Chapter 210
Leanna came out of the bathroom and sat down on the couch. She took a sip of water and began to
scroll through her phone.
Right at that moment, a news update popped up on her screen.
'Daphne Shirley Suspected to Be in a Relationship'
What was going on?
Leanna clicked on the notification to read more about it, but she nearly spat her water out when she
saw the photos that had been published by the media.
After double-checking and confirming her suspicions, she quickly gave Louis a call.
"Louis, where are you right now?" Leanna asked tentatively.
"At my dorm. Why?"
"Well… Did you see the news?"
"What news?"
Leanna decided to switch tactics. "What's going on between you and Daphne?"
Louis was quiet for several seconds. "Nothing. I ran into some trouble today and she helped me."
Half an hour ago.
After seeing that the girl was still sticking to her story, Daphne announced that there was a film crew
and they had recorded the entire event that occurred earlier.
Now that there were both witnesses and evidence, it was up to the police to handle the matter.
She took her phone out to make a police report.
The girl was scared witless. She instantly cried out, "N -No… Don't call the police…"
The kind-hearted elderly man said, "Don't be scared, miss. The police will help you seek justice…"
But before he could finish his sentence, the girl weaved her way through the crowd and ran off.
Daphne put her phone away and looked out at the stunned crowd. Her tone was cool as she said, "It's
clear who's lying now, isn't it? This is a handsome young man with decent grades and a fine character.
He's not the kind of person that you claim he is. Those of you who scorned him earlier should be
apologizing now, don't you think?"
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The spectating crowd exchanged looks. None of them would have predicted this twist.
Those among them who were the rowdiest and hurled the most abuse had fled by now.
Just then, someone called out tentatively, "Is that Daphne?"
"The lights are too dim so I can't see clearly, but it sounds like her."
"Oh my gosh! I saw her face! It's Daphne!"
The crowd became increasingly excited, and Louis, who had been quiet all long, quickly pulled Daphne
away from there.
Someone must have taken a photo of this and sent it to the media.
That was why the news was trending.
Louis didn't tell Leanna the whole story. After a pause, he asked, "Did someone take a photo of us?"
"Yeah, but it's not too bad. The photo was quite blurry. There's no clear shot of your face."
"How did you recognize me then?"
"Need you ask? I'm your sister. Shouldn't I at least be able to pick you out?"
Louis pressed his lips together. "Will this affect her badly?"
"I'm not sure about that. I'll ask…"
Leanna came to an abrupt halt.
"What's the matter?" Louis asked.
"It's nothing. Leave this to me. You can just focus on school."
Leanna had faltered when she recalled that Daphne was managed by Pearson Group.
Now that things had gone this far, Daphne's management team would surely get involved. This meant
that Aidan would've heard about it as well.
She didn't know if he recognized Louis.
Leanna bit her lip and scratched her head before calling Daphne.
No one picked up no matter how long she waited.
It was probably due to the gossip.
Leanna hesitated for a long time, but in the end, she gave Jonathan a call.
He answered almost immediately.
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"Did you need something, Miss McKinney?" Jonathan asked.
Leanna straightened up a little. "I wanted to ask if Daphne's issue is serious."
"Not… Yes, very," Jonathan said gravely. "It will have a negative impact on her career. We've had to
halt discussions for several endorsement deals and filming projects."
Oh, really?
Leanna couldn't help but doubt him.
Jonathan continued, "President Pearson has called for a crisis meeting to handle this."
"I -Is President Pearson handling this personally?"
"Yes. President Pearson handles all of Daphne's work matters himself."
Jonathan promised that this wasn't a lie.
After all, President Pearson is in the chat group that consists of Daphne's management team, right?
"I didn't know President Pearson was involved in so many different things," Leanna chuckled dryly.
"As the saying goes, those who can, do, right?"
"Well… If there's anything I need to do, go ahead and let me know. I'll do my best to cooperate."
"Alright."
After ending the call, Leanna looked out the window and sighed.
Why this, why now? She had just drawn the line with Aidan several days ago, but now, she was back in
the palm of his hand again.
Leanna started scrolling through her phone again. The news topic regarding Daphne's possible
romance topped the trending list.
Numerous factions consisting of her rivals and anti-fans leaped at the chance to dig up the old rumors
of her being a mistress and started to spread the gossip once more.
Unfortunately, this was just the way things were. Regardless of all the evidence or statements that
proved otherwise, people would still choose to believe what they wanted to believe.
Still, it looks like it is indeed affecting her.
…
In the meeting room, Daphne sat there quietly and watched as Jonathan spun his tall tale.
Once Jonathan put his phone away, she said, "Mr. Stoll, have you ever considered quitting your job as
an assistant and becoming an actor instead?"
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Jonathan wiped his brow. "You jest. This is part and parcel of being a good assistant."
Daphne had no reply for that.
A moment later, Aidan's voice rang out. "Was anyone else involved in that incident, apart from the high
schooler?"
Daphne nodded. "I don't think it's an accident. I'm sure it was premeditated."
Earlier, she was indeed filming a scene nearby. After spotting Louis across the street, she decided to
say hi to him. That was when she witnessed everything.
As she was standing some distance away, she noticed that there were a few men who had been
hanging around nearby. As soon as the crowd started gathering, they rushed into the crowd and began
to stir them up. They were the ones who hurled the most abuse at Louis.
Aidan tapped his finger on the table absentmindedly. It was unclear what he was thinking about.
Both Leanna and Louis were being targeted, and in both cases, the person's schemes weren't very
sophisticated.
It would be a stretch to call it a calculated move.
Jonathan piped up, "President Pearson, although they've resorted to rather crude means, it wasn't
totally useless. If Daphne hadn't been around today, they would have succeeded. Even if evidence
came up later on to prove otherwise, the damage would've been done."
Gossip was the easiest weapon to wield—a scandal could easily ruin a person's life.
"Get the PR department to issue a statement and let the rumors settle down."
"I'll go right now."
Daphne stood up. "President Pearson, if there's nothing else, then I'll get going as well."
"Hold on." Aidan looked at her. "You know what you should and shouldn't mention, right?"
"You think too poorly of me, President Pearson. I'm an actress. We're professionals too," Daphne
replied.
Aidan waved her off.
After instructing the PR department, Jonathan came up to Aidan and asked, "President Pearson, as for
Mrs. Pearson…"
"Tell her to come to my office tomorrow."