Mary Scott used Mia Anderson’s ID to check into Delight Hotel.
This hotel is owned by Piers. It values privacy, prohibits reporters, and also has prices that make people apprehensive. Mary Scott took a hot shower inside, letting her stiff, cold body finally gain so warmth. Her rationality returned slightly.
She acted impulsively in coming to the hotel, but what should she do next?
Other celebrities have companies protecting them, but she has to face suppression from her company and Charlotte Leigh’s relentless revenge. If she isn’t careful, there’s no recovering from this.
Now, the only million left on her has been spent, and there’s still no plan for the public relations fee owed to Grace Rachel. The remaining money is barely enough to stay at Delight for three days, but what happens after those three days?
Seated on the spacious and comfortable hotel bed, Mary fell into confusion.
Mia Anderson had been waiting in the living room for a long ti without hearing any movent from Mary inside. Worried, she walked in and saw Mary sitting idly on the bed, her hair wrapped in the hotel’s towel, damp and loose. A patch of water had soaked into the white bedsheet, and her clean, delicate face looked dazed—unbelievably beautiful. Mia froze for a mont. "Mary?"
"Huh? What happened again?" Mary instinctively raised her head and asked.
"Nothing. Are you okay?" Mia said, stepping forward to tighten the towel around Mary’s hair.
Only then did Mary realize her hair had dripped onto the bedsheet. She smiled weakly at Mia, lightly wiping her hair, her voice soft and carrying a tone of negotiation. "Mia, when this matter wraps up, you should find yourself another job. You’re well-educated, and after spending a few years in the industry, you’ve learned what you need to. It won’t be hard to find a good company."
Mia’s movent paused as she looked at Mary in disbelief. "Mary, what do you an? You don’t want anymore?"
She spoke with a voice already heavy with tears.
Mary, affected by Mia’s sadness, felt her own eyes redden. She quickly shook her head but, considering her current predicant, eventually sighed. "Mia, you’re not young anymore; you need to think about yourself. This fall of mine... well, it’s unlikely I’ll rise again. You should plan for your future."
"That’s not true! Haven’t things already been suppressed? Netizens are the fastest to forget. Once so ti passes and everyone moves on, you can make a coback, or if we’re thick-skinned enough and just stay, what can they even do to you? At most, we’ll suffer so insults. Haven’t we been insulted enough already?" Mia said emotionally. She had witnessed Mary’s rise to fa and subsequent shelving by her company. She knew how Mary had endured these past few years step by step. Now, with a glimr of hope finally visible, how could she give up easily?
"This ti, it’s different from before." Mary softly said, looking at Mia. From the mont she learned her personal background had been intentionally revealed rather than uncovered by netizens, she knew this matter wouldn’t be easily settled. Although the affair of a young pup’s infidelity was drawing attention at the mont, what happens next?
Mary knew Charlotte. That woman wouldn’t let her go so easily.
And then there was the image of that man’s departing back. She felt lost again—what was the point of standing firm in this industry, gaining popularity, if she couldn’t answer that?
For the first ti, Mary was overwheld by an unprecedented despondency. She couldn’t even find the motivation to hold herself together. On Twitter, wave after wave of curses stread in, from being labeled as a promiscuous woman to degrading comnts about her body. There were insults beyond imagination.
Mary thought she had developed an unbreakable resilience over the years, yet every ti she read the comnts, she realized she still wasn’t strong enough. Those words felt like poisonous arrows aid directly at her, piercing every inch of her skin. If those arrows had a physical form, she might’ve already been turned into a sieve.
Among the venomous insults, one struck her down completely: "Moll Scott, is this really how you’ve been deceiving people all along?" It pierced straight through her heart, leaving her with no room to recover.
Mia, sensing the lifeless tone in Mary’s voice, grew increasingly worried. "Why is it different? Don’t you still have Mr. Norman? And didn’t Mrs. Rachel say Director Locke’s public relations team is still working on it? Don’t give up on yourself. I won’t leave anyway."
"You silly girl..." Mary looked at Mia’s determined expression, touched yet helpless. Finally, feeling apologetic, she said, "If you stick with now, you won’t be able to even get your paycheck on ti."
Unable to convince Mia for the ti being, Mary didn’t push further, though she was well aware that Director Locke wouldn’t help her anymore. It was re wishful thinking.
"It’s not the first ti, so what’s there to fear? Besides, my parents earn plenty. I’m an only child who lives off them shalessly—and I’m serious about it!" Mia saw through Mary’s forced bravery, but how could she abandon her now? She wiped the tears off her cheeks, pretending to be bold.
