All Chapters of Defying the Comments: The Rise of a Female Mogul: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Mr. Hart, I know you're rich, but money can't buy everything!" Lena Quimby, my best friend, snapped, her eyes reddening as she spoke up for me.However, she kept sneaking glances at Gideon Hart, and the heat in them betrayed a yearning too obvious to ignore.Gideon's brow creased.Seeing that, Lena pushed harder. "It's degrading to pay a woman off. If it were me, I wouldn't take a cent, even if I had nothing. Dignity and love come before everything. A woman's first time should only be given to her future husband."As she said that, she blushed at her own words.I let out a cold laugh. This was exactly what happened in my previous life.Last time, I let Lena goad me. I couldn't bear the shame, so I refused Gideon's offer. Later, when bills piled up, she egged me on to ask him for money.In the end, things spiraled, and I was thrown out of Kingsborough. I had nothing left and hit rock bottom.Lena could put on an act all she wanted in this life. She just wasn't going to polish h

Chapter 2

Insulting?I let out a cold laugh.In my previous life, I thought taking the money was insulting. Later, I learned that what was really insulting was having no money.I lifted my gaze to Gideon. "I grew up in an orphanage. I paid my tuition by transcribing scriptures, so I picked up a little along the way. If you ever need that kind of work, you can reach me."Hearing this, Gideon was stunned for a moment. After a beat, he pulled out his phone and said, "In that case, let's exchange contacts."After saving my contact, Gideon glanced at me and added, "I'll transfer ten million. You shouldn't have to worry about tuition again."Lena's face hardened. "Evelyn, if you think of me as your friend, don't take that money!""Why not?" I retorted. "If we don't share the same values, we don't need to be friends."Lena looked stunned and started to speak, but Gideon silenced her with a cold glance. "This is between Evelyn and me. If you're done lecturing, you can see yourself out."Right o

Chapter 3

The comments section flooded with mockery."Look at this nobody who can't handle money!""How long do you think hush money for your body lasts?""Just wait until Lena ends up with Gideon. You'll get what's coming!"I glanced over at the comments, a smile tugging at my lips.Who knew if Lena could even get Gideon's number? Right now, she was probably in the dorm, throwing a tantrum and smashing things.That night, I sat on the balcony with a cup of tea. The evening breeze brushed against my skin, and suddenly, my last memory from my previous life surfaced in my mind.I was in a shabby rental with drafts cutting through the thin walls, shivering alone until the cold slowly devoured me. I pulled the blanket tighter and let out a bitter laugh.Money really could buy anything.I opened my contacts list and found Gideon's name. I hesitated for a while before I finally typed a short message. After carefully choosing my words and rewriting it twice, I finally hit send."Mr. Hart, do

Chapter 4

When I opened my eyes again, it was already the next day, and lying next to me was none other than Gideon. With a complicated expression, he told me the truth—I had gotten caught up in a mess because of him. He promised to find out who was behind it and give me an explanation.I could hardly believe it. With his money and influence, how had the surveillance footage leaked and ended up all over the university forum?Professor Eldridge looked at me with open contempt. "I can't believe you're one of my students! This is absolutely disgraceful!"Lena lowered her gaze, but the corners of her lips nearly curled up.I froze in place, my chest tightening so much that it hurt to breathe.I couldn't say that the man was Gideon. I had taken his money, which meant I had agreed to end it there. Dragging him into it would only hurt both of us.So, I had no choice but to deny it. "The photo is fake! Someone set me up. I was working a shift at the hotel—that's all!"Professor Eldridge hesitat

Chapter 5

"Mr. Hart" kept flashing on the screen as my phone continued to ring. My stomach tightened. I reached for the phone, but Lena got there first, her expression stiffening. She clearly hadn't expected Gideon to call me now."Don't think picking up his call will save you!" she snapped.I wasn't going to take the call, but Professor Eldridge had already answered it.A cool female voice came through the speaker. "Who's looking for Gideon? I'm his mother, Karen Dawson."The live stream chat went wild."Look at her face! Did she really think Gideon would swoop in to save her?""She has no idea. His mother hates social climbers!""Get ready to be humiliated in public!"Lena's eyes brightened as she stepped forward, her tone turning sweet. "Hello, Mrs. Hart. I'm Lena Quimby. We met at a birthday party a few years back. Your son was with you, and you said I was very well-mannered."There was a pause on the other end, then a mild reply came. "Did we? Sorry, I'm getting older. I don't re

