Chapter 58

Lily Green's fingers frantically scrolled across her phone screen, her face growing paler by the second. She never expected Michael Johnson to humiliate her so ruthlessly.

@MichaelJohnsonV: Official statement—Ms. Lily Green and I have only ever maintained a professional working relationship. There has never been any personal involvement. To those spreading rumors: legal action will be taken.

The post exploded like a bomb, sending shockwaves through the entertainment industry. Michael's fans erupted in celebration, flooding Lily's social media with scathing comments.

"Lily, what do we do now?" Her assistant wrung her hands in panic.

Lily bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, the metallic tang spreading across her tongue. With trembling fingers, she dialed Richard Brown's number. "Richard, help me!"

Richard let out a cold laugh and played his trump card. Within minutes, a video went viral.

[Shocking! Lily Green Once Took Acid for Michael Johnson—Now Betrayed!]

The footage showed Lily throwing herself in front of Michael, nearly getting doused with acid. The horrifying scene instantly swayed public opinion.

[Michael is disgusting!]

[How could he betray her like this?]

[Unfollowing. I'm done.]

Michael stared at his phone, a smirk curling his lips. His fingers flew across the keyboard.

@MichaelJohnsonV: Yes, I picked her up from the police station that night—because she "saved" me. But now we all see how laughable that "heroic act" really was. Here's the truth.

He released a series of surveillance stills. The images clearly showed Lily wearing thick protective clothing, following the attacker, and timing her "rescue" perfectly.

The internet went wild.

[Holy crap! This is next-level scheming!]

[Lily the Fake Saint exposed!]

[Best clapback of the year!]

At Star Emperor Entertainment headquarters, Lucy White flipped through a script when Sophia Taylor burst in, waving her phone excitedly. "Lucy, look! Lily's reputation is crumbling!"

Lucy glanced at the trending topics and chuckled. "Michael didn't hold back this time."

"She's definitely lost that period drama lead!" Sophia crowed. "The director hates schemers like her."

Nathan King walked in with a stack of contracts. "Lucy, I read the script for that period drama. Want to consider it?"

Lucy closed her script and shook her head. "No need. What's meant for others isn't mine to take."

Nathan's eyes gleamed with approval. "That kind of integrity is rare in this industry."

Sunlight streamed through the window as Lucy tilted her face toward it. In this second life, she would live with her head held high. Let the likes of Lily wallow in their dirty games.