Chapter 40: Scandal Overnight
What? What the fuck was happening here?!
I had only stayed off social media for one night, and now suddenly I was being thrown under the bus?!
I had expected something like this would happen since Madeline had plenty of ways to twist the facts, like unleashing troll farms to bury me in hate.
But this fast?!
"Penny, show me my stats!" I exclaimed.
[System Notice]
[Host: Helcia Orszebet]
[Body Age: 24]
[Balance: $67,915]
[Debt: $1,000,000]
[Fame: 40 / 100 — Scandal Folder]
[Public Favor: -15%]
[Acting Skill: S-Grade]
[Main Quest:
- Become the Nation’s Treasure (0%)
- Earn 100% of Lando Brixton’s Favor (48%)]
Damn it!
My fame had gone up, but instead of a shiny title like "Rising Artist," I was branded with "Scandal Fodder."
[Because right now your name is famous because of a scandal, the title has turned negative, Host.]
[It can change if your fame comes from something better than rotten drama.]
"Fuck," I muttered under my breath.
I ran my hands through my tangled hair, but when I touched my face and looked down, I realized someone had cleaned off my makeup and even changed my clothes.
"Did the housemaids help me change last night?" I asked in the middle of my stress.
[Yes, Host. Lando asked them to take care of you.]
Before I could even respond, my stomach growled, and a wave of hangover nausea crashed over me.
I stumbled into the bathroom and threw up. God, I hated hangovers. It felt like one minute I was floating in heaven, and the next I was hurled straight into hell.
Worse than that, I had to deal with this fucking scandal too!
Sure, the insults were aimed at Helcia, not me. But reading all that hate and seeing my name splashed across sleazy articles dragged up every wound from my past life.
My hands shook as I rinsed my mouth and flushed the toilet.
Leaning against the sink, I stared at my wrecked reflection in the mirror. I clenched my fists, forcing myself to breathe evenly.
Calm down.
This wasn’t the first time I had faced something like this alone.
My old scandals as Helena couldn’t be fixed, but maybe my current scandal still had a way out.
Just then, my phone rang. The screen lit up with a name that made my stomach drop: Margareth (Rosélle).
I held my breath as fear crawled up my spine. Even though it had only been uploaded a few hours ago, the video I had seen earlier already had more than five hundred thousand views, and I was sure the numbers would keep climbing over the next few days.
"Good morning," I answered, my voice slightly shaky as I picked up the call. I quickly cleared my throat before adding, "Is something wrong, Ms. Margareth?"
"Ms. Orszebet ...." The woman on the other end hesitated before continuing. "I think we need to reconsider your collaboration with Rosélle Beauty. Your manager assured us yesterday that your family issue would be resolved soon, but it seems to be spiraling out of control."
Manager? I didn’t have a manager. Maybe ... Lando was the one who had handled it for me, because Rosélle Beauty hadn’t reached out to me at all yesterday.
"It’s really hard for us to decide, because we believe in your talent and potential. But as much as we want to keep working with you, our company’s image matters too ..."
Margareth’s voice kept going, but to me it was nothing more than a dull murmur in the background. I pressed my palm against my forehead, tapping it a few times as if that could chase away the throbbing pain that refused to leave.
No matter what I did, the pounding in my head stayed. Maybe it was just the hangover ... or maybe it was something worse.
I bit down on my lower lip, trying my best to hold back the sobs threatening to escape.
Margareth’s voice was still on the line. She sounded calm, but firm at the same time. "We’ll give you a little time, Ms. Orszebet, but if this situation doesn’t improve, I’m afraid Rosélle Beauty will have no choice but to reconsider our partnership."
My grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles turned white. "I ... I understand," I whispered, forcing the words out past the lump in my throat. "Thank you, Ms. Margareth. I will try my best to resolve this problem as soon as possible."
Margareth sighed softly, then said, "Good luck, Ms. Orszebet."
The line went dead, leaving me staring at my phone screen, my hand still trembling. The call was over, but the weight of her words felt heavier than ever, pressing down on my chest until I could barely breathe.
Slowly, I lowered my phone, my vision blurring as tears spilled over. I sank to my knees and pressed my forehead against the edge of the sink. "Fucking hell ...," I whispered, my voice cracking.
The sobs came before I could stop them, each one ripping out of me. All the strength I had tried to hold onto crumbled in that small, suffocating bathroom.
It felt like I had been dragged back into the past, back to the first time I saw the fake news about myself. Everyone cursed me, and no matter what I said to the media, it only backfired.
I don’t want to go back to that.
I haven’t even properly started my career, and if this falls apart again ... maybe I should just give up.
No. Fucking hell, no.
I slammed my fist against the sink and screamed, trying to empty all the rage and helplessness swirling inside me. If I gave up, it would mean letting those bullies win.
Why would I let them trample me on me when I hadn’t even done anything wrong?
No, this problem can still be fixed.
After all, I wasn’t as alone as I’d been back then. I had Penny and also ... Lando. Maybe I could ask him for help again.
I let out a rough sigh, thinking about how much I had already burdened him, even though I had only been his wife for a few days.
"Young Madam, are you awake?" I immediately straightened my back when I heard Henry’s voice outside my room. He sounded a little worried, maybe because he had also seen the video that tore my reputation apart.