Chapter 85

Vivian expected Eugene to agree immediately, but to her surprise,he hesitated.

"Miss Simpson, I can't promise anything. You'll need to speak to Mr. Watson directly. Without his instruction, I can't make this decision," Eugene said, his voice steady.

He hadn't reached his position by being reckless.

that so? I understand. Sorry to trouble you," Vivian replied with a soft smile, though she was seething inside.

Once she married Brandon, she would make sure Eugene got replaced immediately.

For the first time in a long while, she felt like she was hitting a wall at every turn.

With no other option, she walked over to Brandon.

"Brandon," she said hesitantly.

Brandon looked at her and gave a small nod, signaling her to speak.

Vivian leaned in close and whispered in his ear.

"Please, Brandon," she said, her tone pleading. "This is actually about a family feud within the Evans family. Oakley and Charles had a fight. I saw Oakley backstage, and things were heated. But the public doesn't know better, so they're blaming me."

Her eyes turned red with emotion. "I'm not afraid of rumors. I just don't want all my efforts to be misunderstood. I've never had much time left, and all I want is to leave behind something good. If I'm wrongly accused, everything I've done will be stained. You know that's not what I want."

She cleverly shifted the blame onto Oakley.

Brandon looked at her quietly. His feelings were complicated.

He knew about the feud between the Evans brothers.

Vivian had also spoken to him before about why she wanted to join the show.

But as she spoke, Millie's face suddenly appeared in his mind.

The Watson Group didn't even have an entertainment arm-until Millie.

That department had been created just for her, even though she was signed with Evans Entertainment.

It eventually grew to support other artists, but the biggest share of resources always went to Millie.

She knew it too, but she insisted on honoring her contract with Evans Entertainment and never once asked to break it.

After marrying Brandon, she quietly stepped away from music and never brought it up again.

Vivian noticed Brandon's silence and kept her pitiful expression in place.

"If you don't want to, it's fine," she said with a forced smile.

Brandon finally looked away.

Maybe it was time to let go.

Millie had changed. She didn't need those thing he built for her anymore.

He sighed. "Tell Eugene it's from me," Brandon said at last.

"Really? Thank you, Brandon!" Vivian's face lit up, and she rushed to call Eugene.

But Brandon didn't look at her again.

Something made him raisehis head and'glance down the corridor.

There,he saw Serena standing quietly,watching him.

Charles then stepped out from the shadows and gently draped his coat over her shoulders.

He said something to her. Serena looked away, and the two of them walked off together.

Whispers spread: Speculation grew. Public opinion began to shift.

"Vivian has always stayed true to her values. Whether it's Heavenly Melody or her charity work, she just wants to inspire others before her time runs out."

"Exactly! She's almost at the end of her life. Why would she care about pushing Serena down?"

"I heard it's a family feud-Oakley and Charles. This isn't about Vivian."

"Vivian doesn't even have six months left. Blaming her just seems wrong."

"Yeah... It's just too cruel."

Millie scrolled through the comments and smniled.

As expected, Vivian's illness would always win sympathy.

Charles sat beside her, seething.

"What is he even thinking?" he snapped. They both knew who "he"was. "Should we go with that plan?"

Millie shook her head.

Though they had evidence against Vivian's PR team, the players involved now were from the Watson Group.

That evidence they had wouldn't help much anymore.

"So we're letting her off?" Charles asked through gritted teeth.

Millie laughed. "Not a chance."

"But she-" Charles glanced toward the nearby camera, careful with his words.

"She's desperate now. And it's going to cost her," Millie said calmly.

Charles leaned closer, his eyes lighting up."You mean...?"

Millie lowered her gaze and began typing on her phone beneath the table. "First, Vivian stabbed Oakley in the back. They may still look like allies, but that kind of betrayal leaves a scar. Second, she used the Watson Group's resources. Even if she manages to clear her name, her image is already tainted.People will begin to doubt her. Most importantly, she's panicking. Sympathy only works a few times.Overdo it, and people start getting tired. You can't fake your way through forever. The more she tries to fix this now, the stronger the backlash later. She used the Watson Group because she's desperate.That means the end is close."

Charles nodded quickly as he read her message.

Millie was right.

He was too impatient.

His hot temper had always been a double-edged sword-he got things done, but it brought problems too.He had learned to control it over the years.

And if he wanted to keep up with Millie, he had to master patience.

"Look, we've already won," Millie said with a smile, handing her phone to him.

Though Vivian was no longer under attack like they wished to, good news was that Serena was now swimming in praise.

First came the positive comments. Then well-known influencers began doing reactions on her songs,pointing out the details and difficulty.

Soon, online musicians were trying to replicate herhigh notes in Deep Sea.

The buzz exploded, drawing in even more people.

"Back during the first round, everyone argued over whether Glimmer of Love or Yesterday was better.Now it's clear-Yesterday takes the crown!"

"Right? Vivian's song is beautiful, but she's not a pro. Serena's song is more technical and heartfelt."

"Glimmer of Love is nice, but the live version didn't hit. Not surprising though-Vivian isn't a trained singer."

"Either way, Serena's amazing!"

Just like that, Serena's commercial value skyrocketed overnight.

The live show inched toward its grand finale.

Each singer gave it their all, and with every elimination, fans felt a sense of loss.

The live broadcast that stirred so much passion finally came to an end.

But Millie hadn't expected Vivian to make a fatal mistake at the very last moment.