Chapter 26

"What if I did break her hand on purpose?” I said coolly.

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

“Hmph.” Hoyles snorted. “You must’ve had your reasons. Did that girl—Lilith, was it? —do something to you? Bully you?”

His voice was gruff, but under it, there was warmth. Concern.

Then he added, half-joking, half-serious, “Why don’t you just forget about this whole circus of a reality show and join my medical research team instead? You’d be far better off.”

I let out a soft sigh. He still hadn’t given up trying to recruit me. I’d turned him down more times than I could count. But somehow… it felt good to know someone still cared.

“I’m not joining your research team, old man. And as for Lilith… I broke her hand because—”

I paused and then told him the truth. Everything I knew about Lilith’s fake publicity stunt, the planted “emergency,” the ambulance, the staged crowd. I told him I overheard it—though I left out how exactly I knew.

There was heavy silence.

Then a thunderous slap of a palm hitting wood. “Outrageous!” Hoyles growled. “All of this—for views? Faking medical emergencies? Blocking ambulances? Wasting public resources?! This is criminal! I’ll expose them right now—”

“Stop,” I cut him off. “I’ve got a plan. This was just the beginning. Let me handle it.”

A grumble. “Fine. But don’t do anything illegal, you hear me? I’m old, Mia, but I’ll still drag you by the ear if you cross that line.”

I smirked. “When have I ever done anything illegal? Just sit back and enjoy the fireworks.”

I hung up and turned to my laptop. My fingers flew across the keyboard. Within seconds, I had all the evidence: screenshots of chat logs, bank transfers, and fake scripts, proof that Noelle had paid actors to play bystanders, that the ambulance was a decoy, and that this whole thing had been one big PR charade.

Next, I created a burner account: @SweepingMonk.

I uploaded the screenshots in a single damning thread. Then I paid to promote it, buying myself a trending slot. But I wasn’t done yet.

Digging deeper into Photographer Cili’s account—the influencer who “exposed” me—I traced every conversation, every dollar exchanged. And bingo: I linked the anonymous alt account straight back to Lilith.

I posted again from @SweepingMonk, this time with screen-capped evidence of the alt account funding the smear campaign.

But I didn’t reveal it was Lilith. Not yet. Why spoil the game so early? Toys are more fun when playing slowly.

Within an hour, the internet exploded.

“Wait—so Lilith faked getting her hand stuck?”

“This was all a scripted PR stunt?! Even the ambulance?!”

“OMG… she planned the fracture? Just to trend online?!”

“If Justin’s involved, this is worse than we thought. That TV prince isn’t as clean as he looks.”

Justin’s fans went feral trying to defend him.

“Shut up, haters! Justin had nothing to do with this mess!”

“He’s always been clean—why would he stoop to this level?]”

“Lilith is a clout-chaser. Don’t drag our Justin into her gutter!”

But the rest of the internet wasn’t buying it.

“You really think this kind of high-budget stunt happened without Justin knowing? Please.”

“Mia knew. That’s why she snapped Lilith’s hand on camera.”

Call it what it is—karma.”

Others turned on both sides.

“This whole situation is a circus. Nobody’s innocent.”

“Mia broke a girl’s hand and walked away like it was nothing.”

“Honestly? Lilith had it coming.”

The comment wars raged. Fans, haters, and trolls were all out for blood. But the damage was already done. Justin stayed quiet; he could afford to. He hadn’t shown his face during the scandal. But Lilith?

Lilith was finished.

---

When I finally looked up from my screen, the building was nearly empty. Everyone else had already been picked up by their teams. Security guards lingered, posted at the exits to stop rogue fans and gossip bloggers from sneaking in.

I packed my things and headed downstairs alone.

As I passed through the dim corridor, I overheard two crew members whispering.

“Why are we still patrolling? It’s just Mia left upstairs.”

“Isn’t her sugar daddy picking her up?”

“Doubt it. He probably dumped her. Pretty face, venomous heart. You saw what she did to Lilith!”

“Justin’s already gone to the director about it. He won’t let her off the hook.”

I paused.

Then a sleek black car pulled up outside.

The two gossiping crew members turned just as Zack stepped out in a tailored suit, cool and calm.

One of them blinked. “Are you here to pick someone up? All the guests are gone.”

Before Zack could respond, I stepped out of the shadows.

His expression softened immediately. “Luna,” he said, bowing with quiet reverence, “His Highness sent me to bring you home.”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

And just like that, I walked past the open mouths of those two gossipmongers and slid into the back seat of a car worth more than their annual salaries combined.

As the car glided into the night, one of the crew finally found his voice.

“That car… that’s got to be worth ten mil, right?”

“At least. And did you hear him? He called her ‘Luna’!”

“You mean—she passed the Moon Ceremony? So that wasn’t a sugar daddy?”

“It’s her mate?!”

“Should we… tell someone?”

“Would anyone believe us?! She dresses like she shops at thrift stores!”

---

In the car, I leaned back and let the silence wrap around me like silk. But I couldn’t help it. I glanced at the sleek console, the polished wood trim.

“Zack,” I murmured. “Is this car… rented?”