Mary couldn’t contain herself anymore. She stepped forward and embraced Mia. "Thank you."
Mia, suddenly hugged, froze briefly and then fumbled awkwardly. "Mary, you don’t need to go this far—I can’t handle your sacrifice!"
Saying so, Mia glanced at Mary’s slightly loose bath towel, noting the eye-catching curves beneath. She unconsciously licked her lips, filled with admiration. Celebrities truly were different; their everyday attire didn’t reveal much, but—oh.
Mary noticed Mia’s gaze and froze for a mont before swatting her away. "You hooligan!"
"Haha, Director Locke’s loss is his own. Soone as stunning as you, Mary, will never lack admirers—if I were a man, I’d put my life on the line for you." Mia finished her teasing with a playful glance, soaking in all she could before it’d be too late to regret later.
Mary was both exasperated and amused by Mia’s antics, but the room’s atmosphere lightened significantly.
However, once the mont of levity passed, they still had to face reality.
Most of the day had already gone by since everything erupted. Despite all the public relations efforts, neither Mary nor Lambert Norman—both key figures in the scandal—had made any statents.
Mary had thought it over. If she wanted to stay in the industry, the matter couldn’t be addressed by either her or Lambert speaking up. Instead, after the heat died down, Director Locke had to step forward to showcase a simple display of affection, framing the entire ordeal as dia fabrication. Ideally, Helena Marion’s side would issue an apology afterward.
But clearly, neither of those scenarios seed likely.
Her only choice now was to lay low—lower than ever—and hope everyone would temporarily forget her.
As for what happens next, she could only leave it up to fate.
Having sorted out her thoughts, Mary chose to stop dwelling on the matter and began fretting over another concern.
A deeply urgent yet practical issue: money.
In the quiet hotel room, Mary and Mia each held a phone, crunching numbers on their calculators. After what felt like an eternity, they finally raised their heads to look at each other and, in unison, asked, "Done calculating?"
Their synchronized question hung in the air briefly before both fell silent. They simultaneously raised their phones. Although the figures on their calculators slightly differed, they concluded the sa thing: Mary needed 1.3 million to stay afloat, yet she currently had less than 30,000 in her account. Where could she possibly find over a million?
Mia thought of the deal for Mary to play the second lead in Director Locke’s "The Doctors." "Mary, why don’t you ask Director Locke to advance so of the paynt?"
Mary looked at Mia as if she were dumb. "The contract isn’t even signed yet, and do you think he’d still want ?"
"True... That makes sense." Mia scratched her head in frustration, then timidly suggested, "Maybe you could try softening up with Director Locke? I feel like he could still co around."
Mia wasn’t wrong. Knowing Mary so well, it was evident both she and David Locke had lingering feelings for each other. Surely being with other n before marriage shouldn’t justify a divorce. It’s 2020—who doesn’t have a past love? Based on Mia’s knowledge, Locke himself had plenty of romantic entanglents before settling down!
"I... It’s pointless." Mary didn’t know how to explain. If a man doesn’t trust a woman, what good is explaining herself? Besides, the crux of the problem lay in the fact that she *had* ssed up—no amount of justification could change the truth that she and Lambert Norman were once married in the M Kingdom.
Mia sighed deeply after hearing Mary’s response. At that mont, her phone rang. Recognizing the number as familiar, she thought for a mont before picking up. Monts later, her expression completely changed.
Once she ended the call, Mia’s face was ashen. Mary imdiately sensed trouble. "What happened?"
"LG tried calling you but couldn’t get through, so they reached out to . They want us to resolve this matter as soon as possible. They also ntioned that if you divorce Director Locke during the endorsent period and it damages their brand image, you’ll have to pay three million in compensation as stipulated by the contract." Mia’s voice was hollow as she spoke. Three million? They didn’t even have 300,000—how could they co up with three million? Not to ntion the additional one million owed to the PR company.
Mary was dumbfounded. "Was that clause in the contract?"
"Jocelyn didn’t let us read the contract carefully back then. You just signed it without scrutiny." Mia’s tone was angry.
Mary thought back to it. She had rashly signed with Starlight Entertainnt due to her young age, unaware she’d signed such exploitative terms. The contract details had never been disclosed, leaving her to unintentionally bury herself in a pile of traps.
Still, LG’s request wasn’t unreasonable. An endorser’s public image directly influences product perception. Without proper clauses to protect their reputation, compensation for the damages resulting from the endorser’s bad publicity is justified—especially since LG had already officially announced her.
