“Did A. W. blacklist Lorelei to promote Elisa?”
“Based on the current performance, Elisa is no match for Lorelei. However, she is young and has only recently entered the entertainment industry. Who knows, she might become popular after the broadcast of ‘Revenge and Love.'”
“Upstairs, Elisa is already famous. She gets criticized every day, yet she doesn’t seem to mind.”
“I don’t believe Elisa has no connections. The entertainment industry is like a big dyeing vat. How could a girl from a village be so clean?”
“The haters are starting to type away on their keyboards again, thinking they are almighty gods, feeling morally superior just because they have a mouth.”
“I, for one, support A. W.’s decision to blacklist Lorelei. Her fans are toxic. She even incited others to abuse cats. Filippa deserved to die, just like her.”
“A. W.’s approach is too extreme. Blacklisting an artist at will. Years of effort gone to waste, not to mention the legal battles and breach of contract fines.”
The online opinions are polarized. One moment they are criticizing the CEO of A. W. Group for being insane, blacklisting the only money-making artist, Lorelei. The next moment, a marketing account leaks real information.
Elisa likes to cut through the chaos, to strike hard. After taking a photo of Lorelei’s legs, she sent previously prepared information to a Twitter leaker.
-Lorelei’s real name is Lila.
Many people don’t know who Lila is. It’s common for stars to change their stage names, so a name change isn’t surprising.
But as the leaked content revealed, Lorelei’s history of plastic surgery, before-and-after comparison photos, came out.
The first to be revealed were her pockmarked and toeless feet.
The first thing Lila dug up was her relationship with Hamish, the CEO of Burns Group. Three years ago, at their engagement banquet, a large screen suddenly displayed a limited edition video of her engaging in intimate activities with another man.
Following this thread, more and more netizens started digging deeper. Don’t underestimate the insight of netizens and the power of their collective. If they want to dig, they will leave you with nothing, not even your underwear.
Soon, it emerged that Lila was a homewrecker, successfully displacing the legitimate partner, only to meet a mishap at the engagement banquet.
In addition to this, it also included how she schemed to ostracize Aoife during her time at X Entertainment, framing her, buying marketing accounts to insult Aoife as a homewrecker and a harlot.
“Lorelei’s feet made me nauseous. Her fans have such peculiar tastes.”
“With feet like that, can Lorelei’s fans still idolize her?”
“Don’t call her Lorelei, call her Lila. I genuinely didn’t expect her to be this malicious. It’s bad enough to be a homewrecker, but to also play both sides is just too much.”
“Has this entertainment gossip escalated to the circles of the aristocracy? Wasn’t Hamish deeply in love with his wife? Why did he divorce his wife to marry Lila, the homewrecker?”
“It turns out Elisa was wrongly accused from the beginning. It’s hard to imagine how she managed to withstand being blackened across the entire internet, especially since it was all orchestrated by Lorelei.”
“I’ve seen things that corrupt one’s moral compass, but I’ve never seen anything as corrupting as this. Finally, I understand why A. W. decided to blacklist her. Artists with such a bad reputation should indeed be blacklisted.”
“Who knows how Lila managed to displace Hamish’s ex-wife?”
“Here’s a revelation: I used to work as a nurse at Bankshire Hospital, probably about six years ago. Hamish’s ex-wife had a miscarriage and was admitted to the hospital with a mental illness. Lorelei, in the hospital room, persuaded Hamish’s ex-wife to give birth to the child and hand it over to her! I’ve never seen such a shameless homewrecker before.”
“Neither Hamish nor Lorelei are good people. Hamish is not worthy of his ex-wife. Do you know who his ex-wife was? Elisa, not the current Elisa in the entertainment industry, but the Elisa from back then, the heiress of the Powell family, Miss Elisa.”
“Why was there pixelation in the video from Lila’s engagement banquet? Is she looking down on us?”
“Hamish’s ex-wife’s name is Elisa? What a coincidence. Is there any connection between this Elisa and the deceased Elisa? Could she have undergone plastic surgery as well?”
“There is some resemblance, but it’s unlikely. Hamish’s ex-wife is definitely deceased, while this Elisais originally named Aoife, with Elisa being just her stage name.”
“Now I finally understand why Lorelei has been targeting this Elisa at every turn-jealousy. Jealous of the past Elisa, and jealous of the current Elisa, both of whom overshadow her.”
Elisa sipped her coffee while scrolling through her phone.
At this moment, she finally avenged “Aoife,” but it wasn’t over yet.
Once Lorelei was dealt with, it would be Finn’s turn. She had promised herself not to let any of these people off the hook. As she thought this, she twirled the ring on her index finger.
The online exposure of Lorelei’s scandals had become widely known. Asher, upon seeing this, was most shocked, yet at the same time, he felt relieved. Finally, he understood the meaning behind Elisa’s words at the time.
If they didn’t terminate the contract with Lorelei and forced her to finish shooting, it’s likely the TV series would never have aired.
At the same time, he was marveling at Elisa’s tactics and abilities. She had managed to investigate Lorelei so thoroughly. No wonder Lorelei’s face occasionally stiffened, and she had to use a body double when her legs needed to be seen.
The online commotion had naturally reached Hamish’s attention. He hadn’t expected Lila to still be alive, living incognito under his nose for so long, continuing to harm Elisa and causing Mimi’s death.
He regretted why he hadn’t taken more decisive action back then.
Hamish was overwhelmed with anger, and his coughing resumed. His lungs pulsed with pain as he spat out a thick clot of blood, something he had grown accustomed to.
The word “accustomed” was too powerful; it could replace all words that were difficult to express.
Hamish skillfully wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with a tissue, rinsed his mouth and washed his face in the bathroom. Looking at his pale face in the mirror, he spoke two words, “Serves me right!”
When a marriage is ruined, retribution will follow. His condition had stabilized these past few days, with no more bloodshed, but after making that call to Louis, his cancer had started to recur.
Leaning against the cold wall, Hamish recalled the past.
He had been kinder to Lila, more patient, more tender, yet he had shown Elisa no mercy for four years.
He had driven Elisa to suicide by setting her on fire, yet he had spared the one who caused her harm, as Elisa had said.
She was right.
He had been making excuses for his own weakness, not even as good as a cat.
Today, Hamish had bled a lot, and he couldn’t stop it no matter what he tried. Medication didn’t help. He used a damp cloth to cover his mouth, swallowing the blood, feeling intense pain in his chest. The blood kept pouring into his throat, and he even choked on some, unable to swallow it. His body trembled like dry leaves in the deep autumn wind, and he coughed up a cloth full of blood.
Exiting the bathroom, he didn’t make it back to the sofa in time, collapsing onto the carpet. At that moment, he suddenly wanted to see Elisa, even if it was just to hear her voice.
Hamish took his phone out of his pocket and slowly moved it in front of him. With trembling fingers, he dialed Elisa’s number repeatedly, but no matter how many times he tried, all he heard was the cold, system prompt tone, like a mocking joke.
If this was truly retribution, did he regret it?
No.
He would still make that call to Louis and utter a bunch of nonsense.
If Louis didn’t believe Elisa and instead believed him, then he wouldn’t be worthy of Elisa either.
Hamish heaved a sigh and made a call, his voice hoarse as he issued the order, “Get rid of Lorelei and find the people behind her.”
… After that, Elisa didn’t hear any news about Lorelei. Evil begets evil.
Elisa had expected that after “dealing with” Lorelei, her role in A. W. Group would also be exposed, but there was not a word about it. Everyone’s attention was still on Lorelei.
Moreover, many past events were brought up, and Elisa, after reading them once, decided to turn off her phone to avoid stirring up unpleasant memories.
