Book a step back, putting some distance between herself and Zoe to steer clear of the ongoing controversy.
The reporters who came to their senses scrutinized Zoe.
One of them remarked, âSo, Ms. Harper was pointing fingers, even though she wasnât even a VIP member at AX. Thatâs quite absurd.â
Another chimed in, saying, âShe should have minded her own business.â
A third reporter added, âShe believes she can have a say just because she bought a few pieces from AX.
Look at her, making these bold accusations in front of the CEO, who probably doesnât even know her name. Itâs rather tactless. Sheâs no match for Ms. Alyssa!â
Zoe couldnât help but grumble inwardly about the media. How could they compare her to Alyssa?
Zoeâs mind went blank as she almost blacked out from the anger. That was the greatest humiliation she had endured in her young life.
Alyssa paid no attention to Zoe as she left the scene, chatting merrily with Vincent and Ada.
The reporters flocked after them, leaving Zoe behind. Her face drained of color.
âZoe! T-This is bad!â Betty hurried over and tugged on Zoeâs arm. She hissed nervously, âJasper is here!â
âJ-Jasper? Where?â Feeling guilty, Zoe sweated profusely.
âHe was standing not far away and saw everything that happened! He appeared out of nowhere, like a ghost. I didnât even notice when he arrived or how much of it he saw!â
Zoe inhaled sharply and rigidly turned around. She spotted Jasperâs tall, stern silhouette glaring at her from the shadows.
A suffocating sensation gripped her throat. Her breathing, heart rate, and thoughts seemed to stall.
âJ-Jasper!â
Furrowing his brows, Jasper coldly shook his head and walked away with Xavier following closely behind.
Zoe had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She stumbled backward. Jasperâs gaze seemed like a knife, severing the ties between him and her. a Zoe buried her face in her palms and sobbed loudly in the washroom. Her delicate eye makeup was smudged, and her eyeliner and glitter were everywhere.
She grumbled, âDamn it! Why isnât that bitch dead yet? She shouldâve been run over by a car or something!â
She cried not only because Alyssa outmaneuvered her at the event. More damningly, Jasper caught her in the act of creating trouble for Alyssa. This time, she could not talk her way out of it. 1 âExactly. Why hasnât karma caught up with her?â Betty cursed Alyssa alongside Zoe, but she was secretly gleeful about Zoeâs defeat. (1 âWhy didnât you do anything about it? Not a word from you!â Zoe released her anger on Betty.
âI-I was too dumb to think of anything. Youâve always been the one to come up with ideas. Iâm useless here. If I were smarter, Iâd have handled Alyssa myself,â Betty hurriedly explained.
Between sobs, Zoe hissed, âIs there no news from Abigail yet? Has she not found anything to exploit?
That useless loser!â
âStay calm. She will help us because she hates Alyssa to the bone.â
Right then, Bettyâs phone buzzed. After checking the callerâs name, she grinned evilly and waved her phone at Zoe. âGuess who this is? Itâs a call from Abigail!â
Zoe clenched her jaw. âThis time, I want Alyssa Taylor to crash! I want all her efforts to go to waste!â