But not divorcing? David Locke had already made up his mind to divorce her. If she asked him to reconsider, wouldn’t he mock her even more? And what would she do if he rejected her?
Mary fell into even deeper despair.
Yet her despair wouldn’t stop trouble from knocking on her door. Soon after, her phone rang too. This ti, it was Simon Baker from the variety show team. After briefly discussing the situation, Simon diplomatically inford her that Raspberry Snacks hoped she would handle the scandal quickly; otherwise, they might drop her endorsent deal.
Raspberry Snacks was a joint endorsent of Mary and Brian Joule. Brian’s fans had long been unhappy about their idol lowering himself by endorsing alongside an "18th-tier celebrity who only got famous through stunts." Now, with Mary embroiled in scandal, even though Brian had yet to speak out, his fans organized protests demanding she be removed from the entertainnt industry altogether.
The situation continued to escalate and could beco another major issue if not addressed properly.
After ending her call with Simon, Mary massaged her temples, noticing several missed calls from her brother. Hesitating, she sent Alfred a ssage: "Don’t worry." She suddenly felt lucky for having sent her brother back to Lica Garden a few days ago.
Otherwise, knowing Alfred’s temperant, he might have clashed with David Locke.
Thinking of David, Mary froze for a mont, then rubbed her temples again, forcing herself to stop dwelling on him.
Her predicant was chaotic enough; she couldn’t afford to be distracted by thoughts of David Locke.
But while Mary was desperately trying to find a way out of her ss, Charlotte Leigh was working to deepen her troubles.
Failing to stir the waters had left Charlotte in a foul mood. She couldn’t even get staff to spread news related to Mary’s background—every ti posts appeared in trending discussions, they were quickly shut down.
Though Charlotte didn’t know who was protecting Mary behind the scenes, she understood that if she didn’t act fast, Mary’s scandal would get buried under Oscar Sam’s infidelity drama. Reporter Erson’s wide network connections suggested that other celebrity scandals were queued to be revealed in the next wave. Once that happened, who would still rember Mary Scott?
Charlotte had chosen Mary and Lambert Norman’s story as the headline scandal, knowing Mary’s resurgence was tied to David Locke.
Despite "Wilderness" being a hit variety show, Mary’s montum had been heavily fueled by her relationship with Locke. His public declaration of love, including the bold reveal of childhood photos tying them together in a sweet first-love narrative, had initially overshadowed even Master Brandon’s scandal involving Abigail.
But when Mary’s dark history was unearthed, netizens doubted their marriage, predicting its demise ti and again. Only David Locke’s repeated gestures of affection eventually swayed public opinion to accept the pair.
Now, with revelations of Mary’s prior marriage in the M Kingdom and unresolved ties to Lambert Norman, Charlotte could easily foresee the backlash.
But who would’ve thought that despite wearing such an enormous Green Hat, David Locke was still relentlessly defending Mary? Even Lambert, though divorced, seed unwilling to let go of her. anwhile, Charlotte, abandoned ti and again, found herself left with no choice but to rely on Erson—the balding, middle-aged man. If not for the baby she was carrying, she wasn’t convinced he’d treat her this well. Her simring resentnt left her increasingly irrational.
She’d given too much; she couldn’t let it all be for nothing. Turning toward Erson, who was busy working, she used her foot to nudge his leg lovingly. "Old Erson, can I ask for another favor?"
The man, barely past 30 but nearly bald, turned with a cheeky grin. "You little flirt, up to sothing again?"
"Brother Erson, just say if you’ll help or not." Charlotte feigned coy innocence, swallowing her disgust.
He wasn’t often treated so sweetly, and it worked. "Speak your mind," he replied with his knees practically buckling.
...
At Delight Hotel.
After calming down her brother, Mary Scott resud her frantic problem-solving.
While deleting posts and diverting public attention could lower the scandal’s heat, it couldn’t erase her affair with Lambert. anwhile, the reporters, unable to find Mary or Lambert, stumbled upon Charlotte.
Since her last sex scandal surfaced, Charlotte had disappeared entirely, retreating from public view—virtually undergoing social death. Now, instead of continuing her exile, she had chosen to appear in front of the dia. The mont Mary received the news push, her heart sank!
Watching Charlotte’s live-stread interview, Mary’s furrowed brows tightened. "Mia, call Mrs. Rachel."
Mia, sensing sothing amiss from Mary’s tense expression, fumbled for her phone. She then heard Mary shout, "Call David Locke!"
Confused but anxious, Mia switched numbers to make the call, only for Mary to suddenly laugh—bitterly, mockingly. "Forget it... It’s too late now..."
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