The officer emphasized the importance of keeping the investigation confidential and warned her not to share any information with outsiders.
Once the officer left, Blake raised an eyebrow and looked closely at Bianca. “Your boyfriend seems to have a lot of influence.”
After a brief pause, Bianca asked, “Does he?”
A small smile appeared on Blake’s face. “The fact that he can call in the police on a whim says a lot.”
Bianca thought about it for a moment. Normally, she would have to go to the police station to give a statement, but in this case, the police had come to her, clearly influenced by Dave’s involvement.
Bianca speculated that the sensitive nature of the case might be why the investigation was kept secret and why Dave might have connections within the police force.
She gave Blake a bright smile and said, “Blake, don’t let your thoughts wander too much. I need to get back to the company. Please stay here for now.”
After Bianca left, Blake kept his thoughts to himself and quietly wondered, “Am I maybe overthinking this?”
Ashley sat on the sofa at home, holding a small white box in one hand while browsing trending topics on her phone. A smile spread across her face, and she suddenly burst into laughter.
Intrigued by her daughter’s sudden happiness, Stacey came downstairs and asked, “Ashley, what’s making you so happy?”
Stacey noticed the box in Ashley’s hand and asked, “What’s in that box?”
Ashley looked at her mother with a confident grin. She lifted the box and said, “This, Mom, is my plan to deal with Bianca!”
“What exactly is it?” Stacey asked as she took the box and looked at it closely. The only words on it were “On Trial.”
“They’re weight-loss pills,” Ashley said with a raised eyebrow, meeting her mother’s gaze. “I bribed one of Bianca’s employees and found out that she tried to help someone lose weight using these pills. But she didn’t know the real pills were switched to cheaper ones that have serious side effects. Here, take a look!”
Ashley handed her phone to Stacey. “Now, no matter how she tries to explain herself, she’ll be speechless!”
Stacey scrolled through the trending topics about the weight-loss pills and quickly realized what was happening. A look of shock appeared on her face as she turned to Ashley.
“Ashley, did you really plan this?”
Ashley, arms crossed, lounged on the sofa and replied, “Since Bianca’s company started, I’ve had spies inside. Mom, you always said to take her down; I needed to be smart, find her weaknesses, and strike when it mattered.”
During her last visit to Bianca’s company, Ashley wasn’t just there to taunt. She was observing and saw Reese.
Stacey, surprised and impressed, sat down and took Ashley’s hand, recognizing her daughter’s growth. “Ashley, you’re finally showing some real maturity!”
Ashley had faced many setbacks with Bianca. After reflecting on her failures, she realized that her simple approach had often been her downfall.
Though she still had an air of arrogance, Ashley was clearly undergoing a significant personal change.
Faced with Bianca’s strong support from her powerful mother, a direct attack seemed pointless. Fortunately, Ashley found the perfect opportunity to strike.
When Reese collapsed, her informant quickly reported it, allowing Ashley to contact reporters and reveal the details right away.
“Mom, remember when you said we should win Bianca over before taking her down? Well, I follow your advice!”
Ashley then showed Stacey the recent online comments about Bianca.
Ashley had started the rumors about Bianca’s company collaborating with Cherish even before the weight-loss drug incident. She also took the lead in praising Bianca online under an anonymous account.
Every day, Ashley posted glowing compliments about Bianca. She hailed her as a model of modern success, highlighting her quick rise in establishing a company and landing a major partnership.
As a result, Bianca gained immense respect from young people and saw an unprecedented increase in admiration and affection from the public.
Negative comments surged following Reese’s incident. The very people who had once admired Bianca now criticized her fiercely, with some even leading the charge to tarnish her reputation.
The public’s admiration quickly turned into scathing attacks, seriously tearing Bianca’s reputation apart.
As Stacey read the harsh online comments, she looked at her daughter with disbelief. Was this really the same Ashley who had once been impulsive and straightforward?
Stacey hugged Ashley tightly, overwhelmed with joy as she saw her daughter’s growth. Tears welled up in her eyes, moved by the changes in Ashley.
“Ashley, I used to think your ideas were naive. But now, you’ve shown real maturity and thoughtfulness. I’m so relieved!”
“Mom, what should I do next?” Ashley asked.
Ashley knew about Reese’s situation but hadn’t figured out the next steps to completely sabotage Bianca.
Stacey thought for a moment and then said, “You mentioned Orion Entertainment trying to work with Cherish, right?”
Ashley nodded. “Yes, but Bianca has worked with them already. After all, Graciel is her mom.”
Stacey’s eyes sparkled with a hint of cunning. “Contact the business director at Orion Entertainment right away and tell him about the link between Madison and Bianca. He’ll know what to do. Then we can just sit back and watch the show from a safe distance!”
Ashley thought for a moment and then smiled brightly. “Mom, you’re amazing! I’ll call the business director right now.”
Just then, Peter burst into the room.
It was now midday. He walked in and looked around the dining room. When he saw Stacey and Ashley whispering, he frowned. “Is lunch ready? What are you two talking about?”
“Nothing important. I’ll start cooking now.”
Stacey quickly hid a small box she had, but Peter had seen a glimpse of it, making him frown slightly.
When Bianca got back to the company from the hospital, someone suddenly hit her on the back of the head.
She turned around and touched her head, noticing a group of young men and women nearby. They shouted, “Shame on you! Sacrificing reputation for money!”
Then they ran away before Bianca could respond or explain.
Bianca realized things were getting worse fast.
Not only were people online attacking her, but now they were taking action in real life.
Why had the backlash become so intense?
When Bianca arrived at the company, she noticed Diana looking very upset. Diana quickly pulled Bianca aside.
“Bianc, what do we do? Several artists want to end their contracts today. Some lawyers have called, demanding we compensate the artists for the trouble we’ve caused. Also, all the contracts we had are now on hold. If this keeps up, I’m worried the company might…”