She called Asher to continue shooting and, during breaks, would send text messages or make calls to check on Louis’s recovery.
After work, she would go back to Patrick to learn self-defense techniques with a knife.
The entire day was packed with arrangements, leaving no time to think about anything else.
A week passed, and Elisa finally wrapped up filming.
She had been shooting for almost two months.
An uninvited guest arrived at her wrap party-Finn was sitting at the head of the table, a sight that surprised Elisa.
“Why didn’t you tell me he was coming?” Elisa asked.
In truth, Asher hadn’t expected Finn either. He had been shooting with Elisa these days, and the wrap party had been arranged by the producers.
“Finn is an investor. We couldn’t stop him from coming if he wanted to,” Asher said, holding his phone. “I just received a message in the group chat. It said that this wrap party was organized by him. Elisa, do you have any other identity you’re hiding from me? What’s your relationship with this Finn? Is he pursuing you? Do you dislike him?”
If fate exists, it’s a doomed fate. As for their relationship, it’s irreconcilable.
Elisa’s demeanor softened, and she smiled politely. “Mr. Kentala, let’s go over there.”
She and Asher went to the main table, not knowing how the seating was arranged, and she found herself seated next to Finn.
As everyone took their seats, the restaurant staff took orders, asking if anyone had any dietary restrictions.
Finn looked at Elisa and said, “No cilantro.”
Aoife didn’t eat cilantro.
Ever since the cat abuse incident went viral, Finn had locked himself in his room, experimenting with various medications to numb the unrealistic thoughts in his mind. However, with all the chaos unfolding online, it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to remain unnoticed.
Investigating Elisa wasn’t difficult at all. It was almost effortless to find out that A. W. Group belonged to Elisa, and that before that, Hamish had transferred eight hundred million to Elisa’s account. Others might not know, but as Hamish’s mortal enemy, his half-brother, he knew everything.
Eight hundred million was precisely the amount Hamish had agreed to pay Elisa as alimony when they divorced.
Elisa was Elisa.
Aoife was Aoife.
The difference between the two was as vast as the difference between heaven and earth. Aoife could never become Elisa. No matter how hard she tried to imitate Elisa’s mannerisms, she couldn’t learn the confidence and pride that came from within, and she certainly couldn’t manage a billion-dollar conglomerate or acquire her former company.
Elisa had also bought a lot of stocks, and every stock she bought had risen in value. Her initial investment of ten million had now yielded fifty million.
The reality had already proven to him that Aoife had been replaced by Elisa.
Upon hearing Finn’s words about not wanting cilantro, Elisa glanced at him sideways. She sent a text to Louis: “I finished filming today. Aren’t you coming?” Usually, Louis would reply to her texts, but today, even after sending two messages, he didn’t respond. Could something be holding him back?
Elisa propped her chin up, her mood visibly sinking.
The dishes were quickly brought to the table, and the waiter held a tray, saying, “Sir, here’s the dipping sauce you asked for, no cilantro.”
Finn naturally took it and placed it next to Elisa, a sight that drew everyone’s attention to the table.
“Mr. Snearl, did you make a mistake?” Elisa said.
Finn replied, “I didn’t make a mistake. This is yours. You don’t eat cilantro.”
People are like that, clearly defeated by the facts, yet still unwilling to accept the truth.
Elisa spoke with a hint of mockery, “That’s Aoife. I am Elisa.” After saying this, she called over a waiter.
“Excuse me, could you bring me some cilantro? I like to eat cilantro.”
Elisa had no dietary restrictions, and she liked to add cilantro to her dipping sauce. Back then, Hamish didn’t eat cilantro, and to please him, she had avoided cilantro as well.
Finn’s eyes turned cold, and it seemed as though Elisa’smood was affecting him, leaving him with no control over it.
Elisa reminded Finn, “Mr. Snearl, do you remember what I told you before? The past Aoife is dead.”
Finn remained silent, just gazing at the dipping sauce without cilantro.