Chapter 158
Asher quickly reached Thalia's side, concern etched on his face. "Lia, are you alright?" He'd just left the police station, inquiring about Lucy's case, when an officer informed him Thalia had been there. He immediately rushed out, searching for her in the street. He spotted her soon enough. Only as he approached did he hear a woman showering Thalia with vulgar insults. At Asher's glance, his bodyguards swiftly intervened, restraining the woman. Hearing the torrent of abuse, Asher recognized her as one of Sienna's obsessive fans, similar to the bespectacled man who'd thrown acid.
Asher's eyes flashed with cold fury, his gaze cutting towards the fan now kneeling on the ground. His commanding presence was so intimidating that the fan trembled at a single glance. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Who exactly was this Ms. Winters? Why did she have bodyguards? The fan, completely devoid of her earlier bravado, knelt, apologizing profusely. "I'm terribly sorry... I was completely out of order. Please forgive me, I was way out of line..."
Thalia narrowed her eyes, clearly unsatisfied. The fan glanced at Thalia, her heart sinking at Thalia's icy expression. Her body shook uncontrollably. She pressed her forehead to the ground, kowtowing. "Please let me off the hook, I truly know I was wrong. I swear on my life I'll never do it again..." Her forehead hit the ground with loud thuds. After a moment, Thalia spoke coldly: "Ring the police." This was the second harassment incident involving these obsessive fans. Thalia had no intention of letting this go quietly. These fans were adults who knew their actions had consequences.
When the woman heard the police were being called, her face drained of color. "No, please don't call the police! I promise I won't ever do it again. I'm begging you!" Thalia paid no attention. One bodyguard called the police. "You—" Thalia pointed to another bodyguard— "When the police arrive, record a video." The bodyguard looked bewildered and instinctively glanced at Asher, who nodded slightly. Only then did the bodyguard respectfully reply, "Right away, Ms. Winters."
The police arrived quickly. The bodyguard filmed the fan's arrest, following Thalia's instructions. "Lia, you really ought to bring bodyguards when you go out these days. It's far too risky," Asher said, concern evident in his eyes. Thalia tugged at her lips, her gaze icy. "That's hardly your concern, is it?" She walked towards the nearby outdoor car park, where she'd parked her car before going to the police station. Opening the door, getting in, closing the door—all in one fluid motion. Asher was left standing outside. Thalia started the engine and drove away, leaving him behind.
Back home, Thalia watched the bodyguard's video. "So, you enjoy using the internet to twist facts and direct your fans to attack me online, do you?" Thalia's lips curled into a cold smile. "Sienna, when you were doing this, did you ever consider that it might backfire on you?"
The following day, "Sienna The Senior" was trending again, appearing in three separate hashtags—none in her favor: #TwistRevealed! SiennaTheSenior is actually the other woman#; #Sienna TheSenior encouraged fans to harass people offline#; #SiennaTheSenior fake socialite exposed#. Each trending topic included damning evidence. The post exposing Sienna as the other woman included chat logs from her return to New York, showing conversations between her and Drake Ashcroft, as well as provocative messages to Drake's girlfriend, Attorney Winters. A top comment claimed to know Sienna: "[She IS the other woman. When she returned to New York, Drake hadn’t broken up with his current girlfriend yet. Everyone in our social circle knows this.]"
Many curious netizens joined in condemning her. Of course, some loyal fans defended her, claiming the chat logs were fabricated: "[Fake news! Those screenshots are clearly photoshopped. My Senior would NEVER!]" The second trending topic, about Sienna encouraging her fans to harass others, included videos of both the bespectacled man who threw acid and the fan who verbally abused Thalia, being arrested. The police issued an official statement: “The Metropolitan Police Service hereby confirms that Mr. Zorn has been investigated under Section 18 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 on suspicion of intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The investigation has established that the suspect harboured resentment due to the suspension of Ms. Chavez’s social media account, which led to a premeditated attempt to cause harm. The Crown Prosecution Service has been consulted and formal charges have been filed.”
The statement continued: “In a related case, Ms. West has been detained for a period of fifteen days under Section 4A of the Public Order Act 1986 for intentional harassment, alarm or distress. Evidence indicates that the suspect was acting under the influence and at the instigation of Ms. Chavez, engaging in disorderly conduct and verbal abuse in a public place.” With videos, photos, and an official police statement, this evidence destroyed Sienna’s reputation. The comments section was flooded with condemnation: "[OMG she actually got her stans to throw ACID at someone?! I can’t even]; [Lock her up with her psycho followers rn! This is beyond toxic!]; [This is way past cancel culture, this is straight up CRIMINAL??]"
The final trending topic revealed Sienna's true identity. She wasn't a wealthy socialite; her family was middle class. She'd interfered in Drake and Attorney Winters' relationship for financial gain, and her designer bags were obtained by seducing Drake. In this post's comments, someone pointed out Attorney Winters was the genuine socialite, posting photos of Thalia at the Winters family estate, driving luxury cars, and having afternoon tea at five-star hotels: "[Tea alert!? As someone who actually knows the truth, Attorney Winters is the REAL socialite. Her family owns an estate, luxury cars for days, and designer everything. That gold-digger Sienna isn’t even in the same postcode ?]; [A TikTok wannabe trying to come for the Winters family heiress from London? The delusion is real!?]; [To all of Sienna’s deluded stans: your fave isn’t even worthy of being the Winters heiress’s INTERN Imao]; [Small world energy–I literally went to uni with Ms. Winters! Someone actually had the audacity to spread rumours about HER being the other woman? I’m HOWLING. She’s turned down more fit blokes than most girls have matched with on Tinder. The absolute AUDACITY!?]"
Public opinion reversed instantly. As Sienna scrolled through post after post, rage contorted her features. She slammed her phone to the floor with a loud crash, shouting furiously: "That bloody cow!"
At the Blackwood estate, in an airtight basement room, a bespectacled man was tied to an iron pillar. Asher's subordinate, Lucas Zane, wearing protective gloves and holding a glass bottle, looked at the man with interest. "You're quite fond of sulfuric acid, aren't you?" The bespectacled man's eyes were filled with panic, his face drained of color. He stammered, "N–no… I 1–I don't like it… please… please don't…" Lucas's eyes gleamed with cruelty, his smile sinister. "Let's see how it feels to be corroded by sulfuric acid, shall we…" "AAAHHH—"
"Help me, somebody help—" The man's agonized screams were relentless, but Lucas only grew more excited with each one. "Tsk, tsk. Compared to the concentrated acid you tried to throw at Ms. Winters, this diluted sulfuric acid is nothing." Though diluted, the acid was still corrosive. The bespectacled man's face was being eaten away, burning small holes into his skin, making him look horrifyingly disfigured. "AHHH—" he howled. "Kill me, just kill me! You might as well kill me outright and be done with it!" Lucas gave a mocking laugh. "A quick death? Do you really think you deserve that?" He drew up half a dropper of acid solution and dripped it onto the back of the man's hand. "It's so much more entertaining to take things slowly…"