\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tonight was the showcase Adrian had put together for my comeback. A huge poster of me hung outside the\u00a0<\/p>\n
concert hall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat backstage in the white gown Adrian had commissioned for me. In the mirror, I looked both strange and\u00a0<\/p>\n
familiar. My hands hadn\u2019t completely healed, but I could play without much pain now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian came in and handed me a glass of water. He looked at me gently. \u201cAre you ready?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded, and smiled at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The recital went well. The applause was thunderous, a roar that seemed to shake the walls. I stood at the\u00a0<\/p>\n
center of the stage, letting the applause wash over me, applause I hadn\u2019t heard in months. I\u2019d earned this. Every second of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment I stepped offstage, reporters ambushed me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Carter, did you really fake your mother\u2019s death for money?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it true you only got close to Julian to steal from his family?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have proof you\u2019re a fraud. What do you have to say?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Questions hit from every direction. I couldn\u2019t move. I couldn\u2019t think. Camera flashes popped in my eyes until I couldn\u2019t see straight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then the doors at the back banged open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian walked in with Vivian hooked on his arm and a line of bodyguards behind them. He made a beeline for me, eyes like stone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had the fake evidence in his hand, and he threw it in my face. The hard corner of the file grazed my cheek, leaving a stinging red mark.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long are you going to keep this act up, Lily?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stood over me. \u201cI didn\u2019t think anyone could be this shameless. You like money, don\u2019t you? Here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He pulled out a thick wad of cash and flung it at my head. The heat of humiliation burned through me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivian pressed into Julian, eyes welling. Her voice went soft and sweet. \u201cLily, how could you? After everything Julian did for you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The reporters closed in, cameras trained on me. Every flash caught me at my lowest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A voice cut through the noise. \u201cThink twice before you start throwing accusations, Mr. Sterling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian stepped onto the stage, shielding me from the cameras. He scanned the room. He didn\u2019t fumble with wires; he simply signaled the control booth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
70.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
The massive backdrop screen behind us flickered to life. A grainy video feed flashed onto the screen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
High-definition security footage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivian was handing a thick envelope to a man.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood work. Here\u2019s the rest of it. Remember, stick to the script. As far as Julian knows, Lily orchestrated the\u00a0<\/p>\n
whole thing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The video cut. Then came the documents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom\u2019s death certificate verifying the date. Her cremation records. Bank transfers from Vivian to a hacker,\u00a0<\/p>\n
with amounts and timestamps.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A signed confession from the cousin she\u2019d paid off, laying out exactly how she\u2019d bought his lies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was all there. Undeniable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room erupted. Every camera swung to Vivian. The color drained from her face. She looked like she\u00a0<\/p>\n
might pass out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She grabbed Julian\u2019s arm, words tumbling out. \u201cNo! Julian, that\u2019s not what happened! You have to listen! She\u00a0<\/p>\n
set me up! This is all Lily\u2019s doing!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian went still. He stared at the screen, then down at Vivian clinging to his arm. Something in his face\u00a0<\/p>\n
shifted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian\u2019s gaze was cold, almost pitying. \u201cYou only see what you want, Mr. Sterling. You were so desperate to\u00a0<\/p>\n
paint her as the villain, you never stopped to look at the woman standing right next to you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He took my hand and walked me out, while everyone watched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian just stood there, watching us go. He wanted to go after us, but he couldn\u2019t make himself move. He\u00a0<\/p>\n
turned to Vivian. She\u2019d never seen him look at her like that, like she was something distinct from the dirt on\u00a0<\/p>\n
his shoe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
70.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
The Blackened Odds by Mark Twain 7 \u00a0 Chapter 7\u00a0 Tonight was the showcase Adrian had put together for my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-broken-heart"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20213\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}