Chapter 173

At the Bryant Manor.

Spencer jolted awake, his eyes snapping open to find the clock nearing nine in the morning.

“Damn it! I'm late for Winnie’s last stream!”

He lunged for his phone, intent on catching the tail end of his sister’s live broadcast.

But before he could open the stream, his phone buzzed with a flurry of notifications.

“Winnie’s Late-Night Sugar Daddy”

“Winnie — A Kept Woman”

He could understand each word on its own, but strung together like this, they made no sense at all.

Who? Kept by whom? They were talking about Winnie??

His eyes widened in shock, and he immediately tapped into the trending news to piece together what had happened. Once he got the gist, Spencer was fuming.

Without a second thought, he dialed Cutler’s number.

“Cutler, you’ve gone too far this time! Are you seriously spreading rumors about Winnie again?”

And this time, accusing her of being financed by a wealthy old guy! Where's the decency?! What about the Bryant family’s reputation?

On the other end, Cutler had just arrived at the satellite office, in a foul mood, and Spencer’s call only darkened his scowl.

He’d only done it once! And now, every bit of dirt flung at Winnie seemed to land on him!! And why the hell would he smear her with this?

Spencer really was brainless!

Too irked to waste words on his dimwitted little brother, Cutler hung up the phone. But he still felt peeved, so he dialed his assistant instead.

“Look into this! Who's behind the smear campaign against Winnie today?! | want names within the hour! Find the evidence and leak it. | want everyone to see who's really playing dirty!”

Tired of being implicated, Cutler was determined to show what was going on behind the scenes.

Once he threw the evidence in Spencer’s face, he wanted that little brat to get on his knees and beg for forgiveness!

Meanwhile, Spencer had no idea the storm his phone call had stirred up. After seeing all the negative speculations about Winnie online, he didn’t even bother to freshen up before grabbing his phone to unleash a tirade of fury.

Especially against those who dared to slander Winnie in the comment section, he typed out rapid-fire retorts.

He wasn’t just venting alone; he threw a glant virtual tip into his buddies‘ group chat, rallying everyone to join his cause.

Before long, both Winnie’s and the top ten comment sections were dominated by Spencer and his friends, with Spencer leading the charge.

Some recognized him as Winnie’s die-hard fan. And it looked like he was fiercely loyal.

Soon enough, someone latched onto this “defender” and started digging into his online persona.

Following Spencer’s social media account, they discovered he had nearly ten thousand followers, making him a somewhat influential presence.

His posts were full of brand-name sneakers, villa selfies, exotic travel photos, and even screenshots of expensive in-game purchases — the epitome of a wealthy young heir.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out his account was mutually followed by Winnie, suggesting at least an acquaintance.

The trolls online quickly found a new angle to attack.

“Winnie sure was something, having a wealthy young heir on her side from the get-go, not to mention the previous collective gifting of the “Starry Sky” by her rich supporters.”

“So that’s why there were so many big shots showering her with donations right from the start-turns out she’s been seducing rich guys at such a young age.”

Spencer hadn't anticipated that these people would twist his support into an attack on Winnie. Enraged and forgetting Abdul's warning to keep a low profile, he scrolled through his phone for a photo. He found one where he’d intentionally captured Winnie feeding a fox in the background-his only “joint photo” with her.

Spencer posted it immediately, captioning: “She’s my sister. Got a problem? Let's settle it!”

Several of Winnie’s high-profile friends chimed in, praising her beauty in the comments.

Spencer's post instantly silenced the trolls, and Winnie's fans, thrilled by the discovery, pushed the photo and post to the top of the trending searches.

People began to realize that Winnie's claim of coming from a slightly better—off family than Mae might actually be true.

“Known fact: if Spencer was a young heir, what did that make Winnie?”

“Certainly, another wealthy heir!”

But they would soon learn they had underestimated the situation.

13-11 As Spencer's selfie post gained traction, both The Bright Group and Starfall Entertainment issued statements simultaneously:

“In response to today’s slanderous and false allegations against our CEO's daughter and contracted artist, Winnie, our legal team has begun gathering evidence. We will pursue legal action against individuals who have defamed Ms. Bryant.”

Those who had doubted Winnie’s word were metaphorically slapped in the face.

While not everyone might recognize the name Winnie, The Bright Group was almost universally known-a corporation ranking within the nation’s top ten.

With the CEO’s personal assets exceeding billions, the company’s wealth was even more impressive. And Winnie was the cherished daughter of the Bryant family!

This wasn’t just run-of-the-mill rich. This was wealth on a whole different level.

In that moment, the online community understood.

They understood why a wealthy family like the Hendersons would stoop to stealing someone else’s child; why Winnie could command millions in live broadcast donations in minutes; why a powerhouse like Starfall Entertainment would sign a nobody...

As for the talk of a wealthy old man? Ha! With her family’s status and her own merits, did she need anybody to support her financially?

Bagot had an uneasy feeling the moment he heard about Winnie and Mae’s face-off, especially harboring resentment toward Mae.

On the final day, which was supposed to be a smooth sail with a live interaction with the audience, no one could fathom why Mae would stir the pot.

Was she out of her mind?

While trying to keep the show's host in control of the situation, primarily to shut Mae up, he also had someone keep an eye on the online chatter and steer it in the right direction.

But as soon as the Bright Group and Starfall Entertainment both released statements, he knew Mae had really stepped in it this time.

Before he could even respond during the live broadcast, another trending topic rocketed to the top of the charts, and this time it was about Mae hiring trolls for a smear campaign.

The evidence was posted by an influencer just minutes ago, not only revealing Mae sending paparazzi shots to the trolls but also discussing how to rhythmically trash Winnie, complete with a screenshot of a bank transfer.

The proof of Mae’s scheme was undeniable.

Bagot was at a loss for words when he saw the evidence. Even the fans who had been defending Mae online, claiming she had learned from her past mistakes, fell silent. After their silence, they quietly unfollowed her.

They could tolerate some character flaws in their idol, but this was too much...

The internet couldn’t wrap its head around Mae’s actions.

“What beef could she possibly have with Winnie?”

“Especially since Winnie had just helped her escape a dire fate.”

“Surely she couldn’t be burning bridges after crossing to safety?”

“No, this wasn’t just burning bridges; this was dismantling the bridge and then pushing someone into the river — and then stomping on them for good measure.”

As Bagot watched the bewildered reactions from both the live audience and the online community, he ran his fingers through his thinning hair and then directed instructions to the show's host through his earpiece, “Send Mae back to her room. We won't be needing her for today’s recording.”

And she wouldn't be needed for the next episode either. Her career was toast.