Chapter 286: Chapter 286: The Tables Turned

The story began with the cruel and unjust treatment by the Sterling family, who wholeheartedly valued their adopted son while heartlessly abandoning their own flesh and blood. Immediately following that was the scene where the adopted son developed a vicious jealousy upon seeing the biological son married off to a brilliant and capable man, living an excessively happy life, leading him to deliberately plot and hire someone to kidnap his own brother.

Furthermore, the comprehensive post subtly inserted details accusing Aaron Sterling of harboring wild ambitions and harboring intentions of seducing Ethan Caldwell from the very beginning. The ironclad evidence presented was a few photographs capturing the exact moments he was desperately trying to get closer and rub against Ethan Caldwell at various banquets, entirely disregarding the fact that the man did not hesitate to display an expression of extreme disgust and profound discomfort.

The conclusion to this dramatic saga was that when the malicious adopted son was sued and taken to court, his secret lover utilized wealth and influence to rescue him from behind bars. Perhaps the meeting between Gabriel Cole and Julian Sterling was solely because he wanted to beg Julian to withdraw the lawsuit.

Even though Aaron Sterling had been bailed out, the stain remained; if a lawsuit was necessary, it would still proceed. Whether it took one year or five years, it was merely a delay. As long as Julian Sterling’s petition remained active, Aaron Sterling could never escape this permanent blemish.

The article even pointed out evidence that Gabriel Cole had intentionally bought media coverage to pressure Julian Sterling into withdrawing the lawsuit. Otherwise, he would continue to use this matter to manipulate public opinion into personally attacking Julian.

If he were an honest person, why had the information been trending for so long, and even the Caldwell Empire had spoken up to explain, yet he, as an insider, had said absolutely nothing?

Not stopping at mere baseless accusations, beneath that sensational compilation post, a photography expert account with hundreds of thousands of followers had left a lengthy, in-depth analytical review.

This individual utilized image dissection tools, pointing out every minute detail related to lighting angles, shadows, and the body language of the two figures in the frame. Based on the tilt of the shoulders and the center of gravity in their legs, this expert firmly asserted that Julian Sterling’s posture was entirely a natural reflex of wanting to step backward to avoid physical contact, whereas the one actively pressing forward and deliberately getting intimately close in a shady manner was none other than Gabriel Cole.

Just like that, under the masterful guidance of Louis York, the situation turned around in a spectacular fashion.

The chaotic livestream labeled caught in the act, originally elaborately staged for the purpose of denouncing and smearing Ethan Caldwell with an affair involving the male star Thea Lockwood, Gemma Thornton’s lover, ultimately and inadvertently became the perfect stage to wash away all the unjust grievances suffered by Julian Sterling. The filthy curtain that had shrouded him over the past few days was suddenly ripped apart.

It was unknown what kind of expression the hidden mastermind behind this entire play was currently wearing, but looking at how the tide of public opinion had violently reversed like a hurricane, it was highly likely that he would be enraged to the point of vomiting blood and smashing quite a few pieces of furniture.

Sitting quietly in the car parked in the dim basement, Helen Lloyd watched the engagement charts and the flow of online public opinion increasingly entering a stable trajectory exactly as planned; the heavy boulder weighing down on her heart was finally lifted.

She slowly let out a long sigh of profound relief. As for the direct trouble stemming from the crowd causing a ruckus on that jealousy-fueled livestream, she had even less reason to worry too much. Regardless of everything, that Thea Lockwood person had fundamentally never stepped foot inside Boss Caldwell’s room from the very beginning to the very end.

Right at this exact moment, on the livestream screen where the number of viewers was multiplying exponentially, the unfolding scene was completely overflowing with absolute chaos and deafening noise.

Even though Colin Grant had exhausted all his strength, constantly spreading his arms in a desperate attempt to block her, his physique was still entirely unable to withstand the sheer stubbornness and bulldozing force of that shrewish middle-aged woman currently in a bloodthirsty frenzy.

The senior manager of the hotel rushed frantically to the scene, his forehead drenched in cold sweat, stuck in the middle, he could only scratch his head in utter distress, completely clueless as to how to resolve the situation peacefully.

On one side was Helena Thornton, the younger sister of the notorious tycoon, someone he absolutely did not have the guts to offend. But on the flip side, the VIP guest resting in that presidential suite was none other than the powerful CEO directly running the colossal corporation that poured investment capital into the very hotel chain he worked for, he certainly could not just stand by and let Helena Thornton smash things up and cause a riot right in front of his door.

Right in the midst of an atmosphere as tense as a snapping string, with screams and curses echoing throughout the entire corridor, the thick oak door to the room abruptly swung open from the inside. This unexpected appearance startled absolutely everyone present.

Had it been a normal situation like any other violent jealousy-fueled confrontation, the very moment the door cracked open, Helena Thornton, with her aggressive nature, would have definitely stepped up to deliver a stinging slap to the man who opened it before relentlessly beating him to a pulp. In reality, the second the door even twitched, Helena Thornton had already swung her jewelry-laden arm high into the air, fully prepared to strike down.

But the precise instant her eyes met the sharply cold facial features and the face of Ethan Caldwell, her movement abruptly froze in mid-air, her entire body stiffening as if struck by a bolt of lightning.

This middle-aged woman possessed a crude temperament, and she was indeed quite foolish, but she was by no means so completely blind as to be unable to recognize the prominent figures who could summon the wind and rain within the business world.

Naturally, with her narrow-minded intellect, she did not harbor the slightest bit of interest in taking the initiative to learn about them. However, her older brother had once strictly forced her, compelling her to clearly memorize every single one of these taboo faces.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep