Chapter 106

At that moment, Millie sensed something odd.

"What's happening? Who are these people? Why are they helping us all of a sudden?" Barbara asked,confused.

A new,unknown force had suddenly appeared online.

In just minutes, all the earlier rumors vanished.

"Should we keep going?" Charles asked quietly.

Millie shook her head.

The result was already clear. There was no need to push further.

She didn't care much about publicity. With her talent,as long as nothing unexpected happened, she could rise on her own.

But Vivian had been after her from the start.

First,Vivian and Oakley had reduced the quality of her videos. Then they tried to drag her name through the mud.

Seville had told her they even started spreading vile rumors, claiming she had seduced the entire Heavenly Melody production team to get ahead.

It was cruel and disgusting-plain slut-shaming.

But Millie wasn't the type to sit back and take it.

Thankfully, her talent spoke louder than any lie. The rumors didn't stick.

Still,this sudden support...

Millie frowned. It felt overwhelming.

"Who do you think it is?" Charles asked.

"We need to find out. Let's look into it," Millie replied.

Charles nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile,Vivian sent a message to Johnny. lost control. Hold off on the miscarriage story-save it as a backup."

Not long after, the rankings for the fourth round of Heavenly Melody were released.

Serena took the top spot without question.

The others followed in their places.

The round ended quietly, though the tension still lingered.

Everyone left in an orderly line

Millie was about to leave too. But backstage, as she walked past Vivian, Vivian suddenly reached for her.

Millie quickly pulled her hand back,avoiding the touch.

If not for Vivian's terminal illness and the crowd watching, Millie might've slapped her right there.

"Don't think you've won, Serena," Vivian hissed in a rough voice

"You should worry about yourself," Millie said coldly.

Beside her, Barbara scoffed,"Yeah, Serena has better things to do. Step aside."

Barbara's attitude had changed completely. She used to admire Vivian. But after everything she'd seen,Vivian disgusted her.

"You!" Vivian snapped, glaring at her.

Barbara stood firm. She looked Vivian straight in the eye. "Everyone online is asking who keeps targeting Serena,and guess who's their prime suspect? Instead of throwing threats here, maybe focus on yourself,Miss Simpson."

Then she turned and walked off with Millie.

Vivian clenched her fists, trying not to explode.

The Internet was indeed already buzzing.

People were discussing it without any prompting.

"It's too strange. Serena's the target every time.Who did she offend? That last rumor was awful. If the public didn't already respect her, it could've ruined her."

One or two incidents could be coincidence. But this had gone on from round one to round four.

At first, fingers pointed at Oakley. But Oakley didn't plan to take the fall for Vivian.

He posted a video from the hospital, showing himself being treated by the nurse. The caption read, "Not your guy."

He looked beaten and pitiful in the video with all those bruises-but also kind of funny.

His eyes were full of complaint.

Rumor had it he'd been slammed to the floor in the power room.

Sharp-eyed netizens guessed he'd tried to cut the power and got stopped by Charles.

People still had doubts about him, but they were fading.

In the end, suspicion turned to Vivian.

After Oakley, she was the only one with enough backing-thanks to Brandon.

It all added up.

Vivian couldn't help but feel restless.

She thought she had everything under control. She had so much dirt on Serena. But it still slipped through her fingers.

She figured out two reasons why.

First, she had been pulled away by blackmailers at the worst moment-she missed her chance to strike back.

Second, an unexpected force had stepped in and changed everything.

According to Johnny, even Serena's team didn't know who it was.

Vivian stared after Serena's fading figure.

Serena had slipped away again.

But Vivian couldn't dwell on it now. She had her own mess to clean up.

Her eyes reddened as she walked toward Brandon.

···

Meanwhile,Millie,Barbara,and Charles reached the RV.

There,the Elliott siblings were waiting.

Jayceon ran up, beaming. "You're incredible, Serena!

You amaze me every time. I'm your biggest fan now!"

Adriana smiled and quickly tugged him back so he wouldn't overwhelm Millie.

Myron stood off to the side, watching.

Suddenly,an idea hit Millie.

She paused and said, "The online rumors..."

She didn't finsh. She wasn't sure yet.

"Yeah, it was Myron," Jayceon answered before she could ask. "I helped too!"

Millie blinked, surprised. Her eyes turned to Myron.

"Elliott Group sponsors the show. You're the biggest draw-can'tlet them drag your name through the mud,"Myron explained simply.

It all made sense now.

Before Elliott Group stepped in, there'd been no outside help. But the day after they joined, things changed.

It was logical. No one wanted to waste their investment.

"Thank you," Millie said, sincere.

Adriana gave a nod.

Jayceon huffed, "You're super talented. I don't get those people! Why bring nonsense into a talent show?"

Then, after a short pause, he peeked between Charles and Serena. "You and Charles..." he asked in a whisper.

Millie almost laughed. He was like a curious golden retriever.

"Charles and I are just friends-and business partners.The rumors are nonsense," Millie replied.

Charles nodded. "Yes, we're just friends. And there are..other reasons we can't talk about yet."

He did have feelings for Millie. But she clearly didn't feel the same. He didn't want people getting the wrong idea.

"Okay,hehe... Ow, Adriana!" Jayceon yelped when his sister smacked him.

"Ignore him. He's a goof," Adriana said to Serena with a small smile.

Millie didn't mind. Jayceon was just young and curious.

She nodded lightly to them, and Myron gave a small nod in return.

The siblings soon left.

It was a well-timed meeting.

Millie turned to board the RV.

But just then, a hand pressed against the door.

She looked up. Brandon stood there, lips tight,eyes deep and searching.

He stared at her as if trying to see beneath her mask.