Louis’s hands were large and warm, enveloping Elisa’s icy hands completely.
Louis was a paragon of the entertainment industry, not just in terms of his looks but also his voice and his soul.
It’s often said that good looks are commonplace, but an interesting soul is rare. Louis had both. Those who knew him understood that he could be childish, clueless about emotions, overly narcissistic, and would wear his heart on his sleeve at the slightest trouble. He would blush when someone he liked approached, yet he was tender towards Elisa, wanting to be close but afraid of scaring her away.
When Elisa encountered trouble, he stood firmly by her side, even if she didn’t notice.
Louis’s affection for Elisa was open and bold, yet cautiously approached.
Elisa watched his lips move and his soft voice entered her ears, calming her restless soul like a gentle breeze. “Don’t face this alone. Whatever you hate, whatever disgusts you, let me handle it for you. You shouldn’t dirty your hands for these scumbags. It’s not worth it,” Louis said. These words reminded Elisa of someone else who had uttered similar words. “Elisa, anything you fear, I can handle for you, including people,” they had said.
Startled, Elisa murmured, “Autumn…”
“Hmm?” Louis thought she was calling him.
Elisa quickly regained her composure. “Do you expect me to just stand by and watch them thrive?”
“They won’t thrive,” Louis reassured, squeezing her hand.
“Thank you for your help, but some things I must handle myself to have meaning,” Elisa insisted. She didn’t want to live as a dependent on others. Louis worried she might do something foolish.
Directly killing someone with a knife might be satisfying, but it would indeed dirty her hands. Louis was right; it wasn’t worth dirtying her hands for these “scum.” She had to use someone else’s hand to do it. Filippa had mentioned something like this in a video: “It’s not illegal to abuse a cat anyway.” So why should Elisa care about what happened to her?
Louis’s tweet video immediately pushed Filippa into the spotlight once again. This time it would be for good, as she would disappear for good.
Elisa didn’t explain, and Louis didn’t press. He quietly stood by her side.
“How will you deal with Iris?” No one had expected Iris’s betrayal.
Human selfishness couldn’t withstand a test. Elisa… would she believe Iris? One reason was her memories of Aoife. When Aoife was abandoned and vilified by the entire internet, Iris was the only one who showed her kindness. Iris had taken care of Mimi, visibly improving her spirits and even her physical health. Elisa trusted her. However, Mimi died because of Iris.
Elisa wasn’t a saint; she couldn’t forget all the bitterness with just a few sweet moments. The bitterness was too much.
“Can you bring her to me right away?”
“I’ll arrange it now,” Louis said and swiftly sent someone to capture Iris.
Meanwhile, Elisa immediately uncovered Filippa’s home address and even learned her daily routines.
…
After leaving the dump, Filippa felt uneasy. She worried that her actions might be discovered, so she called Lorelei to confirm.
Lorelei chuckled lightly, finding Filippa’s worry foolish and belated. “Don’t worry, there are no surveillance cameras at the dump, and you were wearing a mask. Even if Iris is caught and interrogated, she wouldn’t dare expose you, because I have her mother under control. Even if she did speak out, the first person she would reveal would be me.”
After thinking about it, Filippa felt relieved. “But what if I get caught?”
“Why are you so timid, Filippa? Weren’t you seeking revenge on Elisa? Now that it’s done, why are you afraid? You killed a cat, it’s not illegal. Even if the public finds out, what does it matter? You’ve already left the entertainment industry, your former image is irretrievable. What more could go wrong? Look at the bright side; Elisa is probably in agony right now. She hasn’t even returned to the set, and there are photos circulating online of her holding the cat. People are accusing her of animal abuse.”
Filippa hadn’t checked her phone all day. Now, hearing this news, she was suddenly ecstatic. She opened Twitter, but her phone lagged. Just as she thought her phone was malfunctioning, it suddenly came back to life, flooded with messages, all marked in red.
She glanced at the trending topics…
#FilippaAnimalAbuse#