Zeus

Chapter 9

Upon hearing these words, the entire hall erupted into chaos. Rosalind's face darkened as she snapped, "Luke, you're spouting nonsense! Security, get this man out of here! He has no right to be at our press conference!"

Despite her furious outburst, no one moved to intervene.

"Rosalind," Luke said with a cold smile, "if you had the guts to do it, why don't you have the guts to admit it? Is this why you're so desperate to throw me out—because you're afraid I'll expose your disgusting, hypocritical nature in front of everyone?"

A reporter quickly shoved a microphone toward him. "Mr. James, could you elaborate on what happened?"

In an instant, all cameras turned to Luke. Clearing his throat, he began, "It all started with Rosalind's lover. He's a violent thug with a long history of criminal behavior, a gambling addict who spends his days in casinos and leads a depraved life. When her bodyguard, Alden, saw this so-called star associating with such a man, he couldn't stand it and tried to intervene. But what did Rosalind do? She conspired with her lover to have Alden beaten until he was disabled."

Luke's voice grew louder. "Poor Alden was nothing but loyal and devoted, yet this is what happened to him. His right arm was completely shattered, three ribs on his right side were broken, and his testicles were crushed so badly that he had to undergo an orchiectomy. Do you understand? He'll never be a man again. I just want to ask you, Rosalind, what did Alden ever do to deserve such cruel, heartless treatment from you and your lover?"

His voice trembling with emotion, Luke wiped at his dry eyes in a theatrical gesture. "I was the one who recommended Alden to Rosalind. And most importantly, I'm his friend. She fired me immediately to cover up this scandal."

"What?"

The venue erupted like a depth charge detonating underwater.

"What a vicious snake!"

"How can such a malicious woman get to play the lead in Whispers of Time? This is not fair!"

"Rosalind, you owe everyone an explanation—and justice for Mr. James and Mr. Price!"

The tide of public opinion turned against her in an instant. The reporters, once neutral, now looked at Rosalind with open disdain.

Rosalind's face turned ashen, drained of all color. She bit her lip so hard it nearly bled. "Luke, you're lying! That's not the truth. Don't believe him, everyone. He's making this all up and has no evidence to back it up!"

"You want evidence, right?" Luke's smile grew colder as he clapped his hands. At his signal, Merrick strode into the hall. Taking a microphone from a nearby reporter, he spoke with righteous indignation. "I grew up with Rosalind in the same church orphanage. I'm her nominal brother. But her actions are so despicable and outrageous that I can't stay silent anymore. I have to expose the truth!"

Merrick continued. "Rosalind isn't the kind, loving person she pretends to be in front of the cameras. Everything she does is a carefully constructed façade to make herself look good. She's rotten to the core. Ever since we were kids, Rosalind bullied the other children at the orphanage, hung out with hooligans, became a mistress to older men, and committed fraud and theft to feed her gambling addiction. Everyone at the orphanage knows this!"

He paused for a moment dramatically, "And after she became a celebrity, she didn't change. Sure, she attends charity galas and fundraisers to maintain her image, but it's all a sham. She embezzles every last cent of the donations for herself!"

Merrick wasn't finished. "And that's not even the worst of it! Rosalind is utterly ungrateful. Our grandma, the pastor from the church orphanage, adopted her, raised her, and cared for her with great difficulty. But when she fell gravely ill and needed money for treatment, Rosalind stole the relief funds meant for her. That money was her only hope!"

He revealed, "I had no choice but to go and beg Rosalind to return it. I even offered to treat it as a loan, but she refused. Rosalind told me to get lost. Many people saw me begging in front of Peakview Tower just the day before yesterday. If you don't believe me, ask them. They can all testify!"

After delivering this damning speech, Merrick shot Rosalind a hateful glare. Inwardly, he thought, 'Rosalind, Mr. Blake promised to pay off my gambling debts, so don't blame me for this. You asked for this.'

A heavy silence fell over the hall. The air was thick with tension. Such silence, however, was only a precursor to the explosive fury building within the crowd.

