Chapter 105

"For Sebastian's plan to succeed, Isabelle must be willing to take the fall," Julian analyzed coolly.

Evelyn arched a brow. "If this were the old Isabelle, sacrificing herself for her artists wouldn’t be a big deal. Managers and their stars are a package deal—as long as the artist stays marketable, the money keeps flowing. But now…"

Genevieve sighed. "It’s insane that Sebastian would dare pull this stunt, given how strained things are between them."

Margaret scoffed. "That arrogant fool is too confident, thinking Isabelle wouldn’t dare ruin him."

Sophia blinked in disbelief. "He can’t seriously believe Isabelle still has feelings for him, right?"

Nathan and Julian exchanged glances, both thinking Sebastian couldn’t possibly be that delusional.

Marcus returned, and the entire Blackwood family turned to him with expectant stares.

He smirked. "Relax, we don’t need to lift a finger!"

"What about call logs or DMs? Anything we can leak?" Genevieve asked eagerly.

Marcus shook his head. "That’s a kamikaze move—like burning the enemy’s house down while standing in the flames. Isabelle would never recover from that kind of blow."

The Blackwoods, mere spectators in this drama, frowned in confusion.

Marcus leaned in. "Think about it. All the rumors are just hearsay. Team Alpha hasn’t said a word publicly. If Isabelle suddenly drops receipts, shifting all blame onto them, it’s outright betrayal. Rational fans will see the truth. The irrational ones?"

Understanding dawned on their faces.

Rational fans would remember—who picked the script? Why was Isabelle thrown under the bus?

Irrational fans? They’d spiral into conspiracy theories.

They wouldn’t blame Sebastian for orchestrating this. No, they’d believe he was innocent, that Isabelle had betrayed him instead of protecting him.

Marcus smirked. "And worst of all? Her reputation in the industry would be shredded. No one would work with her unless she quits—and she’s not that reckless."

Just as Marcus prepared to elaborate, the family’s expressions shifted. They’d already lost interest.

Marcus: "…?"

Evelyn, having already seen Isabelle’s next move through the Gossip System, was already scrolling Twitter, grinning like a cat with cream.

The fallout was glorious.

Fans who’d dragged Isabelle were now eating their words.

The setup was simple—a leaked photo of Sebastian and Seraphina full-on making out.

The image had circulated before but was dismissed as poor-quality Photoshop.

All Isabelle had to do? Amplify its reach with a savage caption:

"Sebastian didn’t look forced at all. In fact, he was practicing very earnestly backstage."

Evelyn snorted. Queen of clapbacks.

The Blackwoods had seen the photo earlier, but paired with that caption? They were struggling not to cackle.

A gossip account picked it up instantly.

By the time Team Alpha took the stage for the final segment, Sebastian and his crew looked smug, convinced their smear campaign had worked.

Nathan and Evelyn kept straight faces during the interview, discussing acting techniques and scripts with practiced ease.

Meanwhile, Team Alpha subtly trashed their own script while praising Team Elite’s.

Evelyn and Nathan coughed violently, faces turning red.

Team Alpha probably mistook their reaction for shock at their "generosity."

Reality? They were dying of laughter.

Twitter Explosion:

Netizen 1: "Rehearsal? ON THE ROOF? Sure, Jan."

Netizen 2: "That wasn’t a kiss—that was a full-on soul exchange. If that’s ‘forced,’ I’ll eat my phone."

Netizen 3: "Sebastian stans, explain this: Even if Isabelle controlled him, how’d she force Seraphina and Adrian into this mess? Y’all look dumb."

Netizen 4: "A man who blames his manager for his own failures? Trash. Unfollowed."

Diehard Fan: "FAKE NEWS! This is Team Elite’s plot to ruin Sebastian!"

Netizen 5: "So… he didn’t cheat with his co-star’s girlfriend? Cool story."

Diehard Fan: "I TRUST HIM! This is Evelyn and Nathan’s fault! They poisoned him!"

By the time both teams returned backstage, the staff had tripled—all there for the drama.

Evelyn and Nathan exchanged glances.

This was going to be fun.