Chapter 547

No.1

[If you sign with SilverPeak, I promise I will make you a bigger star than Victoria Kensington. Furthermore, we can help you resolve this precarious situation you’re in. As for profit sharing, we can negotiate that later. No one else can save you but me!]

Isabella’s red lips curled in disgust. She couldn’t be bothered to reply. “There’s no point engaging with narcissists. The only way to deal with them is to crush them with sheer competence.” The real battle was the day after tomorrow. She would teach them all a lesson. She would show them what true talent and skill actually looked like.

Then, her agent Julian texted her.

[Isabella, what in the world are you thinking? The day after tomorrow is the final day.]

Isabella frowned slightly and typed a reply.

[I really wish I could tell you the plan, but the stakes are too high. Until this is over, it has to remain a secret. I’m sorry, but I can’t risk telling anyone right now.]

[Just remember one thing. I, Isabella Montgomery, would never do anything to truly jeopardize myself. All you need to do is wait calmly. Everything will be fine. If you absolutely must do something, go hire some internet trolls. Pay them to attack my photos even more viciously. The more venom they spew, the better.]

Julian had no response. Hadn’t her reputation suffered enough already? Even though he believed in Isabella’s abilities, the current situation seemed hopeless. How could she possibly turn this around? Oh well. Isabella was a willful woman. Even if she failed, she could always just retire and manage her diamond mines. Three hundred million tons of raw diamonds was a solid backup plan. He decided to stop worrying.

After sending her message, Isabella let out a soft sigh. She couldn’t believe no one had seen through her ruse. ‘What about the big boss?’ she wondered. As she sighed, a new WhatsApp notification popped up.

[I look forward to witnessing your stunning underdog victory the day after tomorrow. When you win, I’ll have a special congratulatory gift prepared just for you.]

No.2

Isabella’s brow furrowed. Nathaniel had actually figured out her master plan. Was it because of what she’d said earlier? Had she given herself away? It turned out he wasn’t as foolish as she’d thought.

She began typing a reply. But she’d only managed a few words before a memory from five years ago surfaced.

Five years ago, she lost her virginity. She got pregnant. She suffered a miscarriage…

The current trajectory of her relationships with Nathaniel and Oliver felt like a bad omen.

She thought for a long moment. Then, she slowly deleted everything she had just written. She tossed her phone aside and closed her eyes. Nathaniel was treating her so well. What would she have to do to make him give up on her? Should she tell him what happened five years ago?

Isabella Montgomery spent the entire day consumed by her thoughts.

Five years had passed since she forged her iron-willed persona.

Yet now, hesitation and confusion clouded her mind.

She switched her phone to airplane mode.

Collapsing onto her bed, she sank into quiet contemplation.

No.3

Meanwhile, Alexander Whitmore left Rosewood Manor with purpose.

He immediately summoned his personal assistant, Harrison Caldwell.

"Release the photos," Alexander commanded without hesitation.

Harrison nodded and executed the order precisely.

A flood of Isabella's old photographs instantly flooded the internet.

These images captured her most awkward teenage years.

Junior high Isabella sported outrageous, non-mainstream fashion.

Her hair stood in edgy, spiky formations.

Heavy eye makeup dominated her youthful face.

High school brought a gold-worshipper phase.

No.4

Every outfit shimmered with excessive sparkle and shine.

Her fashion choices were painfully unfashionable.

The photos revealed a perpetually hunched posture.

Helplessness radiated from her plain features.

One particularly damning image showed her crawling on all fours.

She had lost a bet to some society ladies.

The internet erupted within hours.

"ISABELLA MONTGOMERY'S PLASTIC SURGERY EXPOSED" trended nationwide.

"ISABELLA CRAWLING LIKE A DOG" followed closely behind.

Online commentary turned vicious and relentless.

No.5

[No wonder her photoshoots looked so mediocre! Her real face is nothing special!]

[I can't believe how ugly she used to be! Definitely went under the knife!]

[Plastic surgery! Everything about her is fake! I regret ever supporting her!]

[She acts so high and mighty now? Remember when she crawled like a dog?]

[Fake face, fake fashionista persona. What's even real about her?]

[Those leaked photos are her real face? So disgustingly ugly!]

Isabella's carefully built reputation crumbled overnight.

Her fanbase hemorrhaged followers by the thousands.

Chanel's sales plummeted following her endorsement controversy.

Victoria Kensington watched the chaos unfold with pure delight.

No.6

Tomorrow's showdown would be an effortless victory.

With Isabella's reputation in ruins, competition became impossible.

How could Anthony continue favoring such a disgraced woman?

Victoria texted her manager, Isadora Vasquez, immediately.

[Spare no expense. Keep these photos circulating until after the showdown.]

Deep in the night, loud pounding echoed through Rosewood Manor.

Isabella stirred from her troubled sleep.

She had been wrestling with her feelings for Nathaniel.

The relentless knocking pulled her from bed.

She stumbled toward the door in a groggy haze.

No.7

Her agent, Julian Hawthorne, burst inside anxiously.

His face was tight with concern as he took in her disheveled state.

"Another disaster happened while you slept," he announced urgently.

He thrust his smartphone into her hands.