Chapter 88

Violet pressed her face against Rodger's chest, clinging tightly as her tears seeped through the thin fabric of his hospital gown.

Not a single word left her lips, yet the quiet said more than she ever could.

The Mitchell brothers exchanged worried glances, each suspecting that Emilia had once again made Violet's life miserable.

Still, Violet kept her mouth shut, unwilling to let them turn their anger onEmilia. Though her eyes stayed puffy and red, she never allowed herself to betray the truth. It was just like her to put others first.

"That Emilia is the worst. She's always popping up, making trouble for Violet. And she still won't let Rodger go-how shameless can a person get!" A flicker of contempt darkened Sebastian's gaze.

"Don't forget what I told you to do. Handle it now," Rodger said, his tone cold.

"Already on it. Emilia won't get off easy this time!" Sebastian let out a huff before striding out of the room.

"What's Sebastian planning to do? Rodger, please don't let him do anything rash. Emilia hasn't done anything to me," Violet said, her voice trembling with forced anxiety.

Her words held truth, but her pitiful performance was meant to mislead the brothers further.

"Stop worrying. He's only running an errand for me at the company," Rodger said, his tone meant to soothe.

"That makes me feel so much better," replied Violet, her smile softening as she tucked herself comfortably against Rodger.

···

Outside the dance academy, a black car sat parked without attracting a single glance.

"Planning to run to Ms. Harris and show off what you've done for her?" Wilbur asked with a knowing grin, glancing at Elias through the rearview mirror.

Elias had uploaded the security footage that cleared Emilia's name.

"I'm not telling her. That's not my intention," Elias replied, his voice sharp as cold.

"You really shouldn't keep quiet about something good you've done.If nobody hears about it, you'll end up wishing you'd spoken up," Wilbur explained, rambling without pause.

Irritation flickered across Elias's face as he knit his brows. "I don't live with regrets. And you're talking too much."

"Alright, alright! I'll shut up," Wilbur muttered, leaning back with a sigh and clasping his hands behind his head.

Time crawled by, and there was still no sign of Emilia.

A chime broke the silence. Wilbur picked up his phone and shot Elias a look, finding him sitting still with his eyes shut, as if lost in thought.

"There's trouble. Someone's trying to have the video taken down, calling it a fake. On top of that, a scandal with some famous star is hogging all the attention," said Wilbur.

At that, Elias's eyes snapped open. A cold, heavy tension filled the space.

"Make sure people keep watching. Push the video back into the spotlight."

"Consider it done," Wilbur answered without hesitation.

It wasn't long before the video was trending again. Executives at major sites and media outlets, knowing who was behind it, backed away fromn interference. No one dared provoke the fury of someone with that much influence.

··.

While Sebastian was bragging to Rodger about how smoothly things were going, a sudden report drained the color from his face.

"Rodger, that video is blowing up again! There's no way to make it disappear now. People are saying some big name is behind all this. How did she manage to get someone so powerful on her side? Who could it possibly be?!"

Sebastian felt like he was losing his mind. How could Emilia, just an ordinary housewife, be so difficult to take down? Had she really found herself an ally with this much influence, or was fate simply mocking him?

Even the men Sebastian sent hadn't been able to lay a finger on her, and every last effort had gone up in smoke.

Frustration burned in his chest. Unable to hold it in, he kicked the spotless white wall, furious at how everything had unraveled.

He could hardly believe how outrageous the situation had become.