Chapter 3
Lillian quickly traced the anonymous account back to me. She started spreading rumors about me like wildfire, pulling every string she could.
She called me the biggest gossip and a scheming bitch, claiming I was just leaking company secrets to get ahead.
I didn't defend myself.
I even deliberately shared a few juicy, half-true rumors about the elite in my gossip group, including one about Yarden's competitor.
That cemented my image as a gossip queen for good. Even Yarden's gaze was full of wariness now.
At the Falkner family's annual charity party, Yarden brought me along, his face stormy.
Lillian showed up as the date of Henry Whitmore, a major business partner of the Falkner family, making a grand entrance.
She wore a pure white evening gown, like a blooming white rose, except the way she looked at me was full of poison, shooting daggers as if she'd devour me alive if she got the chance.
In the restroom, she cornered me.
She had piled on the makeup tonight, and her gaze was downright toxic.
"Natalie, after tonight, I'll make sure you're ruined. You'll be thrown out of the Falkner family," she hissed, her voice laced with malice.
I quietly started recording on my phone, my body shaking and my voice quivering with fear.
"Lillian, please don't do this to me. I'm really scared," I pleaded.
As the party hit its climax, Lillian suddenly yanked herself free from Henry's arm, marched up to the stage, and grabbed the microphone right out of the host's hands.
"Everyone," Lillian shouted, her voice shaking with drama.
She pointed straight at me, tears pouring down her face, as if I were the worst kind of criminal.
"I'm here to expose Natalie, Ms. Falkner. She's been leaking Falkner Group's secrets for ages, and she's been cheating on Yarden again and again, making him a laughingstock," she added.
The whole room erupted in an uproar. All eyes turned on me at once, sharp as blades, cutting right through me.
Lillian waved to the crowd, and two sleazy guys swaggered up onto the stage.
"These are Natalie's side guys," Lillian yelled.
The two men flashed some doctored chat logs and a bunch of blurry bedroom pics. The woman in the photos looked a lot like me, at least at first glance.
"Ms. Falkner is really generous with her money. We've both spent plenty of nights with her," one of them said with a smirk.
The other guy winked and chimed in, "She's way more uninhibited in bed than she pretends to be."
The guests started whispering and pointing at me, all sorts of nasty gossip and dirty talk hitting my ears.
I glanced at Yarden. His face was dark as thunder, his glare icy and overflowing with suspicion and disgust.
He spat out, "Natalie, seriously, you disgust me."
My heart sank.
I went weak and collapsed onto the floor, my tears poured down, completely heartbroken.
"Lillian, we were like sisters. Why would you do this to me? Why drag my name through the mud? What did I ever do to deserve this?" I cried.
I turned to Yarden, pleading through my tears. "Yarden, I wrecked my health just to save you. How could you ever think I'd cheat on you? How could you not believe me?"
My display was so genuine and full of emotion that it won over a lot of sympathy. Some of the uninformed socialites started murmuring among themselves, saying Lillian was really crossing the line.
Seeing me still desperately struggling, Lillian laughed even more maniacally.
She looked down at me from the stage, announcing into the mic with a superior air. "Don't let her fool you. She's a master at faking it.
"I've got even more explosive evidence, proof she can't possibly deny."