Chapter 11

That evening, Cyrus sat in a shabby motel room scrolling through comments on his phone, gloating.

"Meadow look! So many people support us! People are even tipping me! I've made tens of thousands just now!"

Meadow nestled in his arms, her eyes gleaming with greed. "Cyrus is amazing! When that bitch Vivienne can't take the pressure and comes begging for peace, we'll demand a hundred million from her!"

Bang!

The motel's flimsy wooden door kicked open.

Several black-suited bodyguards filed in and without a word, pinned down the couple still dreaming of riches.

"What are you doing! I'm calling the police! I'm an influencer! I have millions of followers!" Cyrus struggled desperately. His phone clattered to the floor, still on the livestream interface.

Viewers in the livestream only saw the camera shake violently, then a pair of polished black leather shoes appeared in frame.

Sebastian slowly entered.

He toyed with a USB drive in his hand, his gaze looking at them like livestock awaiting slaughter.

"I hear you've been having fun making up stories online?"

His voice wasn't loud but carried bone-deep coldness.

A bodyguard brought in a chair. Sebastian sat down elegantly, crossing his long legs, his presence instantly crushing the cramped little room.

"You... you're Sebastian?" Cyrus swallowed hard, blustering. "What? Guilty conscience? Want to silence me? Let me tell you, the livestream's still running! Millions watching! You dare touch me, just try!"

Sebastian glanced at the phone on the floor, his lips curving in a mocking smile.

"Livestream? Perfect."

He snapped his fingers.

The assistant behind him immediately produced a projector, aiming it at the yellowed wall.

"Since everyone's watching, let's all appreciate Mr. Wilde's 'devoted' moments over these three years."

Sebastian pressed play.

The screen began flickering.The first video was surveillance footage from a bar the night Grandfather was in critical condition.

Cyrus had his arms around Meadow, writhing wildly on the dance floor, spraying champagne, shouting, "The old bastard's finally croaking! Vivienne will be all alone after this, she'll have to depend on me!"

Cheers erupted around him. Where was any sign of an "injured leg"?

The livestream went silent for a second, then the comments exploded.

"Holy shit! This is what he called being injured at the racetrack? He was clubbing!"

"This is so disgusting. Cursing someone's grandfather?"

"And that girl! Didn't she say she was pregnant and weak then? She's dancing harder than anyone!"

The second video was dashcam footage.

Cyrus drove my Ferrari with Meadow in the passenger seat.

Meadow touched her stomach. "Cyrus, my belly... are we really saying Vivienne forced me to abort? I'm not even pregnant. That medical report was fake..."

Cyrus smoked carelessly. "What's there to be afraid of? As long as we cry pathetically enough online, those idiot netizens will believe us. Then we'll extort Vivienne for money and go live it up abroad."

After this video, the livestream completely erupted.

Those netizens who'd been feeling sorry for Cyrus now felt their intelligence had been insulted, their anger instantly maxing out.

"Scammer! It was all an act!"

"That woman is so vicious! Making up lies like that?"

"I actually tipped this scumbag? Refund!"

"Miss Sterling is so pitiful, being entangled with these parasites..."

Watching the images on the wall, Cyrus turned deathly pale, trembling all over.

"No... this isn't real... it's CGI! It's deepfake!" he screamed hysterically at the phone.

Sebastian stood, crushing the phone on the floor with his foot, cutting off the livestream.

But he didn't let the bodyguards release their grip.

He walked to Cyrus, bent down, his deep eyes full of violence.

"Cyrus, I was going to let you live, let you get lost from New York and be done with it."

"But you absolutely should not have used Viv's reputation as fodder."

"The person I treasure so much I can't bear to say a harsh word to. You think you can throw dirt on her?"

Sebastian patted Cyrus's already terrified face, his voice gentle as if telling a bedtime story.

"Defamation, slander, fraud, extortion... these charges combined are enough for you to operate a sewing machine in prison for life."

"Oh, and there's that thirteen million and fifty thousand in debt."

"I'll have the best legal team play with you. Even if you die in prison, I'll squeeze this debt out of your bone fragments."

Finished speaking, he straightened up, wiping his hands with a wet wipe in disgust.

"Take them away. Send them to the police station, hand them to Chief Wang. Tell him... they're a welcome-back gift from Sebastian."

By the time Cyrus and Meadow were dragged away, they didn't even have the strength left to beg for mercy.

They knew this time, it was truly over.

Provoking Vivienne might have left a thread of survival, but provoking Sebastian meant provoking the Grim Reaper himself.

That evening, Sterling Corporation's official account posted just one sentence:

"The real deal returns, the clowns scatter. @Ashford Corporation Welcome home, Mr. Ashford."

The accompanying image showed Sebastian putting the ring on my finger in the car, our hands interlocked with fingers intertwined, the pink diamond on my ring finger sparkling brilliantly in the night.

The internet exploded.

Not just because of this shocking reversal, but because Sebastian's newly registered account instantly replied:

"My moon, finally in my embrace."