Chapter 39

Why did she save him?

Of all people… Why him?

Justin’s mind spun with questions, but none came with answers. Guilt gnawed at him like rust. She should’ve hated him—after everything. And yet, she’d thrown herself into danger for him. Why?

He wanted to ask her. Needed to. But the words felt foreign on his tongue. So instead, he said nothing. Pretended it never happened. Pretended he hadn’t watched her bleed for him.

But now, seeing her dragged through the mud online—because of him—made him sick. They twisted the knife wound she earned protecting him into something scandalous and vile.

He parted his lips, about to speak, to tell the truth—

RING.

The director’s phone cut through the tension like a blade. He answered, nodded slowly, then exhaled.

“Alright. The issue’s been clarified. Let’s resume filming today’s episode.”

Josephson scoffed.

“Clarified?” he laughed coldly. “Mia’s scandal is all over the internet. If you let her stay, she’ll tank the entire show.” He stood tall, chin lifted like some justice-fueled martyr. “If she’s in, I’m out. I won’t work with trash who climbs the ranks on her back.”

He said it loud enough for everyone—including the livestream audience—to hear.

And just as he expected, his fans cheered him on like some modern-day knight.

“Josephson is the only righteous one in this whole cesspool of an industry!”

“He’s been through the worst and still stands up for what’s right. That’s our boy!”

“Kick Mia out! She’s filth!”

Josephson smirked certainly; he’d won. If Mia left, Justin would finally be his to impress. And if the drama leaked online, the public would praise him as a moral hero, standing up against the dark underbelly of fame.

But then, the director gave him a hard stare. The kind of stare that screamed regret.

“You might want to check X again.”

Everyone pulled out their phones.

And what they saw changed everything.

#GillClaimsMia was now trending #1.

Gill’s post read:

GILL: Thank you to netizens and the ever-persistent paparazzi. Just to clarify—no sugar daddies involved. I’m Mia’s new agent. @Mia, let’s make waves together. My whole team’s behind you now.

Attached below was a signed and dated contract. Yesterday’s date. Clear as day.

Even more damning: the post’s geolocation pinged from the very luxury villa where the so-called “sugar daddy” drama unfolded.

It wasn’t a scandal. It was business.

And not just any business—Gill business.

The entertainment world’s top agent; Gill hadn’t signed a new artist in over a year. Everyone wanted her. Even Justin had tried and been rejected.

And yet, she chose Mia.

As if the universe had flipped a switch, another trending topic soared to the top.

#MallHeroMia

The official account of Snow Moon Pack Mall had posted the full surveillance footage unedited.

SNOW MOON PACK MALL: Huge thanks to @Mia for her heroic act in our store yesterday. Her bravery saved lives. Let’s not allow clickbait and malicious gossip to smear someone so selfless.

The video showed everything—Mia’s sudden sprint into danger, the moment she hurled body wash at the attacker, and the red ring that highlighted when the blade slashed her hand.

The net exploded.

And that wasn’t all.

Spring Is Gone: I’m Nadia—the woman in the video. The attacker was my ex-boyfriend. I owe Mia my life. I don’t know how to repay her.

Little Yellow Flower Story: I’m the grandson of the elderly man in the footage. Thanks to Mia, he got to the hospital in time and is recovering well. Our whole family is grateful—and we’re all Mia’s fans now.

And just like that, the tide turned.

“Wait... she wasn’t sleeping with anyone. She was out there saving lives?!”

“I cursed her all night. I feel like trash. Mia, I’m sorry.”

“Three lives saved. One woman bleeding. And y’all called her a whore.”

“That man she saved… wait… was that Justin?!”

“Oh. My. God.”

“No wonder she said, “Justin knows how I got hurt.”

“I’m a Justin fan, and yes—that’s him in the video. Mia saved our Justin.”

But with sympathy came new outrage.

“She saved him… and he didn’t even defend her? Not one word?”

“Where was Justin while she got dragged through hell?”

“Unfollowed. Blacklisted. I can’t support a man like that.”

“Lilith was there too. She hid behind the crowd like a coward.”

“Meanwhile, Mia stood between a knife and a man who didn’t even say thank you.”

Then the deepest cut of all:

“Someone once said Mia is also a daughter of Snow Moon Pack… If that’s true, the difference is hilarious.”

“One sister hides and one sister fights. Guess which one’s blood.”

Justin’s fans were now split—torn between love and shame. And his silence was now deafening.

The pressure was building.

The crowd waited for someone to speak.

To tell the truth.

To say thank you.

But all Justin did… was stare at Mia like she was a puzzle he couldn’t solve. A puzzle he didn’t deserve to hold.