Chapter 69

"Mr. Montgomery! Ms. Sterling! We need answers—now!" Donovan Sharpe's voice cut through the chaos, sharp as a blade.

Harrison Montgomery and Vanessa Sterling, locked in a venomous exchange with Evelyn Sinclair, froze at the interruption. The air in the dressing room, already thick with tension, turned electric.

Every eye in the room darted between their phones and the unfolding drama, expressions shifting from shock to thinly veiled amusement. Some bit their lips to stifle laughter; others didn’t bother hiding their smirks. The scent of schadenfreude was unmistakable.

What now? Harrison’s stomach twisted. He’d assumed the scandal would fizzle out—just another baseless rumor his loyal fans would dismiss. But the way people were staring…

"Someone explain," he demanded, voice tight.

Maxwell Thornton, his manager, hesitated before offering his phone, hands shaking. The screen displayed a bombshell revelation: Vanessa, not Natalie Whitaker, had been the mastermind behind the lies.

Before Harrison could react, the projector flickered to life, casting grainy footage across the wall. The room fell silent.

"Can you even afford this, Natalie?" Vanessa’s voice, dripping with condescension, echoed through the speakers.

The footage showed two women—one unmistakably Vanessa, her signature skirt hitched up in that provocative pose she’d flaunted online. The other was Natalie, her frame so frail her clothes hung loose. The only clues to her identity were the black card in her hand and the desperation in her voice as she fumbled for her phone—only to be slapped hard across the face.

"NO!" Vanessa shrieked, her porcelain mask of composure shattering. "Turn it off! Who did this?!" She lunged for the controls, but Julian Blackwood, watching with cold amusement, had already pocketed his phone.

Moments earlier, Evelyn had mused aloud about the poetic justice of a public execution. Julian had merely taken her suggestion to heart.

The footage kept playing—Natalie’s panic, Vanessa’s cruel smirk, the damning exchange of the supplementary card. The room erupted in murmurs.

Harrison’s world tilted. He stared at Vanessa, his voice barely a whisper. "You lied to me?"

Vanessa crumpled. Tears streaked her perfect makeup as she shook her head. "It wasn’t supposed to go this far—I never meant—"

But the truth was undeniable. With a sob, she turned and fled, her entourage scrambling after her. Harrison stood rooted, fists clenched, his golden-boy image crumbling under the weight of his own naivety.

Meanwhile, Maxwell vibrated with nervous energy. Online, the scandal was exploding. Hashtags trended, memes multiplied, and the PR team was drowning. This wasn’t just a tabloid scandal—it was a morality play, and Harrison was the fool who’d bet on the wrong woman.

Preston Whitmore and Donovan Sharpe were already strategizing, desperate to salvage My Acting Skill. The show had marketed itself as Harrison’s redemption arc—helping his former co-star rebuild her career. Now? The internet was roasting them for enabling a liar.

Vanessa had fallen. Harrison was next.

And Evelyn? She merely smiled, sipping her champagne as the dominoes toppled.