Chapter 882
That evening, Sharon received a call from Richard.
On the line, he insisted the rumors hadn’t come from him. He also claimed he had no idea how they had started. He promised that, at the upcoming recognition banquet, he would personally clarify the truth before everyone.
Sharon listened in silence, her heart utterly unmoved.
Once a rumor spread, no amount of explanation could erase the stain-it would only look like a cover-up. In fact, for all she knew, Richard might even be secretly delighted, treating the gossip as a timely smokescreen.
The whispers about Sharon being an illegitimate daughter had barely circulated for a few days when another piece of explosive news detonated across society, sending shockwaves both inside and outside elite circles.
[Breaking news! The real illegitimate child isn’t Sharon McKinzie, but Victoria Kalen!]
[The goddess’s real identity exposed! Victoria Kalen is actually the daughter of a mistress!]
[A full exposé: the tangled love triangle of Richard, the fisher girl, and Shayla!]
Unlike the baseless speculation about Sharon, this revelation came with ironclad evidence.
The leak even dragged up Richard’s murky past-his memory loss in his youth, his mysterious disappearance for several years-all laid bare for the world to see. Dozens of pages of documents and testimony painted a shocking, undeniable picture. 1
In terms of impact, the rumor about Sharon and the exposé about Victoria were on entirely different levels.
For years, Victoria had been hailed as the epitome of a socialite heiress. Every move she made was scrutinized and admired, her reputation spotless, her life without blemish. She was both envied and revered, so exceptional that other society daughters, no matter how jealous, could
only swallow their bitterness in silence.
She wasn’t just good-she was untouchable.
And now, this flawless goddess, exalted above all others, was revealed to be the child of an affair. It was almost beyond belief.
Outside the circle, fans who had worshipped her image could not accept the fall. Inside the circle, the impact was even more devastating.
In truth, even as an illegitimate child, Victoria’s personal excellence might have outweighed the stigma. But for years, she had been packaged as perfection itself. Those who longed to
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drag her down had searched endlessly, finding nothing to use against her.
Now, with this single scandal, the mask had cracked. And no one with a grudge would let such an opportunity slip through their fingers.
The internet exploded. Rumors, gossip, and vicious speculation spread like wildfire.
[Wait, Victoria is a mistress’s daughter? And Sharon is the real heiress? Then how come Victoria grew up in the Kalen family while Sharon was only acknowledged later?]
[Come on, don’t just read halfway! Didn’t the exposé say it? Victoria’s mistress-mother drove Sharon’s mother, Shayla, out of the Kalen household back then.]
[Ohhh, so it was cuckoo in the magpie’s nest?]
[But wait! I thought Shayla died giving birth to a daughter? That’s what they always said!]
[Ha! That was the public excuse, obviously.]
[Am I the only one shocked that Sharon’s mother was Shayla McKinzie, and Shayla was actually the real Madam Kalen?]
[Same! This is the first I’ve ever heard of it. Richard often spoke about his wife, but no one had ever seen her. Online, there were no photos, no information, not even a name. I used to think Richard erased everything to protect his late wife’s memory. But now? Ha! So much for devotion. Turns out it was all fake sentiment.]
After Shayla fled the Kalen household, Richard had people searching for her for years. But she hid herself too well. Pregnant and raising a child, she spent those early years in seclusion, not even working outside.
