mtl008 Chapter 287: Scandal Storm
Chapter 287: Scandal Storm
"The defenses here are pretty good; generally, there won’t be any issues."
Maya Monroe glanced around. With so many valuables stored here, she wondered how much they were worth.
The gift from Monica Jacobs was carefully placed in the center. Maya opened it and looked inside. It was a teddy bear that looked quite expensive. Additionally, there was a box of colored balls that seemed old, probably toys from Monica’s childhood. Maya didn’t expect her to keep them so well.
Maya picked up a colored ball and fiddled with it in her hand. It was soft to the touch and felt quite nice.
There were also a lot of other gifts around, presumably from friends, with all sorts of presents.
"So many gifts..."
At such times, she always felt an inexplicable sense of belonging, as if confirming her existence through the reactions of those around her. However, Maya clearly knew that she wasn’t really part of this world... she didn’t belong here...
Ian Rowe’s gaze stopped on the teddy bear in Maya’s arms, seemingly discovering something new, "Do you really like teddy bears?"
Maya hugged the stuffed toy tighter, "Who doesn’t like something cute?"
His eyes moved slightly, but he said nothing.
*
Kiki Monroe, rubbing her head aching from a hangover, came downstairs, still smelling of alcohol, but she decided not to care.
Lately, she’d been living in a daze, either sleeping at home or drinking, since she was now frozen out. No company dared to risk the ire of Valerius Group to accept and work with her.
Her failure to meet performance targets resulted in hefty penalties every month, which the Monroe Family paid on her behalf.
For reasons unknown, she found herself increasingly using alcohol to numb her nerves, as if it could distance herself from everything. Monica tried to persuade her several times, taking her alcohol away, but Kiki’s coquettishness and tearful pleas ultimately led Monica to half-tolerate her, only allowing her a daily limit.
As soon as she came downstairs, the housekeeper presented her with a hangover soup, her gaze full of pity and concern, "Kiki, how did you end up like this? If Madam saw you, she’d be so heartbroken."
"Heartbroken for me?" Kiki took the soup with a sneer, "She and Jasper certainly aren’t heartbroken for me. I’m their own daughter, yet they treat me like this! All they care about is Maya, even if..."
She didn’t finish her sentence, merely giving a cold snort and changing the subject, "When it comes to me and Maya, they never choose me. To them, there’s only Maya! They just hide their disdain for me being small-minded and uninformed, while pretending to be so concerned about me!"
She laughed with a cruel expression, "Disgusting! Truly disgusting!!"
The housekeeper was at a loss, "Kiki, you’re drunk. Don’t say things like this in front of Madam. Imagine how much it would upset her."
Kiki drank the hangover soup in one gulp. She seemed to regain her calm, her tone indifferent, "Where are the two of them?"
The housekeeper hesitated, "Gone out to get a gift for Maya, I think. They’ve been out for a while, so they should be back soon."
"Hmph——" Kiki turned and went back to her room, slamming the door shut with a deafening sound.
In a fit of anger, Kiki smashed everything on the table to pieces, including something Monica had specially prepared for her, without even blinking.
In the distance, sounds of clattering came from the housekeeper trying to open the door.
Kiki sat on her bed, hands slightly clenched, her gaze calm.
Her eyes suddenly became resolute, exuding a decisive ruthlessness. From her pocket, she took out her phone:
"Hello——"
"This is Kiki Monroe..."
*
It wasn’t until evening that Maya discovered a surprise, another familiar two-meter-tall teddy bear neatly placed on her bedroom bed.
Maya went up to tightly hug it and glanced in Ian’s direction, "Honey, did you move this back from the guest room?"
"You love bears so much, I brought it back so you wouldn’t keep thinking about it." Ian moved the teddy bear to the far side of the room, "Let it stay here. You can cuddle it, but it can’t come between us."
His glance met hers, "Is that alright, Maya?"
Of course, Maya had no objections and nodded repeatedly.
The previously awkward atmosphere vanished, and the two returned to their usual way of interacting, as if nothing had changed, both tacitly avoiding previous topics.
*
No doubt, the hottest topic in June was Maya Monroe. Her starring TV drama, Mirror, gained immense popularity immediately after its release, while the movie she was filming, Solara, garnered great anticipation. Maya broke past rumors of "poor acting" and "Wandering Beyond the Horizon being a one-hit wonder" with her strong capabilities.
Now elevated in status, Maya was always surrounded by people when she went out, everyone eagerly greeting her.
She felt quite proud about this; being revered as a villain required skill.
Flipping through scripts, she was in a cheerful mood.
Suddenly, a phone call came through. It was from Ryan Spencer.
"Hello——" Her voice always carried a lazy undertone, as if indifferent to everything.
"Maya, there’s trouble!"
Maya moved her phone slightly away from her ear, "What’s happened?"
"There’s a rumor about you..."
Maya took Scott’s phone to search, and wow, Weibo had crashed and was inaccessible, so Maya resorted to using a browser instead.
Indeed, there was a scandal about her, involving a rather familiar person—Miles Wallace.
Miles, occupying the highest tier for years, had an insanely massive, frenzied fan base, so it was no wonder Weibo had crashed.
Maya looked closely; a few staged photos had been leaked, clearly the work of a gossip marketing account. There were also some far-fetched speculations stating how much attention Miles was giving her, never missing her work promotions or birthdays, the only actress he followed...
Maya browsed a few pages further, finding even more ridiculous claims: "Do people actually believe this bizarre stuff?"
Maya couldn’t remember having any special interactions with Miles. They were, at most, acquaintances who nodded in greeting when they met.
Ryan’s voice came through, "The more famous you are, the more gossip there is. People will always speculate and fabricate. After your shoot, let the bodyguards lead you through a less crowded path; today’s fanatics are really crazy. We’re already working on suppressing the trending search, so don’t worry. Just be cautious with the media; avoid them as much as possible, and if you run into them, be careful with your words."
"Alright." Her voice remained laced with laziness.
After hanging up with Ryan, a message notification popped up.
It was from Miles Wallace—