8
That “Ultimate Truth Live” became a marvel in the history of the internet.
That night, Julian Sterling’s company stock, at the moment the overseas market opened, was immediately halted by circuit breaker.
The investor’s wife, the one who had been cuckolded, brought lawyers and bodyguards
and smashed open Chloe Hayes’s door that very night, dragging her from her bed and beating her within an inch of her life.
My parents’ company, having been exposed as a nepotistic enterprise of the Sterling Group, lost all its orders overnight. Partners terminated contracts, and it was one step away from bankruptcy.
And I, Cassandra Hayes, achieved legendary status overnight.
My name was no longer associated with “discarded wife of a wealthy family” or “crazy,
venomous woman.” Instead, it became synonymous with “Queen of Truth” and “Revenge Fiction Protagonist.”
The “TRUTH” platform, thanks to this battle, firmly established itself, becoming a symbol of speaking truth and defying capital, attracting countless high-quality content creators.
CM, Dior, Chanel… endorsement contracts from international top-tier luxury brands flooded my inbox like snowflakes.
Heads of major investment firms beat a path to Liam Vance’s company door, waving checks, vying for even a tiny slice of my next round of funding.
08:34 Mon, 1 Sept
<
I went from being a pawn discarded by capital to the very center of its pursuit.
Liam Vance held a grand celebration banquet for me.
At the banquet, in front of everyone, he took my hand.
“Cassie,” the light in his eyes shone brighter than all the crystal chandeliers combined,
“my initial dream in building this platform was to give a voice to all authentic, talented people, to be heard by the world.”
“And you, are the most captivating voice I’ve ever heard.”
“So, Miss Cassandra Hayes, would you be willing to become the lady of this platform?”
I looked at him and smiled.
“Mr. Vance, haven’t we already signed a contract?”
“That was an employment contract,” he pulled a velvet box from his pocket and knelt before me. “Now, I want to sign a lifelong contract with you.”
I had no reason to refuse.
This man, at my lowest point, extended a hand to me. In my wildest moments, he chose
to trust me unconditionally.
He was my light in the darkness, my warmest companion on the path to rebirth.
It was only natural that we would be together.
Six months later, the “Authentic Streamer” model, co-created by Liam Vance and me, completely revolutionized the entire live-streaming industry.
Our company also successfully went public, its market value soaring.
On the night of our listing ceremony, I received an unexpected phone call.
It was Julian Sterling.
08:34 Mon, 1 Sept
<
76%
His voice had lost all its former confidence and swagger, replaced only by humility and
desperation.
“Cassie…please, for old times’ sake, can you…give me a way out?”
His company had gone through bankruptcy liquidation. He was burdened with enormous debts and a pile of lawsuits, reportedly even without a place to live.
Chloe Hayes? She had long since been kicked to whatever corner he’d banished her to.
I remained silent for a moment.
“Where are you? I’ll come find you.”
I found him in a shabby underpass.
He wore a cheap jacket, unshaven, and exuded a sour stench. There was no trace left of
the city’s golden boy.
Seeing me, he looked as if he’d seen a savior, scrambling forward, trying to grab my leg.
I stepped back, dodging him.
“Cassie, I know I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong!” He knelt on the ground, weeping uncontrollably. “I’ll do anything you want, I’ll be your servant, please…please, help me!”
I watched him quietly, saying nothing.
Instead, I took out my phone.
Then, right in front of him, I started a live stream.
“Good evening, my dear followers. Today, I’ve got something fun to show you.”
I pointed the camera at the man on the ground, tears and snot streaming down his face.
“Does anyone recognize him? The former A-list darling of our city’s elite, Julian Sterling.”
The live stream instantly exploded.
Julian also froze. He stared at the phone in my hand in disbelief, as if he had seen the
most terrifying thing imaginable.
“No…don’t…Cassie, please…”
I looked down at him, my voice calm, yet carrying a bone-chilling coldness.
“Julian Sterling, when you trampled me into the dirt and made the whole internet laugh at me, did you ever consider giving *me* a way out?”
“Now, what makes you think you have the right to beg me?”
I ended the live stream, never looked at him again, and turned to leave.
Behind me, I heard his utterly broken, desperate scream of pure despair.
Back in the car, Liam Vance was already waiting for me. He took off his jacket, draped it over me, and pulled me into his embrace.
“It’s all over.”
I leaned against him, watching the twinkling lights of the city outside the window, and
nodded.
“No”
“It’s just beginning”
My new life, had just begun.
O
