Chapter 77: The Fauxmance Problem
Abigail looked at Joan calmly. “Seduce? Do you even have the right to use that word?”
Facing Abigail’s overwhelming aura, Joan felt intimidated. She knew Sean was married, and if pushed, she would betray Abigail.
Suddenly, Joan had an idea and feigned misunderstanding. “Miss Quinn, I’m just trying to protect Luna’s reputation. I didn’t see Sean leave your room that morning, but since someone claims to have seen it, it must be true, right?”
“Miss Lowery, why don't you ask Mr. Graham? I can’t answer your questions because I don't know if he was in my room at 4:00 a.m.,” Abigail said firmly. This was entirely Sean’s problem. Why should she bear the brunt of this?
Before Joan could respond, Abigail continued, “Who stays up at 4:00 a.m.? Besides, if I could seduce him, why would I be working as an assistant?” She grabbed nearby scissors and cardboard and turned to leave.
Nina then raised her voice. “I saw it! Your lies won’t work!”
Abigail stopped at the elevator and turned. “Telling me this won’t help. Mr. Graham needs to admit it; he’s the one who entered my room. If you have doubts, present evidence. It’s that simple.”
Back in Luna’s room, Abigail worked on her design board, but couldn't shake her irritation. “Nina firmly believes we’re the winners,” she complained to Luna.
Luna, sitting on the couch, handled L.Moon orders on her tablet. Hearing Abigail, she said, “This is hard to resolve. Sean won’t support you, regardless of the program’s outcome.”
Abigail looked at her.
Luna put down her tablet. “If we win, Nina will spread rumors online, claiming the program was rigged. Envious designers, especially Joan, will attack us.”
Abigail’s enthusiasm for the competition waned. She loved design, but now felt disgusted by the clothes she was creating.
“Unless we don't win. But what’s the point of being here if we don’t? Are we here to play political games? That’s no fun,” Luna said, resuming her work.
Abigail fell silent, restless.
“Getting involved with Sean is never good. It’s easy for him to walk away, leaving you in the mess. If you confront him, he’ll say it’s your fault. No matter what Joan does, it will always be your fault. Men will be men,” Luna sighed, clearly disillusioned with men, especially given Abigail’s situation.
“Sorry for dragging you into this,” Abigail said with a bitter smile.
“It’s fine. Besides, staying in a luxury hotel is nice,” Luna replied cheerfully.
Abigail approached with the scissors. “Be careful with those,” Luna warned, pulling back her legs.
“Any good ideas?” Abigail asked, continuing to cut the cardboard.
Luna shook her head. “If Sean doesn’t clarify, nothing we say matters. You won’t admit he was in your room. We don’t have keys to his room, but he might have to ours as the host. We need to shift the blame.”
Abigail’s words to Nina were aimed at shifting blame. She had no intention of taking responsibility. Besides, Sean benefited from their encounter.
“Netizens are shipping you two. If he implies he secretly visited and you didn’t know, they’ll be thrilled. Given your leg injury, their imaginations will run wild,” Luna said mischievously.
“I’m worried Sean will be angry,” Abigail whispered. Joan would be jealous, and he might take the blame to appease her.
Luna beckoned Abigail closer. She whispered, “Worst-case scenario: even if we win, we’ll have a bad reputation. If we lose, it’s pointless. We might drop out. There’s no easy way out. Don’t worry about him being angry.”
Seeing Abigail’s look, Luna continued, “Pretend you didn’t know he was there. When he clarifies, will he admit to anything with you that night?”
“For that homewrecker Palmer, he won’t,” Abigail said confidently.
Luna squeezed her shoulder. “Exactly. Let the fans ship you two. L.Moon is gaining popularity. If we can’t win, let’s gain fame. It’s his fault for sneaking into your room. Let him deal with the consequences. You play dumb.”