through the tension. She turned to see a young man—Mason—pausing mid-step when he noticed Daniel. A flicker of unease crossed his face before he schooled his features.

Daniel, ever observant, caught the shift but said nothing.

Mason closed the distance, concern lacing his tone. "I just saw your mother being taken away. What happened?"

"She fainted. We’re heading to the hospital," Sophia answered flatly.

Mason slung an arm around her shoulders. "Let’s go."

Their intimacy was unmistakable—a couple, clearly. Sophia offered Daniel a stiff nod, while Mason flashed him a polite smile. But his final glance held something darker—a silent challenge.

Nathan's brow furrowed slightly, sensing something amiss. But the police station buzzed with activity, leaving no room for contemplation. The celebrity drug scandal demanded immediate attention—arrest lists needed finalizing, press releases drafted.

Within minutes of publishing the implicated stars' names, social media platforms collapsed under the traffic surge. Even gossip forums notorious for handling celebrity meltdowns crashed spectacularly.

Watching the Blackwoods desperately refresh their screens, one could visualize millions doing the same worldwide.

"My classmates are hysterical!" Genevieve exclaimed, scrolling through screenshots flooding her group chat. "Three of their favorite idols just got exposed!"

Sophia gaped at her phone. "Our hospital's work chat is exploding with memes."

Richard sighed. "Blackwood Group's partnerships are safe, but three brand ambassadors are on that list."

Margaret shook her head. "Daniel won't be home for dinner tonight."

Julian shrugged. "Standard crisis protocol—issue termination notices before sunrise."

Evelyn chuckled darkly. "Isabelle's raging in our studio group. One of her lead actors just torpedoed Rebecca's entire shooting schedule. Thank God she's still riding high from signing Vivienne, or heads would roll."

As servers stabilized, the internet descended into chaos.

Timelines overflowed with heartbroken fans mourning their fallen idols. Just as the Blackwoods reveled in the spectacle, Evelyn's phone buzzed violently.

"Bloody hell!" she hissed. "Why am I still trending at #1?"

The Blackwood clan exchanged glances before scrambling for their devices.