I frowned at Dr. Evans as she handed me the phone with Richard Sinclair's name on the screen. Taking a deep breath, I answered.

"Hello."

"Audrey!" Richard's voice oozed fake warmth. "Yesterday was Victoria's birthday. She took some vacation days to travel abroad, but after hearing about your divorce from Mr. Parker, she was worried about you. She canceled her trip and decided to come to New York to keep you company instead."

I couldn't help but laugh coldly. I clearly remembered Victoria's messages about wanting to pursue Blake. Her sudden trip to New York had nothing to do with comforting me.

"She's already on her way," Richard continued. "She'll arrive in about three hours. I'll send you her flight details, so make sure you pick her up!Victoria isn't used to hardship. Book her a luxury hotel - we wouldn't feel comfortable with anything less!"

"If you're so concerned, why don't you come with her?" I asked. "Or better yet,book the hotel yourself?"

I thought about my relationship with Victoria. Though supposedly sisters,we'd only met a few times over the years, barely better than strangers.

Why waste what little energy I had left catering to someone who had no blood connection to me whatsoever?

Richard's voice turned cold. "What kind of talk is that? Victoria is your

sister! Taking care of her should be automatic! Besides, you couldn't stand up to that Laurel Rose and got divorced. Your sister is worried and coming to comfort you. Looking after her is the least you can do!"

"Is she really coming to comfort me," I asked, "or is she coming to gloat and try to hook up with Blake Parker?"

"How dare you!" Richard snapped. "Victoria even packed your favorite desserts, and this is how you think of her? How could you be so inconsiderate?"

I closed my eyes, my voice turning to ice. "Then consider yourself without a daughter. I'm not feeling well and don't want to argue. Victoria can come to New York if she wants, but I won't meet her, won't pick her up,and certainly won't book her a luxury hotel. If you're so worried,come take care of her yourselves."

I hung up despite Richard's angry shouting.

Dr. Evans staredat me, her expression shocked after witnessing the call."Is that really your family?"

"Biologically speaking, yes," I replied with a wry smile. "That's why I said they wouldn't even collect my body if I died."

She sighed, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Don't talk like that.You might not die after all. The client sharing your medical records has already assembled a team of top gastric cancer specialists from around the world. They'll be coming to New York soon for a consultation."

When Dr. Evans mentioned this mysterious client, my curiosity piqued.Anyone who could assemble a global team of cancer specialists must be incredibly influential, at least on par with Blake.

"May I ask..." I looked up at Dr. Evans. "What position does this client's boyfriend hold?"

Dr. Evans stiffened, her expression troubled as silence stretched between us.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked," I said, offering a small smile.

"It's alright," she replied with an awkward laugh. "If you're really curious about the client and her boyfriend... once you're cured, I'll arrange for you to meet them."

I thanked her and cooperated as she performed her examinations. Only after confirming my injuries were superficial did she leave, closing the door behind her.

Alone in my hospital room, I checked my phone. As Blake had mentioned,someone had reposted the evidence that Ethan Davies had deleted yesterday about Laurel Rose's smear campaign against me. The entire internet was condemning Laurel.

People criticized how unreasonable she was - despite already having Blake Parker, she was still determined to completely destroy an ordinary person like me.

Someone even released evidence of Laurel bullying female classmates in high school, proving this had always been her character.

The attacks gradually expanded from her love life to her work and personal life.

News about Laurel's poor acting skills, lip-syncing dluring performances.plastic surgeries, stepping on former friends to advance her career during her three years abroad, and sabotaging newcomers - one by one, these topics climbed the trending search rankings

I raised an eyebrow as I watched the explosion of posts online. No wonder Blake wanted me to clarify things - the pressure from public opinion had clearly become too intense for him to handle.

My phone rang, and Astrid's name flashed on the screen.

"Audrey!" she exclaimed as soon as I answered. "You seen what's happening online? This is karma! Laurel Rose thought she could destroy you with internet trolls, but it backfired. Now she's the one whose reputation is in ruins!"

I frowned. "Besides me, who else has Laurel Rose offended?"

Though I was pleased to see Laurel facing backlash, I wasn't naive enough to believe this tide of public opinion was spontaneous, especially when strong enough to leave even Blake helpless.

"With her personality," Astrid coughed nervously, "isn't it normal she's offended powerful people? She..."

"Astrid," I cut her off. "How much did you spend orchestrating this?"

After a long silence, Astrid sighed. "You're too sharp. I couldn't stand watching Laurel bully you, so I invested about a hundred thousand to control the narrative..."

"Astrid," I pressed, "if you only invested that much, Blake's people could clean up those posts in minutes. Tell me the truth. How much did you actually spend?"

"I swear it was just a hundred thousand!" Astrid protested. "But my contribution was just small change. The real money came from Felix and the mysterious person behind him!"

My hand tightened around the phone. "Felix is involved in this?"

"Yes. But Felix is just doing the work. The person who put up most of the money is the mysterious figure behind him. I've asked him repeatedly,but he won't say who it is. Maybe it's some rich person from New York high society who secretly admires you."

Astrid's words made my head buzz with sudden realization.

This mysterious person...

Probably wasn't some wealthy admirer with a crush on me.

But rather...

**Blake's POV**

Standing in a hospital corridor, I accepted a file from Michael.

"Sir, we've figured it out," Michael said. "Felix Thompson is behind everything."

He continued, "But before he began manipulating public opinion, he received two transfers. One was $150,000 from Astrid Wilson."

Michael paused. "The other, much larger sum... was from Mr. William Parker to him."

I stared at the transfer figures, a cold smile forming on my lips.

*Grandfather really went all out to help Audrey.*

*No wonder we couldn't delete those posts, no matter what we tried.*

I shut the file and handed it to Michael. The proof was right there -my

grandfather had pulled serious strings to destroy Laurel's reputation online.

"Get the car ready," I said. "We're going to the mansion."

Michael nodded, taking the file. His eyes darted toward Laurel's hospital room.

"What about Miss Rose?" he asked.

Before I could answer, the elevator doors at the end of the hallway opened.Jennifer rushed out, hair wild and eyes frantic. She sprinted down the

corridor without noticing us.

"Laurel!" she screamed, making a beeline for the room.

I watched her pass, making no move to stop her.

"Get the car," I told Michael. "And contact Audrey. She's blocked my number, but she needs to come to the Parker mansion right away."

"Do you think she'll agree?" MMichael asked.

"Tell her it concerns her directly. And that my grandfather is waiting."

Michael nodded. "Of course."