Chapter 127

The rebroadcast of “Ghostly Guidance” was no secret to Drake, but he wasn’t glued to the live stream.

The ruckus from yesterday’s Naylor incident was so big that Drake had his assistant keep an eye on the broadcast.

Though neither admitted it, with the engagement hanging over their heads, and considering his “fiancée” had a knack for stirring up trouble, Drake felt it was his duty to keep a watchful eye.

Once he’d delegated the task, he put it out of his mind.

What he didn’t expect was for trouble to brew again barely half an hour into the show.

Winnie was trending for her icy treatment of her foster family.

Drake frowned involuntarily.

After that last dinner party, the Hendersons‘ reputation amongst the elite was hardly a secret. but the online world was clueless.

Just a glance at the online vitriol, and Drake felt a wave of distaste.

Only fools, after all, let themselves get riled up by a few idle comments.

That’s when he saw the screen light up with a dazzling animation of donations.

Horace had shown up with his real name, accompanied by the animated effects and a message in the chat.

In that moment. Drake felt compelled to show some support for her. Especially since her cousin and friends seemed to be rallying around.

As her “fiancé,” it wouldn’t do to stand idly by.

So he had his assistant set up an account for him, and then he joined in the gifting..

“Ghostly Guidance” had a unique setup for each guest, with separate streaming rooms, although viewers preferred the main room when the guests were fogether..

The Bryants‘ and Drake’s donations, while made in the main room, actually went to the individual streams.

The orderly queue of donations was unmistakable, and no fan would dare claim it for their idol.

The sight of a million–dollar gift made everyone a bit envious.

“The Hendersons, it seemed, were no small fry, and Winnie, even if not raised by her biological family, must have had it easy.”

“But now that she carried the Bryant name, it looked like she’d been acknowledged by her blood relatives.”

11:31 “Yet, where did the Bryant clan come from?”

“Their generosity was certainly extraordinary.”

Only the viewers in Mervin’s stream felt sour.

“This “Caretaker of Breeze Monastery” should be Mervin’s master, right? Why donate to Winnie Instead of our Mervin? Oh no, our Mervin is so pitiable.”

“What’s the relationship between Winnie and the Caretaker of Breeze Monastery? Mervin didn’t even get a dollar, and she gets a hundred thousand?”

Mervin’s fans felt indignant and began to complain about the master’s favoritism.

Then, a chat message popped up: “Thank you Caretaker of Breeze Monastery for sending a single red rose to host Ghostly Guidance Mervin.”

In what seemed to be a response to the previous chat messages, it was worth exactly one dollar.

Mervin’s fans were speechless, and even more sympathetic towards their Mervin.

Meanwhile, due to Drake’s real–name appearance, a few wealthy kids watching were stunned and quickly shared it in their private group chats.

The screenshot was of that very donation message.

“Are my eyes deceiving me? Is that really Drake? It’s not a common name, right?”

“Mr. Patterson’s name isn’t like any common Joe on the street; even in the online world, who would dare misuse his name?”

“I’m in the stream too! I saw Horace’s message, it’s kind of touching, Horace is so warm!”

“So that really is Mr. Patterson, right? After all, he and Horace are good friends.”

“Impossible! How could that man be watching a stream?! Such things would only sully his eyes. “What are you all talking about? What’s this about Drake?”

“I don’t care much for this Winnie, but I like the Hendersons even less.”

“Did Mrs. Henderson forget what she said that night at the dinner party?”

“Waiting to see her crash and burn on the show.

Didn’t Winnie just ask on the show if Mrs. Henderson wanted to taste the feeling of being forced to tell the truth again? What that mean?”

“I’m telling you, she’s got some mad skills!

“What in the world are you all talking about? Someone explain, please!”

The clueless rich kids in the group were going crazy, with kind souls promptly sharing the live stream link.

Those in the group unaware of the situation were among the first to tune in.

Simultaneously, as the million–dollar donation spectacle was Viewers from other streams also followed the digital trail over.

Within minutes, the live stream’s viewer count hit a new record high.

Bagot watched the numbers with a look as complex as a Shakespearean tragedy.

But he knew more than the average viewer, and he wasn’t too surprised by the massive donation to Winnie.

If there was a surprise, it was that he’d clearly underestimated how much the valued Winnie.

Bryant family With several Bryants making their presence felt, he couldn’t just sit back and watch.

“Get the team to take action. Let’s clean up the comments against Winnie and steer the conversation in the chat,” Bagot commanded.

Once he spoke, the operators got the message, and the chaotic chat in the stream was quickly moderated.

Then came a flood of comments speculating on the truth.

Given Winnie’s previous statement and the Hendersons‘ obviously guilty reactions, the situation was clearly not as simple as it seemed.

With these comments guiding the narrative, the viewers who had been riled up by Suzan’s provocation started to think a little more clearly.

The same question nagged at the back of everyone’s minds, unspoken yet loud in its silence.

What did she mean by tasting the feeling of being forced to tell the truth again?

The commotion in the live stream didn’t even cause a ripple among the show’s crew, focused as they were on their own tasks. After all, apart from the directors, the guests couldn’t see the chat or the comments streaming in.

Winnie was oblivious to the vitriol aimed at her in the chat, just as she was to the lavish displays of support from the Bryant family and someone named Drake Hector.

After giving her warning, she watched as Suzan and Kathryn reined in their instincts to clear their names in front of the cameras.

She didn’t care about public opinion. Nor did she have any intention of airing her private life for the internet to judge right from wrong.

Despite her distaste for the Hendersons‘ antics, she remembered the show must go on.

“I’ve said it before, the issues with the Hendersons start with Kathryn, and that’s beyond my control,” Winnie declared, not bothering to glance at Suzan and Kathryn’s changing expressions. She then turned her attention to Quincy, her tone shifting ever so slightly. “However, the problems Mr. Henderson is facing? I might just have a suggestion for those.”

Quincy’s face was a study in contrasts, joy at the prospect of her offer to help with his current predicament, yet tinged with discontent and frustration at her cold, distant reference to him as “Mr. Henderson.”