Chapter 4

The livestream came back online in no time.

Just as I was waiting for the host to speak, Yvette suddenly cut in, "Hey, Diana, are you really not going to say anything about you and Mr. Garrison?"

I smiled, "Say anything? Of course I will. Not only will I set the record straight about who I am, but I'll also make sure you answer for spreading those rumors."

Yvette's eyes turned red as she said, "Diana, do you really want me to drop the truth bomb on you before you're happy?"

"Oh? What? Did you find some compromising photos of Mr. Garrison and me in bed or something?" I shot back.

Yvette gritted her teeth. "Diana, you brought this on yourself."

With that, the host directed everyone's attention to the big screen.

Right there on the screen was a clear shot from the security camera, showing Julian was driving me past the Floralin Hotel.

[Holy crap. That really is Mr. Garrison and Diana. Out by a hotel this late at night? Say no more, we all get it.]

"Diana, what do you have to say for yourself now?" Yvette pressed.

I smiled, "Is that all? Just a photo?"

Yvette looked stunned.

I stared right at her. "Yes, I know Mr. Garrison. And? What does that even prove?"

Some unusual comments started floating across the screen.

[Honestly, watching all this, the way people are reacting is kind of scary. There's no real evidence, but everyone's acting as if they've already seen their sex tape. Can the netizen ever chill out?]

[Actually, I've been wanting to say this. Yvette started talking about that video with nothing to back it up. Feels like she's stirring things up on purpose.]

[Yeah, I could claim I saw a video of Yvette, too, but I can't find it now. Isn't it the same thing?]

Seeing the tide of public opinion was starting to turn, Yvette started to panic.

I looked at her with a relaxed gaze. "What? You got more evidence? Did you break into the Garrison residence and install cameras?"

Yvette gritted her teeth. "No need for all that trouble."

The next second, the screen displayed a video of Julian and me. Everything except our faces was pixelated. A wave of filthy, explicit noises filled the air. What sent a chill down my spine was that these were all my sounds.

[Oh my God, what is all this?]

[Wow, it's actually true. Where are all those people who said Yvette was making it up? Come on, trolls, speak up now.]

[Oh my god, Diana is really shameless.]

The video was covered in heavy pixelation, only showing my face and Julian's every now and then. It was a total scam.

I glared at Yvette, my eyes icy. "So, you weren't just making a phone call earlier. You were also busy using AI to deepfake Julian and me into that video."

The host looked visibly annoyed. "Ms. Ward, take responsibility for your actions. You can't just blame everything on AI. And honestly, Yvette was trying to save your dignity, but you kept pushing and wouldn't let it go."

[See? You wanted receipts, and now you got them. This is killing me.]

[The entertainment scene is doomed. It's either prostitutes or male escorts these days.]

[Nonsense. Yvette is totally innocent.]

Yvette wiped the corners of her eyes. "Diana, you forced my hand. If I hadn't posted that video, you would've just kept slandering me and gone even harder. I did give you a chance to clear things up."

Watching the deep-faked video with my face and voice, I felt nothing but contempt.

I shot a cold look at Yvette, who was still playing the victim, and the host, who was just watching the spectacle unfold from the sidelines.

I'd finally run out of patience. I stood up and walked out.

"Diana, where are you going?" Yvette called out and tried to pull me back.

"Diana, wait—" Even after I pushed her away, she still wouldn't give up. She went straight for my collar, trying to yank me back. With a rough yank, most of my shoulder was suddenly bared.

"How dare you?" I snapped and slapped her hard across the face.

The next second, she clutched her face and started crying. "Xander, it hurts so much."

Xander was here?

Just as I was about to turn around, I heard a voice I knew all too well. "Hold her down."

Before I could even turn, Xander's bodyguards grabbed me from behind and pinned me to the floor.

My knee smashed into the ground, pain flaring up as it started swelling right away.

"Damn, you must have a death wish, messing with the future Mrs. Garrison," one of the bodyguards snarled.

They yanked me around so my face was fully visible to them.

"Mrs. Garrison?" one of them gasped, completely shocked.

Their grip on me loosened instantly.

Xander had his back to me, cradling Yvette and fussing over her. "Is your face swelling up? Does it hurt? I'm sorry. I should've taken better care of you."

"Mr. Garrison," Yvette whimpered.

"Enough. Can't you see I'm busy here?" Xander barked.

"M-Mr. Garrison, it's..." one of the bodyguards stammered.

"What?" Xander turned around, impatient.

I was being held up by the bodyguards, my expression icy as I stared Xander down.

In that instant, he froze, his breath catching. "Mom?"