"Rosalind, you're so shameless!" After a long, suffocating silence, the crowd's anger finally erupted like a tidal wave.

"Rosalind, you vicious snake! You don't deserve to live. You should rot in hell!"

"She's nothing but a despicable b*tch who's been deceiving us all along. How disgusting!"

"Rosalind, you're like a demon straight out of hell!"

The flood of accusations and condemnations crashed over her relentlessly, leaving Rosalind swaying unsteadily as tears streamed down her face. "It's not true! It's not like that! I never did what he said. He's lying!"

Rosalind shook her head desperately, her tears soaking her clothes, but no one seemed willing to hear her out. The verdict was already decided: Rosalind was an ungrateful, backstabbing, lying, shameless viper. In their eyes, she deserved to endure their scorn.

"Rosalind, you've hidden your true colors well. I have been your so-called 'friend' for so long, completely in the dark until now. Finally, I see who you really are!" Patricia stood up with a cold smile, her voice ringing with pride as she addressed the reporters. "Everyone, after Rosalind terminated her contract with Summit Literary Agency, she dared to offer me a high salary to keep working as her agent. But let me make this clear—I would never stoop so low. I refuse to associate with someone like her!"

With that, Patricia pulled out the contract Rosalind had given her, tore it into pieces, and flung the shreds into the air like falling snow.

"Patricia, how could you..." Rosalind's frail frame trembled as she stumbled back a step, barely managing to steady herself. Patricia had always been more than just her agent. She had treated Patricia like her best friend. After leaving Summit Literary Agency, Rosalind had thought of no one else but Patricia, offering her a better salary and a brighter future. But never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that her heartfelt gesture would be twisted into a cruel betrayal.

"Well said, Ms. Walker!" someone in the crowd shouted. "Rosalind, did you really think no one would uncover your despicable schemes? Did you think you could just buy people's loyalty with money? Let me tell you something. There are still people in this world who value integrity and refuse to be corrupted by someone as contemptible as you!"

"Stay with us, Patricia!" another voice called out. "Summit Literary Agency needs upright people like you! And don't worry. We won't mistreat someone as righteous as you. Whatever salary Rosalind offered, we'll double it!"

At that moment, Owen, dressed in his usual elegant attire, walked leisurely to Rosalind's side. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered in a voice dripping with malice, "Rosalind, I believe I once told you since I made you, I could just as easily destroy you. Going against me never ends well."

"Owen, you're so despicable!" Rosalind glared at him, her eyes bloodshot with fury.

"Don't be so hasty," Owen said with a smirk. "The show's not over yet. How can you take your bow so soon?" He turned to Isaac and asked with feigned innocence, "Mr. Lane, surely you wouldn't still consider using someone like her as your leading lady, right?"

Isaac immediately stood up, his tone decisive. "Of course not. I hereby announce the termination of Rosalind's contract, effective immediately. She will no longer play the female lead in Whispers of Time. As for her replacement, Rachel will take over the role!"

At this, Rachel jumped to her feet, bowing repeatedly to the crowd as she expressed her gratitude. Her face was alight with excitement.

"You deserve it!" Isaac said firmly. "A production like Whispers of Time requires a female lead of the highest caliber, someone who not only excels in acting but also upholds exemplary character off-screen. We cannot allow a fraud with such poor morals to tarnish our prestigious annual production."

"How could this happen?" Rosalind murmured, her heart sinking into despair. "Rachel plotted against me in secret, yet she's being praised as someone with exemplary character and is now taking my role. And me? I did nothing wrong, yet I'm being branded as scum. Why is everyone turning on me? What did I do to deserve this?" Her lips turned pale as the world around her spun. The vicious jeers and accusations felt like daggers piercing her from every direction. Finally, unable to endure the relentless blows, Rosalind collapsed.

Just as her body was about to hit the ground, a figure darted out from the crowd and caught her. "Rosalind, don't worry. With me here, everything will be fine. I've noted down every single person who slandered you just now, and I'll make sure they pay for it!"