A deathly silence hung over the Sherwood family’s living room.
Serena Sherwood’s face was pale and streaked with tears.
Her lips trembled, and her voice was thick with sobs.
“Dad, Mom, I don’t know why this is happening.
I didn’t mean to…”
Losing several million followers in an instant was a fatal blow for a newcomer who had only been in the entertainment industry for a year.
A chill ran through her, as if she’d been plunged into an icy abyss.
She felt like she was on the verge of a complete breakdown.
‘Where did it all go wrong?’
‘Why was everyone online attacking her?
Even her own fans had abandoned and betrayed her!’
‘They were supposed to be attacking Iris Dalton!’
Her whole family stared at her, their expressions a complex and inscrutable mix of shock, anger, disappointment, and disbelief.
Simon Sherwood’s expression was even darker.
A layer of suppressed gloom veiled his normally refined features, stirring a strange sense of panic in Serena.
‘Are they blaming me?
Are they disappointed in me?’
‘Of course.
Everyone plays favorites.
They all think Iris is so great!’
‘Then what does that make me in this family?’
Serena’s head snapped up.
She looked toward the rooms on the second floor as if she’d suddenly had a realization.
“It’s her!
It has to be Iris Dalton!
She posted that video to ruin me!
She wants my reputation destroyed, she wants everyone to hate me!” Serena suddenly shrieked, as if she’d gone mad.
She grabbed a nearby vase and hurled it at the staircase.
CRASH!
The vase smashed against the banister, then shattered into pieces on the floor.
A million-dollar vase, now just a pile of worthless shards.
“Serena!” Simon Sherwood bellowed, his face grim and his eyes blazing with fury.
His look of profound disappointment pierced her heart like a knife.
It was a cold, sharp blow, straight to the heart.
Biting her lip hard, Serena shot a hateful glare at everyone in the living room before turning and running out of the villa.
“Serena, where are you going!” Vivian Morton cried out when she saw her run off, scrambling to chase after her.
‘If Serena leaves tonight and doesn’t come back, who’s going to save my brother, Ray Morgan?’
‘She can’t be allowed to leave.’
Soon, Vivian was disappointed.
Serena drove away before Vivian could catch her.
When she returned to the villa, Vivian wore such a distraught expression that everyone assumed she was worried about Serena’s safety—the very picture of a caring sister-in-law.
She usually had little presence in the family, but her actions today certainly caught everyone’s attention.
They thought she was actually quite kind-hearted.
As more and more dirt was exposed online, the entire high society of Stellan was thrown into chaos.
The phone at the Sherwood estate rang off the hook with calls from other prominent families, all demanding an explanation.
If the two Sherwood daughters hadn’t been tearing each other apart online, the internet wouldn’t have dug up so many secrets of the rich and powerful.
Even more terrifying, someone had leaked a 500-gigabyte folder of compromising photos and videos of high society members.
If several of the major families hadn’t joined forces to contain the leak and paid a hefty price to buy it all up, the content would have undoubtedly spread across the entire internet.
Everyone’s public and private reputations would have been utterly ruined.
Overwhelmed with frustration, Simon Sherwood and Leona Vaughn simply turned off their phones, leaving the butler to handle everything for the time being.
They were still trying to figure out how to turn the situation around—how to minimize the damage without affecting the Sherwood Family’s reputation and interests.
The butler wished he could grow eight arms to answer all the calls and eight mouths to offer apologies.
For the first time, it occurred to him that Iris Dalton was actually the quiet one.
Serena Sherwood was the real handful.
*
“Tristan, what are we going to do?” Vivian Morton asked, tugging at his clothes.
Tristan had witnessed the entire scene in the living room.
He now stood with his head bowed in silence, his thoughts unreadable.
Vivian was a nervous wreck, completely at a loss.
Tristan slowly lifted his gaze toward the second floor, his already taut lips pressing into an even thinner line.
‘If we had Iris go instead…’
An inscrutable, dark look flashed in his eyes.
‘Iris is the stand-in, after all.’
‘What’s the difference between doing it once or twice?’
‘Besides, she definitely had a hand in the online mob that’s attacking Serena.’
‘If she hadn’t done anything, why would millions of people online be defending her?’
‘Out of some sense of justice?’
‘Ha!
Only a fool would believe that.’
‘She backstabbed Serena and dragged the entire Sherwood Family into this mess.