Chapter 6

It was silent for a beat before Karen's disappointed voice came through. "Oh? That's fine. You two could always—"Before she could finish, a low male voice interrupted her. "Mom, stop using my phone."It was Gideon. He had clearly taken the phone back.Karen sounded unbothered and even teased him. "Finally, you've got a woman's number. She even messaged you. Since you didn't reply, I called her for you."After a short pause, she went on, "Anyway, I like Evelyn. She isn't greedy, and she's polite. But it sounds like she's being bullied at university. The professor keeps accusing her of taking money from a man. She's still young, and it's hard for her to defend herself. You should take care of it."At her words, the office fell silent.Professor Eldridge's expression stiffened. Beside her, Lena bit down hard on her lip, her face draining of color.The next second, Gideon spoke again, his voice quiet but edged with pressure. "Who said that?"Professor Eldridge flushed and quickly

Chapter 7

After seeing the comments, I felt a wave of panic, and my fingers went numb again.With how things had blown up, would Gideon be furious? Would this life end in misery, just like my previous life?…The coffee shop smelled of roasted beans, and it was so quiet that I could hear my own breath.Gideon set his cup of coffee down and said, "I'm sorry you got dragged into trouble because of the money. And... you don't need to take my mother's words seriously."His tone remained indifferent, but for once, I heard a hint of sincerity in it.I shook my head. "I apologize for letting the rumors spiral. But don't worry, I didn't say a word I shouldn't have, and I never will."He hesitated for a moment, then looked at me intently. "The drugging incident isn't simple. Whoever's behind it will likely try again. In order to protect your reputation and catch whoever's behind it, I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend."I was stunned. Before I could answer, he added, "Name your price. Whate

Chapter 8

Lena let out a sharp little laugh. "Please! She only got that site because she sold herself! Girlfriend? Give me a break!"Those who usually echoed her fell strangely quiet."If you don't want the credit, don't come," someone shot back. "No one's begging you to join in.""Yeah! Enough with the snide comments!"The color drained from Lena's face, and she was left speechless. She had no choice but to trail after us.I shot her a glance and sneered to myself. She couldn't get under my skin anymore.The convoy wound halfway up the mountain as dusk settled in.The air went unnervingly still. Then, all of a sudden, a group of masked men charged out of the bushes, their knives glinting in the darkness."Get out of the cars!"They forced us to line up and collected our phones one by one."We're here for cash," the leader said coldly. "We'll take a few hostages and make a trade. Stay put, and don't get stupid."Some of my classmates screamed, their legs trembling in fear.Someone cr

Chapter 9

"Money? You're too naive. We already got paid, but it's not enough. We're curious—how did you get Gideon to choose you? Let's see what makes you so special!"Their lewd taunts made my breath catch, my chest tightening as panic seized me.I forced my voice to hold steady. "Don't be stupid! Let me go while you still can! If you dare touch me, the Harts won't pay you a dime!"They only laughed harder. "Do you think you can scare us? Not tonight!"They surged forward, reaching greedily to rip at my clothes. I fought against the ropes with all my might, cold dread surging through me. The live stream chat exploded with more comments."Serves her right! She should know her place!""This is the price for snatching Gideon from Lena!""Are you serious? Side piece or not, she's still a person. This is sick!""I'm out! This plot is trash!""She didn't do anything wrong! Why should she be the one to suffer?"Just then, the steel door burst open.Light cut across the darkness, and armed

Chapter 10

"Arrange for a psychiatric assessment," Gideon said coldly.The lawyer pushed it through quickly, and the report confirmed that Lena was perfectly sane.With the Harts pressing the case, the court sentenced Lena to 30 years for kidnapping, conspiracy, and endangering public safety.As Lena was dragged away in handcuffs, she broke down completely, but nobody spared her a glance.After that, Gideon took down his rival, completely destroying them and leaving them bankrupt.Throughout all of it, he kept me in the loop. He texted me with updates, reminded me to take my medication, and asked whether I had managed to sleep.When everything was finally settled, I was discharged. Gideon and I stepped out of the hospital and into warm sunlight.Karen was already waiting at the curb. Seeing us side by side, she beamed. "You make such a lovely pair. With how inseparable you are, when are you tying the knot?"Gideon stopped in his tracks. He glanced at me as though he had something to say,

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