Chapter 78

Aubrey was seething with anger, unleashing a torrent of curses at Phyllis and her whole family.

As Phyllis' cousin, Gabriela felt unfairly pulled into the conflict.

To calm Aubrey's escalating fury, Gabriela shared the two videos she had recorded earlier that day.

Soon after,Aubrey fell silent.

Later, after watching the videos, she called Gabriela,her tone brimming with enthusiasm. "Gabriela, you're incredible! How did you get these videos? Why didn't you tell me sooner? I was so stressed out!"

Gabriela offered a weary smile. "I've always said there's no need to panic or lose your temper."

"I thought you were just trying to make me feel better," Aubrey admitted. Then she proposed,"Should I get my friend with three million followers to share the video now?"

Gabriela responded calmly, "No need to rush. Let's hold off for now."

"Alright, I'll follow your lead this time!" Aubrey agreed.

After diffusing Aubrey's anger, Gabriela leaned against her seat, feeling exhausted.

Meanwhile, Billy, who was driving, stole subtle glances at her.

All morning, Gabriela had seemed unlike her usual vibrant, cheerful self. Today she was unusually quiet,yet there was a newfound calmness about her.

It was as if the confident, carefree persona she usually projected was a carefully constructed mask.Beneath it, she seemed to be patiently biding her time, waiting for an opportunity to escape the chaos surrounding her. Billy was struck by this realization.

Gabriela was such a kind,genuine person, yet she was forced to endure such distressing circumstances. It felt profoundly unfair.

He silently hoped that Wesley would always be kind to her.

Eager to return to the Moss Manor and update Wesley on the situation, he was interrupted by a call from Wesley while still on the road.

It turned out Phyllis had gone live online.

She and Vivian had been stirring up trouble all night.When a well-known celebrity like Claire shared their video, the drama quickly made it onto the trending lists.

Phyllis was thrilled, reveling in the attention and unable to sleep from the excitement. But by morning,all the trending topics related to Gabriela had vanished.

Marie warned Phyllis, "You failed to take Gabriela down completely, so stop now. I'll clean up this mess."

Phyllis,however, refused to back down.

Even after the trending topics were removed, the post continued to gain traction across various platforms.

Unwilling to let go of her vendetta, Phyllis secretly met with Vivian and that influencer, Gem, to plan a live stream.

At 2 p.m., Gem appeared on the live stream,her face heavily made-up and enhanced by beauty filters,giving her an almost artificial, doll-like appearance.

As the stream began, her followers flooded the chat with greetings and crude questions about Gabriela's situation.

Gem introduced Phyllis, who looked strikingly beautiful with subtle makeup, further refined by the stream's filters.

The audience buzzed with curiosity about her identity.

Phyllis introduced herself and launched into a carefully rehearsed speech.

She claimed Gabriela, whom her family had raised,was vain, ill-tempered, and rebellious, constantly borrowing her clothes and jewelry without permission.

As Gabriela grew older, she used her looks to hang out with unsavory characters at bars. After starting her career, she set her sights on taking her uuncle's house.

Worse, Phyllis accused Gabriela of trying to seduce her newlywed husband, who had been Gabriela's schoolmate and someone she admired.

Phyllis delivered her accusations with a soft, weary tone, appearing polite and fragile, which quickly won over the sympathy of viewers.

The comment section exploded with support for her and bitter criticism against Gabriela. "Stay strong, Phyllis! Millions of us have your back!"

"Gabriela is so disgusting. What a despicable person!"

"When you encounter someone this awful, you cut them out of your life so they can't hurt you."

"Phyllis's parents even helped Gabriela get through college, and this is how she is repaid? Unbelievable!"

The screen was soonflooded with hateful remarks directed at Gabriela.

"Gabriela should go to hell!"

"Bitch!"

"Utterly repulsive."

"Shameless."

Wesley, who had tasked Billy with monitoring the situation, was also keeping a close eye on the online developments.

Seeing the overwhelming wave of malice and insults aimed at Gabriela, Wesley's expression darkened. He immediately ordered Billy to contact a top PR expert,sparing no expense to reverse the tide of public opinion as quickly as possible.

Billy, still driving, pulled over to the side of the road and explained, "I'm about half an hour from the estate."

Wesley's impatience was palpable.

He trusted Billy above all his other capable assistants and wouldn't feel confident entrusting this task to anyone else.

Overhearing the conversation, Gabriela spoke up softly."Let me talk to Mr. Moss."

She took Billy's phone and, in a calm tone,reassured Wesley, "I'm fine, Mr. Moss. You don't need to worry about this. I can handle it myself."

This was a personal matter between her and Phyllis,and Gabriela was determined to resolve it on her own terms. Wesley's brow remained furrowed. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Most women would be devastated by such an onslaught, and Gabriela's composure took him by surprise.

Her insistence on handling it herself left him feeling sidelined and displeased.

"I'm fine," Gabriela assured him. "But I do have one small favor to ask."

Wesley's mood lifted slightly. "What is it?"

"I was hoping you could advance my salary," she said.

While the current online buzz was significant,Gabriela worried that Aubrey's friend with three million followers might not generate enough attention, and she might need to hire paid promoters to amplify her response.

Wesley's face soured instantly. Why was she begging for money while her reputation was in tatters?

He scoffed,"Fine.How much do you need?"

He half-jokingly thought he might as well advance her salary for years to come, tying her to Apex Group indefinitely.

Gabriela named the amount she needed, and after their discussion, she handed the phone back to Billy and checked her own.

An unknown number was calling.

She answered, only to be met with a middle-aged man's voice, dripping with malice. "You're Gabriela,right? Listen, you're an absolute disgrace. Your workplace address is out there now-brace yourself for what is coming. Go to hell,you worthless trash."

The words were venomous, laced with vile intent,as if the caller wanted to destroy her through the phone.

Gabriela calmly ended the call and switched her phone to silent. Her number had been leaked online, and a flood of harassing calls and messages filled with hateful,repulsive language followed.

Despite her mental preparation, the intensity of it all still caught her off guard.

She texted Aubrey, "Time to post those two videos.Please thank your friend for helping out. I owe her a meal."

Aubrey, eager to expose Phyllis's true colors, replied with enthusiasm, "No problem. Let's take Phyllis down!"

After ending the live stream, Phyllis noticed dozens of missed calls from Marie.

She called back casually. "Mom..."

Before she could continue, Marie cut her off sharply."Go back online now and clarify that everything you said was a misunderstanding. Gabriela didn't steal our house-it was hers to begin with." Phyllis's face darkened."No."

When she had earlier unveiled her so-called truth,the online crowd rallied behind her, unleashing a barrage of insults at Gabriela far more venomous and degrading than she had anticipated.

Gabriela was branded as trash, a nuisance, while she was elevated as the epitome of innocence and virtue.

Having invested so much effort in fueling this controversy, why would she now step in to defend Gabriela?

"Mom, you're the one who always said-if you want something, you seize it, no matter what it takes,"Phyllis declared. "Now that Gabriela is a public target, open to everyone's attacks, why should I show her any mercy?"