Lillian grabbed her evening clutch and gracefully passed by the group. Andrew hesitated for a moment but then followed her.
Conrad had also assigned more than twenty men to follow her out.
Outside, Lillian saw the car that the driver had brought, the one she had parked in Boyd Town.
But she pointed to the car that represented Conrad’s status and said, “I’ll take that one.”
Andrew frowned, but Lillian walked toward the car without a second thought.
“Don’t forget, you were whipped. It was because of me that Conrad agreed to let you stay.”
Otherwise, Conrad would have rescinded his order.
“Andrew,” one of the bodyguards asked.
Andrew took a deep breath. “Go drive the car.”
Lillian was right. These days, if she wanted the stars in the sky, Andrew wasn’t sure if Mr. Conrad would even bother to pluck them down for her.
The car had already left Hillside Villa.
Hogan suddenly spoke up, “What’s up with her?”
“Dressed like this, she’s reminding me of her sweet sixteen birthday. You weren’t here, so you didn’t see it. She was a dazzling little princess back then.”
But back then, she had still been just a little girl.
Now, she had the allure of a thorny, blooming red rose.
“No matter what she’s doing, it’s better than staying home, moping around,” George said, taking a sip of red wine.
Andrew looked at Lillian sitting in the backseat. “Miss Lillian, where are we going?”
Lillian picked up her phone and looked at the poster online.
Thank goodness for a certain group of die-hard fans.
Helen’s acting class had officially opened today, and the press conference was being held on HL Road.
“Take me to HL Road.”
Andrew thought for a moment. There were only a few art galleries over there. Was she going to buy some paintings?
When the car reached HL Road, Lillian said, “Let me out here.”
Andrew rolled down the car window and immediately saw the giant poster of Helen.
He watched as Lillian got out of the car and quickly opened the door to follow her.
Because Helen’s training program wasn’t targeting amateurs but rather actors with subpar performances in the industry, fans of these artists, along with media personnel, were all there.
Some people from the entertainment industry who had good relationships with Helen also showed up to support her.
The huge posters sent by Helen’s fans were all over HL Road. The posters featured classic images from Helen’s years of acting in films and TV shows.
Lillian stepped onto the stairs.
A group of fans who couldn’t get tickets were still waiting in line outside, and when they saw the commotion around Lillian, they assumed she was an unfamiliar celebrity.
After all, her face was just too striking.
She had to be an actress, right?
Lillian walked straight to the entrance, not sparing a glance to the side.
The security guard hesitated, “Do you have an invitation?”
Lillian didn’t respond, but someone ahead signaled to the guard. The bodyguard glanced at the row of black cars with special plates and immediately bowed and let her in.
The name “Conrad” was always useful. She had once worried that using it too much would make her seem too dependent on the man, that he might get sick of her or abandon her. She’d been afraid of this and that, and now, looking back, she found it laughable.
It turned out that the gilded cage she was in was something she had built herself, layer by layer.
It had been wrapped around her neck, and she couldn’t take it off even now.
She walked inside.
Helen’s voice was already ringing through the event.
A huge screen surrounded by 3D visuals displayed Helen’s image, infiltrating every corner.
It felt like Lillian was now part of the world Helen had created, playing the role of the villain who suddenly intruded.
The bizarre and colorful images filled every inch of Lillian’s attention as she made her way to the press conference.
Rather than an opening ceremony for the class, it seemed more like a personal showcase of Helen’s achievements.
Even the magazine from Helen’s debut was on display, with glowing reviews about her from the media.
Lillian’s fingers lightly flipped through the pages, eventually landing on a magazine from the year she was born. It was also the year Helen’s career had hit a rough patch.
There was only this one magazine, and by then, Helen must have already been pregnant with her.
Lillian smirked, calculating the timing. The trending search should be live now.
She had timed it perfectly.
Just ten minutes before Helen’s class opening ceremony, a trending topic shot straight to the top of Twitter.
It was about an old scandal involving the superstar from an earlier generation, and it quickly stirred the interest of sleepy office workers, who rushed to the scene to gossip.
[Helen–Second Marriage]
[Helen–Secret Marriage]
[Helen–Century Lie]
[Helen’s So-Called Inspirational Dream-girl Image]
The most important hashtag was:
[Helen’s Biological Mother Passed Away]
Clicking into the details, a series of photos featuring Alvin, Lillian, and Helen together surfaced. The photos had been authenticated by professionals as genuine.
The newborn baby in the photos had a different birthdate and appearance than the so-called daughter of Helen, Sophia, who was mixed-race.
Numerous photos from Helen’s youth, showing her with her mother in the yard, were also dug up.
Even photos of her late mother’s funeral were released.
Helen hadn’t been present at the funeral, and on the day of her mother’s burial, Helen had instead smiled and accompanied Peter to attend a director’s birthday party. She wore a million-dollar necklace and posed for pictures with Peter.
Helen had already been involved in a long-standing scandal overseas, completely neglecting her biological mother.
The exposure of this scandal, combined with the trending search for Helen’s training program opening, was nothing short of ironic!
The gossip-hungry crowd was wide awake, their curiosity piqued!
Helen was rehearsing her speech backstage. With so many investors and entertainers from the industry present, the atmosphere was intense. She had to make sure everyone knew that Helen wasn’t getting old; her name was still a brand.
This moment of glory that belonged to her was about to return!
“Ms. Helen!” Her assistant, Tim, suddenly burst into the dressing room, looking horrified.
Helen turned around, irritated. “What’s going on? Why are you acting so flustered?”
“What’s up with this trending topic!? Is it the competition trying to smear you? You need to post a clarification on Twitter right now. I’ll contact the lawyer to shut this down. We can spin this as a publicity stunt for us.”
Helen narrowed her eyes suspiciously and grabbed her phone. When she saw the picture of herself with Alvin, her hand trembled.
She nearly dropped the phone.
“Ms. Helen, say something! The outside world is going crazy. Everyone’s already seen this news. You have to shut it down, or the press conference will just turn into your own clarification session.”
Helen had been planning this training program for so long, promoting it everywhere. She couldn’t just give up now!
“You guys need to suppress this news immediately. Where are the materials I asked you to prepare?”
“They’re ready!”
Lillian had entered the venue, and people were already whispering, discussing the authenticity of the scandal involving Helen.
If it was true, it meant that Helen’s reputation was in ruins.
If they were still taking acting classes with her, they’d be mocked to no end. Their fans wouldn’t stand for it, either.
Many actresses had already sent their assistants to ask their agents if it was time to leave early to minimize the damage. It was still not too late to officially cut ties with Helen.
After all, in this industry, there were no eternal friends, and no eternal enemies.