Chapter 46
Julie froze, her expression turning grievous. “I didn’t mean to do it,” she said, almost in a plea. “Zella forced me, face and squatted on the ground, sobbing softly.
made me do it!” She covered her
“I’m just a struggling minor influencer. Who would’ve thought Zella would suddenly target me?” Julie continued, wiping tears from her eyes. “She threatened that if I didn’t comply, I wouldn’t make it in this industry. How could I dare go against her?”
Hatred brimmed in Quinn’s eyes. ‘I hate Zella, Eric and Julie. My career, my life, they’re all ruined because of them, Quinn thought.
Lindsey watched coldly, not feeling an ounce of sympathy. “But you still chose to harm others for your own benefit, didn’t you? You should take responsibility for your actions!” Lindsey said firmly.
Julie was highly emotional, insistently defending herself. “No, I already said, I was forced by Zella! You should be going after her, not me!” she
exclaimed, her voice strained.
Lowering her hands, Julie looked at Lindsey with disdain. “In the end, you just think I’m easy to bully, right? Does being nice mean I deserve to be pushed around?” Julie asked, her tone sarcastic.
Lindsey wanted to roll her eyes. “You were forced? Yet in the phone recordings, you sounded pretty eager. And from what I heard, you took the money Zella gave you without hesitation.” Lindsey pointed out.
Lindsey paused, then scoffed. “Kindness? Do you still have the nerve to call yourself kind? If you were truly kind, you never would’ve done such things, nor stayed silent when Quinn was being criticized,” Lindsey added sharply.
The sudden intensity from Lindsey startled Julie, who stumbled back a couple of steps. But Lindsey pressed on, giving her no chance to relax.
“Do you know why we came to you even though we already had evidence? It wasn’t because we couldn’t release it. We believe since the misunderstanding started because of you and Eric, it should be resolved by you,” Lindsey explained.
Julie couldn’t find words, only shaking her head repeatedly. Then Lindsey’s tense demeanor softened; she straightened Julie’s collar gently. “I understand your predicament. If you issue a clarification statement, I might be able to help you,” Lindsey said calmly.
Julie eyed Lindsey warily, not believing a word. ‘After all this time, I couldn’t dig up any evidence. What can Lindsey, an outsider, do for me?‘ Julie thought. “Don’t try to trick me; I won’t fall for such foolishness,” Julie retorted, full of disdain.
Lindsey sighed, pulling out her laptop from her backpack and starting to operate it. Quinn leaned over curiously but understood nothing.
Seeing Lindsey ignore her, Julie scrambled to get up, trying to return inside but was stopped by Quinn. “We haven’t settled this yet. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?” Quinn asked, blocking her path.
Julie felt an innate fear towards Quinn, stammering without forming a coherent sentence. Though Quinn hated her, she didn’t do anything further.
Twenty minutes later, Lindsey stretched lazily and approached the two, cradling her laptop. She turned the screen toward Julie. “Is this enough?” she asked.
The screen displayed intimate photos of Eric and his mistress, along with chat records discussing asset transfers. Julie’s eyes widened in shock. “Give these records to me! I’ll make sure that cheating couple gets nothing!”
She lunged for the laptop, but Lindsey snapped it shut. “Post a clarification statement first, and then I’ll give you all the records.”
Julie hesitated before nodding vigorously. “Alright, I’ll post it! Just send me those pictures first!”
Lindsey smirked. “Ms. Hayes, do you really think we’re little kids? If I send you the files first, I’d have no leverage left. You could turn on us anytime.”
Quinn raised an eyebrow, realizing Lindsey was sharper than she thought. From the side, Quinn added, “Besides, if she tries anything funny, Ms. Riley, you could always hack into her phone again and delete the photos!”
Julie paled, gritting her teeth. “Fine, I’ll post it!” She had no other choice,
Quinn eagerly hovered nearby, checking every word Julie wrote to ensure there were no issues. By the time everything was settled, dusk had fallen.
Lindsey called Florence, asking her to monitor online activity and arrange a suitable manager and assistant for Quinn. Once the storm passed, Quinn would be back to earning money.
Leaving Julie’s house, Quinn looked relieved, patting Lindsey’s shoulder. “Boss, you’ve done so much for me, let me treat you to dinner!”
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Chapter 46
Lindsey’s stomach rumbled; she nodded. “Sure, I want to eat steak.”
“No problem!” Quinn snapped her fingers, taking the driver’s seat.
Lindsey pondered whether she should get a car too. It might come in handy since she expected to go out more often.
On the drive, Quinn chattered excitedly. At a red light, she turned to Lindsey. “Boss, I’m still a bit confused. Why did you help Julie?” Quinn’s impression of Julie had never been good.
“Back when I got caught in that scandal,” Quinn said, her voice sharp with resentment, “Julie didn’t hold back at all. She pulled my hair and had these long nails that she raked across my face. Her intentions were anything but innocent!”
Quinn pouted, genuinely impressed with herself. “I didn’t lay a hand on her today–I’m actually being too nice! Now I’m really starting to regret it!”
Lindsey smiled slyly. “You think I’m helping her? Don’t worry. Even with these pieces of evidence, she won’t get anything out of it. The same goes for Eric–chances are, he’s been duped so badly he’ll lose everything!”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Quinn immediately perked up.
Lindsey grinned mischievously. “I checked earlier. The mistress isn’t exactly innocent either. She specializes in scamming heartless men with money. Now all of Eric and Julie’s assets are in her account. She’ll probably disappear soon.”
After speaking, Lindsey winked at Quinn, giving her a knowing look. Quinn patted the steering wheel, laughing heartily.
Lindsey suddenly remembered something and instructed Quinn, “Oh, and don’t call me boss at the company. Call me Lindsey.”
“Why?” Quinn asked, puzzled.
“Because I want to keep a low profile and hide my identity,” Lindsey replied. ‘If Anthony and Olivia found out I started another entertainment company, they’d be furious. That would only cause more trouble, Lindsey thought.
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