Chapter 261 The Price of Fame
Once it hit the internet, it was guaranteed to blow up–and land in the top two trending topics.
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“I honestly thought you were just going to let it slide. Turns out you just didn’t want to waste your money.”
“Ten grand is nothing for someone like me–a top–tier celebrity. The other party knew we weren’t actually connected, so they didn’t dare ask for more. They figured I’d cough up the money to protect my reputation. Thought I was easy to push around. Too bad for them–I don’t play that game.”
“You’re impressive. I really thought you’d just pay up right away and be done with it.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong. Why should I admit to it?”
Soren smiled. “Don’t worry. I blurred your face in the photo. No one’s going to recognize you.”
“Thanks, Soren.”
“That’s all I get? Just ‘thanks“?”
“Hmm… I’ll treat you to dinner next time.”
“Don’t forget you said that,” Soren replied. “And don’t forget about tonight’s dinner party. Even if you’re not attending yourself, make sure to use this opportunity to get Missy some exposure. An opportunity like this doesn’t come around twice.”
“Got it,” Eliza agreed without hesitation.
That evening, Eliza had her assistant book a banquet at the Season Hotel.
She even hired a model with a similar build to hers to attend alongside Soren.
The rumors about Soren grabbing late–night food with his mystery girlfriend crumbled after he posted receipts online–photos, texts, and proof that it was just a casual team dinner. No one gave the story another thought.
Instead, the dinner party for Missy shot straight to the top of the trending list.
Soren Attends Missy Collaboration Banquet
Top Star’s Rumored Girlfriend Just a Short–Term Partner
Coworkers Grabbing Late–Night Food, Paparazzi Got It Wrong
Topic after topic lit up the trending charts.
That same night, Missy’s name broke over a billion searches–an all–time record.
Eliza stared at the trending tags on her phone, and only one thought filled her mind: Missy is about to blow up.
And sure enough, within three days, Missy’s sales had passed ten million.
One of Soren’s wealthy fangirls even bought out an entire store’s worth of makeup in one go.
That afternoon, on the way to campus, Halbert heard Eliza humming in the backseat and raised an eyebrow. “What’s with you? Been in a good mood lately?”
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Chapter 261 The Price of Fame
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Eliza had been glowing the past few days–cating well, sleeping fine, and smiling more than ever. She’d tossed Nolan out of her mind like he never existed, She definitely didn’t look like someone going through at breakup.
“Yeah, I’ve been doing great. What? Does that bother you?”
“Not exactly. I just find it funny that out of everyone, the person happiest about Missy’s rise is you.”
“Cough, cough-“Eliza nearly choked. “What are you talking about? Missy? What does that have to do with me?”
“You seriously don’t know? It’s that insanely popular new makeup brand everyone’s talking about.”
Eliza didn’t even flinch. “Nope. Never heard of it.”
The car pulled up in front of the school gate. As Eliza stepped out, she immediately spotted a familiar figure standing at the entrance of Claire University.
She wore a white dress with lace trim, her long hair flowing down her back. Her eyes were wide and luminous, her face pale but strikingly beautiful.
In that instant, Eliza recognized her. It was the same girl Nolan had been hugging outside the Season Hotel.
And now she’d shown up here.
She was probably looking for Nolan.
Maybe she’d even transferred to this school just to be with her fiancé.
Eliza planned to walk right past her like she hadn’t noticed, but the girl ran up to her the second their eyes
met.
Elaine grabbed Eliza’s arm, desperation all over her face. “Ms. Rivers, I’m not trying to bother you, but… could you please give Nolan back to me?”
She looked frantic–pleading eyes locked onto Eliza like she was her last hope.
Students nearby started gathering to watch, not sure what was going on.
“Sorry, I don’t know you,” Eliza said, pulling her arm away.
But Elaine wouldn’t back off.
She followed Eliza closely, her voice tumbling out in a rush. “Nolan’s cut off all contact. Ms. Rivers, if you know where he is, can you please tell me? We’re engaged. I need him–I can’t lose him. Please, don’t let him walk away from me…”
Halbert, watching from nearby, had seen enough. He gave a quick hand signal to the bodyguards to step in and separate them.
But before anyone even touched her, Elaine collapsed right there on the pavement.
Halbert’s brow furrowed.
One of the guards looked stunned. “Mr. Halbert, I swear–I didn’t even touch her!”
13:52 Tue, 8 Jul
Chapter 261 The Price of Fame
It was an obvious setup.
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“Seeing Elaine on the ground, the crowd immediately felt for her.
After the Naomi scandal—when she turned out to be a total fraud–everyone already believed the Sue family was pushy and ruthless.
And now? From the outside, it looked like they’d just knocked a girl to the ground.
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