Chapter 148: Chapter 148

Once this speculation emerged, everyone seemed to come to their senses.

"Oh right, isn’t Serena and Julian Lawson a married couple? Then what about that auction... where does Vera fit in?"

"According to prior investigation, Vera was not invited at all; she attended with Julian Lawson as his female companion."

"Yes, I remember there was even a trending topic then. Over the years, Julian had attended such events only a few times, usually with Serena by his side, but this time it was Vera!"

"So what about Irene? Did she go with Jasper Ford or on her own?"

"Here’s where it gets interesting. Based on the investigation, Irene had her own bid card. When it was exposed that Irene had faked a donation, it was shown her bid card had no records – so she was invited."

Suddenly, various discussions online began to snowball. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝙣𝙚𝙩

Countless individuals started reviewing past reports and videos.

"I just noticed something intriguing: Vera didn’t just tag along; look, she wore a gown styled like a wedding dress to the event. What does that mean? Was it a blatant provocation?"

Back then, Vera’s dress with wedding gown design elements became the biggest highlight on her.

"Didn’t Vera claim she’d never be a mistress? Then what’s this all about? Serena isn’t even dead yet."

The online narrative shifted quickly. Earlier, people were criticizing Serena as a woman who remained silent despite her husband frequently being seen with other women for the sake of wealth and money.

Now they were criticizing Vera for her intimate behavior with Julian despite knowing he was married.

"Isn’t there a live broadcast? Vera, hurry up and answer, weren’t you just drawing your funeral invitation? That means you’re watching, respond quickly!"

This comment immediately garnered numerous likes.

Instantly, the pressure shifted to Vera.

At this moment, Vera was no longer visible in the live broadcast.

After previously being secretly recorded, she dared not speak recklessly in backstage areas now.

Thus, she preemptively sat in her sponsored van.

Her only companion right now was her attendant nearby.

"Miss Vera, what should we do now?" The attendant appeared very anxious, "It’s impossible to clear the mess now, who would’ve known Irene was actually Serena, we’re doomed..."

Vera’s face was contorted, and she shot the attendant a sharp glance, silencing her immediately.

On the other side, the recording site was letting eliminated singers take the stage, their voices drifting from afar.

Vera took out her phone and called Connor Goldsmith.

Connor, too, was frantic and answered quickly.

"Miss Vera, what should we do now?" Connor was utterly lost.

There was no option for Irene being Serena in any of their previous plans.

They thought Irene was done for, preparing to amplify the situation and get her universally hated online.

So, now he had no idea how to counteract.

"There is still time."

Vera mustered her courage and said, "Before the live stream ends, I can still use the excuse of not seeing online comments to buy us more time."

"But the situation is escalating, Serena’s people are also influential, continuously amplifying the tag #RealImpudentIsVera#."

Vera closed her eyes, her mind racing, finally, she looked toward Julian Lawson.

On the other side, Julian Lawson was standing somewhere backstage.

He kept gazing toward Serena Sterling’s private resting room.

He was waiting for her to come out.

He must have a serious talk with her.

What replayed in his mind over and over were the matters concerning Irene these past days.

The words of Horace kept echoing in his mind.

"Irene’s physical state in the last few episodes was obvious to anyone with eyes."

Yes, he knew it well.

He had even blamed Jasper Ford.

Blamed him for letting her work when she was so gravely injured.

Her severe injuries were caused by him.

He also remembered the day he was discharged from Aeston First Hospital a couple of days ago.

That morning, he had already recovered, and his assistant was helping with the discharge procedures.

For some reason, he recalled Ethan Lynch’s words.

He wanted to inquire about Serena’s actual condition when she was hospitalized.

With that in mind, he did it.

He went to the front desk, found a nurse, and wanted to check Serena’s medical records.

"Okay, Serena Sterling, right? What’s your relation to her?" the nurse asked while operating the computer.

He subconsciously wanted to answer he was Serena’s husband, but suddenly remembered they had divorced, so they were no longer a couple.

In the end, he merely said, "I’m her friend."

The nurse gave him a strange look, "If you’re a friend, she was hospitalized for so many days, but you didn’t visit? And can’t just ask her directly? Unless you can prove being a family member, we can’t disclose patient privacy at will."

Julian Lawson was left speechless.

Closing his eyes, Julian was filled with complex emotions, feeling everything was falling apart.

Why was Serena Irene?

Serena’s attitude toward him.

And her recent deceit.

All these events seemed to signal something was gradually changing.

Yet, he remained clueless and unable to act.

An indescribable, pressing ache emanated from his heart, rendering him at a loss.

"Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz..."

At that moment, his phone began vibrating.

Julian Lawson glanced at the caller, noticing it was his grandfather.

As he hesitated whether to answer, he spotted Vera standing to the side.

"Brother Julian." Her voice trembled, eyes red and filled with tears.

"What should I do?" Tears trickled down her face, "I didn’t know Irene was her, thinking back on past episodes, I feel... guilty."

Her tears seemed to never cease flowing.

She sobbed miserably, brokenly saying:

"You know, I never intended to hurt her, but given the current situation... Brother Julian, tell me, what can I do to earn her forgiveness?"

Julian Lawson looked at Vera.

He didn’t know how to answer.

"Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz..."

Julian’s phone continued to vibrate; the call from Old Master Lawson kept urging.

Vera’s gaze also shifted to Julian’s phone.

Watching his phone, she continued to cry, "Will you take her home? Brother Julian, will you... leave me?"

At the same time, in Serena’s personal resting room on the other side.

Serena noticed, in a small group chat.

Another new narrative emerged online—

"Judge by original intentions, Vera attending the charity gala was genuinely to promote for sick children, whereas Serena only wanted to snatch things from Vera."