Chapter 627 Reputation Ruined
The live stream erupted with chaos.
[What is going on? The handwriting expert says the script from Twitter matches Meryl’s writing exactly!]
[I’m lost–someone explain this to me!]
[It’s pretty straightforward! Someone snatched the original draft from “Sweet Savage,” Casey’s junior fellow apprentice, and now they’re trying to claim it as their own! And guess what? It’s Rachel who’s behind this!]
[Oh my God, that’s so low! Stealing someone else’s work and then playing the victim? How can someone be so shameless?]
[No wonder everyone online has been calling “Sweet Savage” out–turns out she hasn’t said anything because she’s been wronged! I can’t believe her cool-headedness–if it were me, I’d be losing it!]
[You’re right; I feel for Meryl! She’s facing all this misunderstanding and can’t even defend herself. I’ve heard some extreme commenters have been harassing her on Twitter for days!]
[Keyboard warriors are the worst!]
Rachel stared in disbelief as the situation spiraled out of control. Her cheeks burned with shame, and she felt utterly exposed.
Rachel thought, “How am I ever going to show my face in the music industry again? This is it–my career is finished! I’ll never be able to shake off the label of a plagiarist. Even if I try to break into the entertainment scene with my violin, no one will support me. And what about the orchestra? I’d only just joined, but the rules are clear–any hint of plagiarism could get you kicked out immediately. My entire musical career is in ruins! I’ll probably even struggle to find a job teaching violin at a music academy.”
Christine sat in the audience, watching the entire scene unfold before her eyes. She was taken aback that Rachel’s piece was actually a copy. Christine couldn’t help but feel that Rachel had brought this upon herself. She was secretly relieved she hadn’t been on stage with Rachel to share the embarrassment.
Rachel felt her dreams come crashing down, and an overwhelming anger bubbled within her.
“You’re framing me! It’s all your fault!” she shouted, marching toward Meryl, determined to confront her. Her emotions were in overdrive, and she approached in a frenzy. “I didn’t plagiarize! This report must be fake!”
The crowd watched, some amused, others horrified, as Rachel spiraled into a meltdown. But then, in an unpredictable moment of madness, she collided with Meryl.
Meryl, wearing small heeled shoes, wasn’t unsteady, but Rachel charged at her without warning. Meryl had no time to brace herself, and with the stage elevated, she instinctively turned to protect her abdomen as Rachel slammed into her lower back.
Gasps filled the auditorium, and the audience held their collective breath; hearts raced. A fall from that height could be serious–she could twist an ankle or worse. Meryl stumbled, her balance wavering, teetering dangerously close to the edge of the stage.
The nearest person was Casey, who sprang into action. He quickly reached out, grabbing Meryl’s wrist to steady her. “Watch out!”
The live comments streamed in at lightning speed.
[Why isn’t anyone shipping their relationship? They’d make a perfect couple… they share a mentor, they both play the cello, and they have so much in common!]
[Seriously, just give it up! Casey is way too good for her!]
[Honestly, Rachel’s just throwing a fit because she’s embarrassed. How low can she get, attacking someone in front of everyone?]
Meryl, still shaken, instinctively touched her abdomen. She mused, “I wonder if the baby was scared? The movements feel a bit stronger than usual.”
Sharp-eyed viewers quickly noticed Meryl’s protective gesture, recognizing the slight curve of her belly. It wasn’t obvious, but anyone who had been through pregnancy could tell.
[Did she really just go after a pregnant woman? My God, that’s just despicable!]
[That’s outrageous! If Casey hadn’t been right next to Meryl, who knows what might have happened!]
In the end, it took security to escort Rachel out of the venue. Her legs felt like jelly, and as soon as she was pulled out into the hallway, she collapsed onto the ground.
A shadow fell over her, blocking the light. Rachel instinctively looked up and froze. “What are you doing here?”
Christopher said, crouching down with concern, “Rachel, I saw the live stream.” The moment he learned about Rachel’s trouble, he had dropped everything to come find her.
Rachel quickly glanced around, relieved not to see any familiar faces. “You came to gloat, didn’t you?”
“Not at all! I like you!” Christopher replied, grasping her hand with sincerity. He continued, “That day, you asked me to help you get back at Felix, and I did just that. I had the driver run over his legs. He’s in the hospital now with shattered bones.”
Rachel was taken aback, disbelief washing over her. She mused, “I was just venting that day–he actually went through with it? The Powell family is ruthless, but I never expected him to go this far, especially with his brother. Shattered bones?”
“Rachel, I’m not trying to be threatening. I just want you to know my feelings for you are genuine.”
With that, Christopher pulled her into a tight embrace.
Rachel’s face drained of color. “What are you doing, Christopher? Let me go! You’re about to marry Ms. Clarke! If anyone from the Clarke family sees this, what will I do?” The Clarke family was famous for their power in Kingsdom, and someone like Rachel, whose family had fallen from grace, was easy prey for them. They could squash her like a bug without a second thought.
But Christopher shrugged off her concerns. “What’s there to worry about? As long as I’m here, the Clarke family won’t dare touch you.”
Not far away, a man in a black outfit and a cap watched the scene unfold. A cigarette smoldered between his fingers, the smoke curling up and obscuring his face. Only a faint scar along the bridge of his nose was visible, a mark from a past injury that had healed but left a lasting trace.
As he saw Rachel getting into Christopher’s car, he tossed the cigarette into a nearby trash can and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
A young man beside him asked, “Hey, Andy, do you know that woman?”