Chapter 1299
No.1
A beautiful, chilling smile curved her red lips.
“They’re just a mob feeling sorry for that worthless man. They got carried away. As for the photos, don’t worry about them right now.”
“Don’t worry?” Julian questioned her with a deep frown.
Isabella nodded. “Exactly. Let the keyboard warriors keep attacking me. The more they do, the better. It’ll make the final reveal in two days even more satisfying.”
Julian’s expression tightened. “I’m your agent. You need to tell me your plan. I can’t do my job if this spirals out of control.”
“You’re smarter than this. Think about it. ‘The darkest hour is just before the dawn.’ Since Victoria and Alexander are behind the photo leak, I will make sure they regret it deeply,” Isabella stated with unshakable confidence.
Julian remained uneasy. He understood the saying, but Isabella’s reputation was in ruins. How could she possibly recover? Her Gucci editorial, though stunning, would be accused of plagiarizing Victoria’s the moment it launched. ‘How can she come back from this?’ he wondered. With the ‘ugly photo’ scandal, her career seemed doomed.
Seeing his concern, Isabella gently patted his shoulder. “Relax. I promise I will win the showdown. If I lose, I’ll leave the fashion world forever. I’ll manage the diamond business and never seek revenge again. Is that good enough for you?”
Julian knew her well. Revenge had always been her driving force. For her to bet that on this outcome meant she was utterly confident. How could she still win under these circumstances?
No.2
Meanwhile, at Blackwood Corporation, Oliver clung to Nathaniel’s hand. “Daddy, the things they’re saying about Mommy online are horrible. If this continues, she’ll lose the Gucci editorial. You have to help her!” Oliver’s voice was filled with worry, nearly trembling.
Nathaniel remained calm. He gently ruffled his son’s hair. “Don’t worry. Remember what Mommy said? This is all part of her plan. We’ll have a great show to watch in two days.”
“Really? Are you sure?” Oliver looked at his father with suspicion.
Sebastian, napping in the corner, overheard and perked up. “A show? What kind of show?”
Nathaniel smiled mysteriously. “It’s a secret.”
Oliver and Sebastian fell silent. They knew Nathaniel’s stubborn nature. If he wouldn’t talk, nothing could make him. They could only wait impatiently for the showdown.
Over the next two days, Isabella’s ‘ugly photos’ spread like wildfire across the internet, remaining a top search topic. ‘Ugly as Isabella’ became a popular insult. Everyone waited for a statement from her, but she had vanished without a trace.
Finally, the day of the Gucci editorial showdown arrived. Despite the scandal, the magazines were printed and ready for sale. If Isabella’s Avocado Green collection sold well, it might mitigate some of the damage. In the entertainment world, any publicity was good publicity. The worst fate was obscurity.
At dawn, Gucci released both Isabella and Victoria’s photo editorials. They launched the sales for both collections simultaneously.
No.3
The epic battle between Isabella and Victoria had officially begun!
The editorial photos dropped.
Fans who had been waiting flooded in immediately.
Their reactions were instant. Shock. Awe. Disbelief.
(Is that even Isabella Montgomery? She’s radiant! Absolutely breathtaking!)
(Hello? Did we forget she’s a surgery doll? It’s all filters and makeup. Nothing is real!)
(Seriously! Look at her old pictures. They’re so plain and mediocre! Such a drastic change can't be natural.)
(Now look at our queen, Victoria Kensington. Her aura might be subtle, but her beauty is goddess-level, authentic!)
(The Sage Green line is the star here. Support our Vicky! Buying ten sets right now!)
No.4
(Yes! Boycott the Crimson line. Don’t support that plastic surgery monster, Isabella!)
(Get the fake out of the endorsement world! She’s an embarrassment to high fashion!)
The online hate for Isabella intensified.
Sales for the Sage Green collection climbed steadily.
The Crimson line, however, saw almost no movement.
People liked the designs, but buying it felt like endorsing a fraud. How could they support her?
By 1 PM, only a handful of Crimson items had sold. The numbers were dismal.
Eric, now Julian Hawthorne, and Kay, now Maxwell Carter, monitored the traffic. They waited. They knew Isabella had a plan. A comeback was coming.
At the Blackwood Corporation, Nial, now Sebastian Blackwood, held Chris, now Oliver Blackwood, close. His eyes were glued to his phone. Anxiety spiked.
No.5
This was it.
Isabella was making her move.
A special alert blasted across social media.
Breaking: Isabella Montgomery has a new official account!
Everyone scrambled for their phones. Even Anthony, now Nathaniel Blackwood, paused his work to look.
Her profile bio read: ‘A background character in a past life. Find your true power in Crimson. Unlock your star potential. Transformation starts with Red. Live your main character story.’
Below it, a gallery of photos. A video.
The video showed Isabella in a home gym.
She wore a crimson sports bra and matching leggings.
No.6
The vibrant red against her porcelain skin was striking. Breathtaking.
She punched a sandbag. Again. Again. Sweat glistened on her skin.
Her face was bare. No makeup. Yet, she was stunning.
The photos were comparisons.
One side: Sage Green. The other: Crimson.
An old, "ugly" photo next to a styled Guci crimson shot.
A side-by-side with Victoria Kensington in Sage Green versus Isabella in Crimson.
Every single comparison was night and day.
In every frame, the Crimson version won. It was undeniable.
No.7
Isabella’s new account exploded.
Thousands of supporters, real people and netizens, rallied behind her.
They clashed with Victoria’s fans, shifting the online narrative.
(Her workout face is so fresh and natural! Zero makeup! Zero surgery!)
(Isabella is devastatingly beautiful in Crimson!)
(Did they pick Sage Green to make people look bad? Even a beauty like Isabella looks washed out in it.)
(True! In the group photo, the Sage Green makes her fade into the background. I barely saw her!)
(What a shame. It can make a supermodel and a diamond CEO look average. Avoid it! I’m steering clear.)
(I love her bio: Find your true power in Crimson!)