Chapter 107

Charles cut in, tugging Brandon to the side with a scowl. "Listen up, Brandon. I might not be as powerful as you, but you don't get to walk all over my friends.Not happening."

He then shot Barbara a pointed look.

Barbara got the message, slipping over to help Millie up the steps and into the RV.

As Millie'sfoot landed on the first stair, Brandon's voice cut through the tension behind her.

"And who exactly are you, Serena?" Brandon demanded sharply, a flicker of challenge in his eyes.

Charles froze, momentarily thrown off, his gaze drifting silently to Millie for help.

Without turning, Millie answered, her tone calm and precise, "Mr. Watson, if you've got doubts, make it clear.Otherwise, I have nothing to add."

Brandon's stare lingered on her silhouette. "With the kind of talent and skill you've shown, there's no way you're just some nobody," he noted, his voice steady but firm. "So tell me-what are you really after?"

"Why do you even care?" Charles snapped angrily before Millie had a chance to speak. "Seriously, what else could a singer possibly be after for joining a music show?"

He sounded almost exasperated, as if Brandon's line of questioning defied all logic.

Brandon's reply was a single, frigid glance-an unspoken dismissal that made Charles look foolish just for asking.

Millie instantly grasped Brandon's point. She knew he was hinting at the whole situation with Vivian.

Charles' outburst, however, came as a welcome distraction, sparing her from the need to reply at all.

Seizing the moment, Millie moved to climb into the RV,her mind already shifting ahead.

But Brandon's voice cut through the air behind her. "I'm not here to interrogate you," he called in an even tone."Vivian's my responsibility-I'll deal with her problems myself.Whatever plans you have, just keep what I said in mind."

Millie froze before turning to face him at last.

Brandon remained where he was, the darkness at his back stretching on forever. A restless breeze flicked across the night, tossing a stray lock of hair over his brow.

Was this supposed to be a warning or just a notification?

He didn't bother with the usual appeals to Vivian's fragile health or so-called kindness.

This time, Brandon skipped any pretense of explanation.

He spelled it out for her: No matter what she did, he'd side with Vivian. He wanted her to know-before she made her move-she had better think hard about whether she was really ready to challenge him.

Millie's lips curved into a faint, ironic smile.

Was this his idea of love?

If what he felt for Vivian was love, then what had all those stolen hours and whispered words between them ever meant?

Despite all her efforts to break away from them,they refused to let her go, cornering her at every turn.

Anxiety and fury twisted inside her.

Her fists curled tight at her sides.

Right then, both Millie's and Charles' phones buzzed.

Millie slid hers out, her pulse stuttering as she read the group chat.

Seville had just dropped a bombshell-news of Vivian's latest move, complete with a string of links.

"Serena's scandalous private life exposed-she suffered a miscarriage just ten days before the first 'Heavenly Melody' live show."

"Charles' sponsorship of Serena on 'Heavenly Melody 'was allegedly compensation for her recent loss."

"Serena faked a donation at the Evans charity gala-her name was missing from the official list, yet she showed up and joined the donors' group photo.Totally unethical."

Charles had seen theaccusations too.

He wasn't naive at all. Holding up the screenshots before Brandon, he huffed, "I know why you're here,but take a look at this first. Is this really the 'kind'Vivian you're defending?"

Brandon's mouth tightened. His gaze flicked toward the car door, but the mysterious woman behind the mask had already slipped away.

Done shouting, Charles lost interest in the argument.He stormed off and climbed into the RV without another word.

The engine rumbled to life, and the vehicle rolled smoothly past Brandon, who raised his eyes just in time to glimpse Serena's masked silhouette through the window.

Inside, the makeup artist began her work,efficiently stripping away the remnants of the performance.

Beneath the mask, Serena's skin was bare-only her jaw and lips had been touched with makeup.

Barbara glared at her phone, cheeks flushed with anger. "Unbelievable! How can someone stoop so low?| actually thought Vivian was kind and decent, you know? She used her own struggles to lift up others fighting illness, and I thought it was so inspiring. But now-seeing all this made up... Mr. Evans, Serena,what's our move? And what about Mr. Watson, still backing Vivian? Are we just letting him go unchecked?"

Charles clearly wanted to strategize with Millie, but with Barbara listening, he stayed noncommittal,assuring her they'd take care of it.

Midway through the drive, Millie and Charles left the RV behind for the quiet privacy of his Bentley.

The moment the doors shut, Millie tugged off her mask,finally able to breathe.

Charles, eyes fixed on the latest headlines, asked quietly, "What do you think?" His phone glowed in his hand as scandal after scandal poured in.

Usually, Serena was untouchable-petty gossip never stuck for long.

So what if Serena was seeing someone? Those could be shrugged off.

But this time, things were different.

Charles' "sponsorship" could be brushed off as tabloid fodder or baseless gossip, but a fake charity donation...

Charles set his jaw, replying, "That's where things got tricky-Serena's name wasn't anywhere on the official list that day. You told me to keep the donor's identity under wraps, so the tanzanite's real source was never made public."

Serena had bought Ari's painting, but thanks to her fierce bidding duel with Brandon earlier that night,her number stood out. To keep things quiet, she'd ended up using Charles' bidding paddle, so naturally, the name "Serena" never appeared on the auction recordds.

All the elaborate precautions they'd taken to shield her identity were now backfiring spectacularly

A fake charity donation wasn't some minor scandal.

For a celebrity, it was career-ending. Anyone linked to such a controversy was instantly blacklisted from the industry.

Not even Evans Entertainment's connections could offset that kind of stain-no investor wanted anything to do with a star whose reputation was this toxic.

Millie scrolled through the relentless barrage of online comments.

Any praise for Serena's talent had evaporated; the narrative had flipped, and now every word was vicious.

"That event was a charity gala to raise funds for kids with critical illnesses. I remember Serena pushing hard to publicize her involvement-she even went head-to -head with Brandon in a bidding war."

"Yeah! Even if she managed to win a bid, it didn't qualify as a fake donation. The children's artwork at the event wasn't even pricey. Using those kids' stories for publicity without spending a dime? That's just plain sick."

"And she actually had the nerve to pose with the real donors for a group photo. Talk about shameless!"

"Talent's one thing, but she's rotten inside. What does it matter how gifted she is if she's tied up in scandals -phony charity donations, selling herself for personal gain? Just those two alone are enough to ruin her!"

"If Serena can walk away from this and win in this show,then showbiz is truly hopeless."

"Indeed! If she gets away with this, what about my idol? They were blacklisted for far less."

"Same here. My favorite used to be an A-lister, but one scandal and they were gone for good."

"If someone like Serena can stay in the spotlight,then I want justice for my idol, too!"

The online backlash exploded, and Serena's support nosedived.

Millie and Charles kept a close watch, but they weren't the only ones-Brandon was tracking every new development,too.