Chapter 194

Chapter 194:

Sadie paused, touched by Beccy’s earnestness but wary. “I’m sorry, I don’t take students.”

Beccy, a bit taken aback, quickly recovered. “I’ll keep striving!”

Suddenly, photographers swarmed, their cameras flashing, capturing the exchange. Once the media had moved on, Sadie declined the staff’s invitation to linger and exited the bustling venue by herself.

As she stepped outside, a cool evening breeze hinted at the coming autumn, prompting her to wrap her coat more snugly around herself. Having not seen Alex for several days, she contemplated calling him but then hesitated, wondering if he might be too busy, and ultimately decided not to.

Fatigue crept up on her as she massaged her temples. Pulling out her phone, she glanced at the time. It was already time to fetch Averi from school.

At the entrance of the kindergarten, the air buzzed with the lively chatter of children.

Upon seeing Sadie, Averi dashed towards her with glee, leaping into her embrace. “Mom!”

Sadie crouched down, picked Averi up, and kissed his cheek gently. “How was your day at kindergarten?”

Averi swelled with pride and responded, “Fantastic! My teacher told me my drawing has improved!” Sadie’s face lit up with a tender smile.

Together, they strolled back to their home, hand in hand. After they finished eating, Sadie spent some time playing games with Averi before reading him a bedtime story. Listening to Sadie’s calming voice, Averi slowly drifted off to sleep. She gently tucked him in and left a kiss on his forehead. After turning off the light, she quietly left the room.

The night had deepened, and silence blanketed the world beyond the window. The sharp ring of the phone abruptly woke Sadie the following morning. Her phone on the nightstand showed “Tina” on the display.

She wiped her sleepy eyes and picked up.

Fresh updates now on gⱯlnσνe𝓁s․com

“Sadie, are you aware of the latest headlines?”

“What headlines?”

“About you and Beccy! Photos of you receiving her gift have surfaced, sparking rumors online that you favored her unfairly!” Alertness replaced Sadie’s sleepiness in an instant.

A gift from Beccy? Accusations of favoritism?

She leapt out of bed, her feet hitting the cold floor, and strode to the window to yank back the curtains. The bright morning sun was piercing, yet it paled in comparison to the turmoil brewing within her.

A heavy feeling settled in Sadie’s chest as she realized the implications. “I’m on it now.”

Ending the call, Sadie quickly grabbed her phone to check the headlines. The hashtag #SadieHudson&BeccyQuimby dominated the trending topics.

She clicked on the link, and her screen filled with articles and the incriminating photo of her receiving the gift from Beccy. The photo was taken from a manipulative angle, implying a secretive exchange. The comment section was a turmoil of speculation and condemnation.

“I knew it looked too perfect! How else could Beccy’s design have stood out so much?”

“What did Sadie get for this? She’s too audacious!”

“I thought Sadie was above this, but she’s just like any other compromised designer!”

Sadie browsed the comments with a sinking heart and a hardening expression. She exited the news app and dialed her assistant.

“Pierre, we need to get to the bottom of this. Find the source of those photos. Someone’s orchestrating this chaos.”

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