Chapter 58

Jayceon finally gave a slow nod,realization settling across his features.

Beside him, the other man hadn't said a word the entire time.

Each second dragged by.

While online debates grew more intense, several things began unfolding at once.

Before the charity gala, Alexia had asked Giffard to find an IT expert to help them restore the cellphone data. So far, there hadn't been any progress.

Elsewhere, Seville had managed to obtain footage from the Heavenly Melody live.

But because the recording had been done in secret-with the phone stashed under a seat-none of the stage activity was visible. The surrounding conversations were captured too, rendering the clip noisy and difficult to make sense of.

Running out of options, Seville turned to his older brother.

He handed over the file. "Hey, think you can help me with this?"

The man in black-rimmed glasses turned to face his brother. "What kind of help?"

"I need the background noise removed. Just leave the singing intact." Seville tapped the screen to play the video.

After listening for a moment, the man adjusted his glasses. "I write code. That's it. I'm not a wizard."

Seville let out a laugh. "Oh, come on. You're one of the best data specialists in the country."

The man let out a slow breath. "Only when it involves numbers. Fine, leave it here. I'll try."

"Appreciate it!"

Still, Seville wasn't relying on just that. He came up with not one, but three plans.

The audio hadn't captured anyone's face, after all.Even if his brother worked magic, there was no way to extract a clear identity from nothing.

So,he decided he'd attend the event again. This time,his setup would be better concealed, and he'd record everything without being noticed.

While waiting to hear back from his brother,Seville scoured the Internet for other recordings from the event. An original video of the Serena's performance would still be the strongest piece of evidence to back his claims.

In another part of the city, inside a cramped room,a handful of people sat huddled around screens, their attention fixed on the flood of online posts about Vivian and the charity gala.

They replayed multiple leaked clips from devices secretly planned on the show Heavenly Melody's backstage, picking through the chaos and drawing their own conclusions.

First, it seemed Serena had recently miscarried, a shocking detail.

Second, Vivian and Serena apparently shared a mutual enemy. The audio was messy, but someone seemed to mention Millie. Could it really be her?What had gone wrong between Millie and Serena?

Third, Vivian appeared to be blackmailing Serena,but what was the reason?

The group exchanged thoughts.

"So, what's our next move?" one of them asked."Clips like these could sell for a fortune."

Another reached over and knocked him lightly on the head. "Think bigger. Vivian's public image is all sunshine and grace, but these clips tell a different story. We don't know her motives, but it's clear she wants to keep this quiet. The more we gather,the more power we'll have when it's time to negotiate."

Their leader drummed his fingers on the table. "And don't forget Serena. She plays everything close to the chest. I wouldn't be surprised if she's hiding something major."

He leaned forward. "For now, we keep everything under wraps. You saw what happened during the live stream, someone tried to challenge Vivian and got shut down instantly. We'll wait, stay low, and make it count when we strike. Otherwise, we risk getting caught in the fallout."

He added, "Keep tabs on Millie too. She's married to Brandon. That might give us something useful to start with."

"Understood,boss!"

...

Somewhere else in the city, a man stormed out of his temporary lodging for the past few days, his frustration barely contained.

"You have no right to do this!" he yelled. "Vivian's rivals must've paid you off!"

He was one of Vivian's most loyal supporters.

He admired her deeply and never missed the opportunity to speak of her brilliance to anyone who'd listen.

So when Vivian ignored a question about the demo, he happened to know some people and took it upon himself to raise the topic during the live broadcast.

There was still time left before the stream ended.

Online discussions about the demo were heating up."Yesterday" was gaining momentum back then and beginning to rival "Glimmer of Love."

But to him, Vivian's song was unmatched. He believed in her completely and wanted "Glimmer of Love" to dominate the spotlight. If he could get her to speak on the record-just one confirmation about the demo -it would spark even more attention and push her song to the top.

He never got the chance. Someone must've figured out what he was up to, because he was quietly pulled out of his own home and taken to another place before he could say anything.

"You'll see!" he snapped as he stormed out.

He wasn't backing down. One missed opportunity wasn't going to stop him. He'd find another way to support Vivian and raise the demo's profile.

...

At the police station, Lynda stood at the center of a tense investigation into Millie's car crash.

A colleague walked in holding a folder.

"Lynda, new update. You'll want to see this." The colleague passed her a file tied to the charity gala.

Lynda's expression tightened as she flipped through the pages.

Noticing her expression, the colleague added, "These two are acting strangely. Brandon and Millie might have filed for divorce, but it's not finalized yet. And now these two keep pushing her, don't they realize Millie could easily call off the whole thing?"

And that was exactly the issue.

Before everything was finalized, either person could withdraw and halt the proceedings at any moment.

Were Brandon and Vivian not concerned that Millie might change her mind out of nowhere? Or perhaps they were, and they already had plans to ensure she wouldn't.

Lynda sat quietly, and then lowered her eyes to the list of strategies noted in her planner.

After a moment, she tapped one of them. "This one,"she said.

Her colleague gave a firm nod.

...

Time moved on.

After dropping Vivian off, Brandon headed back to the apartment adjacent to his company building.

The moment he walked through the door,he spotted Eugene waiting.

Brandon paused, slightly surprised.

Eugene greeted him with an easy smile. "Mr. Watson,I've replaced all the items that were missing."

That explained it.

As head of the secretariat, Eugene oversaw two branches-one for company operations, the other for Brandon's private affairs.

Millie used to manage both aspects, juggling his schedule and personal life without issue. But with the tension between them lately, Eugene had stepped in to handle things temporarily.

Brandon gave a brief nod and glanced around the apartment.

His suits were back in the closet, neatly arranged alongside his ties, watches, and shoes. Socks and other essentials had been sorted and placed just the way he liked them.

The household staff worked quietly in the background,putting everything in order.

It was efficient. Familiar. Exactly how it should be.

"Alright," Brandon said before heading into the shower.

By the time he came out, the apartment was empty again. Eugene and the staff had already left.

Standing alone in the living room, Brandon suddenly noticed just how still everything felt.

There was no one waiting on the couch, flipping through a book. No voice calling his name.

No warmth in the quiet. The space felt hollow.

He reached for his phone and tapped back into Millie's chat.

Still nothing.

For a second, he wondered if something was wrong with the phone.