Chapter 62

Not far away, Odalys sat in the driver's seat, watching Finnian's frustrated expression. A surge of satisfaction coursed through her as she slammed her foot on the gas, speeding off.

Her SUV roared to life. As it passed Finnian's car, his window was just beginning to roll down when the tailpipe fumes hit him squarely in the face.

"Damn it," Finnian muttered in shock, instinctively holding his breath as thick exhaust filled his nostrils. Already furious to the point of near vomiting, his anger flared again, nearly causing him to pass out from the rush of emotion.

Odalys drove to the front of Bennett Entertainment and parked. Rolling down her window and leaning out, she saw a crowd hurling insults at the gates of the Bennett Villa.

"Get Henry out here!"

"The Bennett Group has been suppressing celebrities, forcing them into hidden rules, and now you're buying expensive accident insurance for them! What's your agenda?"

"Get out here! Come out now!"

Most of the shouting crowd consisted of fans of certain celebrities and online users angered by a recent variety show.

Inside Bennett Entertainment, it was eerily quiet.

Odalys jumped out of the car and entered a nearby shop. Wearing a hat and mask to maintain a low profile, she approached the cashier and handed over a stack of cash.

"Please send some smoothies and desserts to those people outside," she said, pushing the money onto the counter.

The slightly stunned employee took the cash and immediately prepared hundreds of cups of smoothies, distributing them to the protesting fans. As the fans eagerly accepted their treats, Odalys slipped away from the security cameras.

She had ordered two high-quality speakers and placed a recording of Finnian's call to Hannah nearby. When she turned them on, a man's voice blared through the air.

He said, "Why are you calling me? What can I do? Sophia wants me to… I’m calling you to tell her to strip down and beg me for it, and then I might consider it. What…"

"Can't you understand simple words? The condition? Sophia sleeps with me. If Sophia doesn’t strip, it’s just not right, is it?"

The disturbing conversation echoed across the front of Bennett Entertainment. Fans taking a break from their smoothies turned in shock as the sound reached their ears. The familiar voice was unmistakably Finnian's.

"What does that mean? Finnian called someone to tell Sophia to strip for him?" one fan gasped, unsure if they had heard correctly. The recording looped continuously.

Odalys had cut out names and some details, but the Bluetooth speakers kept repeating the recording, leaving the crowd clamoring for answers. Some immediately recorded the audio and shared it online.

"Oh my God, Sophia! Didn’t she say she’s never been in a relationship? Why is a man telling her to strip?"

"Could it be that she's often into those kinds of group settings?"

"This voice sounds really familiar… Doesn’t it sound like Finnian?"

The crowd quickly gathered, listening intently as the speakers continued to play the incriminating audio. The news exploded online, quickly trending.

At the hospital, Henry received a call and rushed to the company's entrance in a panic. As he approached, the conversation blaring from the speakers filled his ears.

Storming forward, he grabbed the Bluetooth speaker, his face filled with rage. "Who did this? Step forward now, or I'll call the… cops?" Henry gritted his teeth, shouting.

But paparazzi and fans stood outside the Bennett Group's gates, snapping photos incessantly. Henry's face darkened as he grabbed the Bluetooth speaker and violently smashed it on the ground.

"I'm giving you all one last warning. Whoever is behind this attempt to smear Sophia is going to have a problem with the Bennett family. I won’t let anyone involved get away with it," Henry clenched his fists tightly.

He stormed to his car, got inside, and tugged at his collar in frustration. He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

"Henry, someone's trying to ruin me. Someone wants to destroy my reputation," Sophia said, biting her lip. Tears welled in her eyes as she sat in the passenger seat.

Sophia buried her face in her hands, her voice trembling. "Could it be Odalys? She's been holding a grudge against me for a while. She tried to push me out of the Bennett family before. Then, during the variety show, she thought I stole her spotlight and got upset."

"But I never meant to harm her. Henry, could you call her for me? Tell her to come back. At worst, I'll marry into the Stewart family, and I'll apologize to them."

"If she wants to see me fall, I'll go along with it as long as it doesn't involve the Bennett family. I'm willing to do anything," Sophia spoke softly, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Henry looked at her pitiful expression, and his anger subsided slightly. "Don't worry. I won't let you be thrown under the bus. You're our sister. You always will be. No matter what methods Odalys uses, she will never come back."

"Even if she wants to destroy you, I won't let her get away with it. Her contract is still in my hands. It's easy for me to take her down," Henry said coldly.

Sophia offered a cold smile. "What exactly is she trying to do? How did she manage to make the Bennett family such a mess, even causing Mom's leg to be broken? What does she really want?"

Even without proof, Sophia was determined to blame Odalys. What she hadn't expected was Odalys' ruthlessness in releasing the recording.

Now, Sophia's reputation was all over the internet, fueling speculation about her and Finnian's relationship.

"Find someone for me. I don't care how much it costs, just get that trending topic taken down immediately," Henry said, making a call.

The voice on the other end said something that made Henry pause, his fingers stiff around his cigarette.

"What do you mean? Finnian's connections have all been cut off? It's suspected that his and Sophia's scandalous affair was exposed, and the Lark family abandoned him?" Henry repeated, incredulous.

"It seems like someone is deliberately blocking it," the assistant continued, "the trending topic can't be removed right now."

Henry gripped the phone tightly, his eyes blazing with fury. He never imagined the situation would escalate to this point, with people even suggesting Sophia and Finnian were involved.

He quickly glanced at his phone again. Soon, photos of Sophia and Finnian entering a hotel together flooded online.

"What's going on?" Henry asked, handing the phone to Sophia.

Sophia's eyes widened at the photo. She nearly fainted, shaking her head. She opened her mouth, but no words came out as she trembled.

"Henry, I didn't go to a hotel with him. This is all a misunderstanding," Sophia choked out, her voice breaking. Her eyes rolled back, and she passed out. The phone slipped from her hand and fell onto her thigh.