Shouldn’t she do something to make up for it?’
“Did you get a gift for Iris?
Go on up and see her.” Tristan lit a cigarette and said languidly, “Your brother’s situation will be taken care of tonight.”
Vivian froze for a second before a smile bloomed on her face.
“Tristan, I knew you’d help Ray!”
She was an expert at reading Tristan’s mind and knew he wanted Iris to take Serena’s place.
‘It doesn’t matter who goes, as long as her brother is saved!’
‘With a bewitching face like Iris’s, any man would be captivated.
Maybe those people tonight would even prefer her type!’
*
The Sherwoods were in such a frenzy that they didn’t even have time for dinner.
While the others were busy in the living room, Iris was busy in her room.
Busy collecting her payment.
[YellowFish]: “Sold!
All of it!
That 500GB of high society secrets is all sold.
Ten million in hush money from each family.
Splitting it fifty-fifty with Your Highness, the Pond Lord.
I’ve made a killing, easily cleared a hundred million.”
[YellowFish] transferred the money to Iris, then posted a few pictures from a fashion magazine.
They showed a pair of The H-Brand’s limited-edition autumn sneakers.
[YellowFish]: “Just ordered them.
A gift for Your Highness, the Pond Lord.
The latest style will look great on you for school.”
The other members of Pike: “…”
[cuttlefish]: “@[YellowFish] You’re such a simp.
Final verdict.”
[Clownfish]: “[YellowFish] is a dude.
Final verdict.”
[YellowFish]: “[Clownfish] is just jealous of me.
Final verdict.”
[Clownfish]: “Hmph.
I’m so jelly.
I want to earn enough to spoil our Pond Master too.
I saw a watch that would be perfect for Her Highness, but I’m broke.
Can anyone spot me some cash?
I’ll pay you back next month with two percent interest!”
All of Pike: “Pfft—”
Iris was gleefully listening to her ‘fish’ trade barbs when Vivian suddenly appeared at her door.
“Iris, come look at these clothes and shoes!
They’re just the kind of thing girls your age love.” Vivian had the maid, Mindy, bring in two rolling suitcases.
The suitcases were filled with clothes, and another dozen or so pairs of shoes and several flattened little purses were piled up by the door.
“You just got back to the Sherwood Family, so you must not have many clothes.
School starts tomorrow, and you can’t go looking too shabby,” Vivian said with a wide smile, though inwardly she was comparing Iris to Serena.
‘Those people wanted Serena to entertain them with drinks as an apology.
Even if Iris got all dolled up tonight, she probably couldn’t compare to a big star like Serena.’
‘After all, Serena was raised in a wealthy family.
From her aura to her upbringing and manners, she would absolutely crush this country bumpkin…’
“Miss Iris, look at these…” Mindy said, her head lowered in embarrassment.
The two suitcases of clothing from Vivian were all used.
The purses and shoes were peeling!
‘Even she, a maid, wouldn’t want such shabby things, let alone giving them to Miss Iris.’
‘Wasn’t this a deliberate attempt to humiliate her?’
Vivian came from a middle-class background and was always concerned with keeping up appearances.
While her coats and outerwear were always presentable, the clothes underneath and the shoes on her feet were often just whatever she could get by with.
She wouldn’t throw away clothes even if they were fraying, pilling, or had holes.
Even after marrying into a wealthy family, she was still incredibly stingy with her wardrobe.
She couldn’t bear to wear her designer clothes, leaving them to gather dust in her closet.
Mindy really disliked that about her.
But Vivian was the young mistress of the house, and a maid like her didn’t dare say a word.
Mindy stole a glance at Iris, feeling a pang of sympathy for her.
‘In the few days since Miss Iris had returned, she had been very kind to all the household staff.’
‘She always spoke politely and never ordered people around.
She wasn’t like the Second Miss, who threw tantrums all the time.’
‘Mindy had a good impression of her, which only made her want to roast Vivian even more!’
“Are these all for me?” Iris asked, scanning the items with her spiritual power.
A lazy smile played on her lips, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Yes, yes!
They’re all new.
I’ve only worn them once or twice, so don’t you look down on them, okay?” Vivian was all smiles, her tone overly familiar.
“Holes and pilling after just one or two wears?
What are you, covered in nails or something?” Iris gave her a look of astonished repulsion.
“Sorry, but I do look down on them.”