Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Chapter 1989

Jonathan was the anchor in her dreams, who forbade her to leave, and that's why she forgot to regroup with her teammates. Could it be that Wolf and the others were like Lambert, living in some other realm and desperately trying to wake her up? Telling her not to get lost in the illusion of love, not to bask in comfort, not to forget the responsibilities she carried on her shoulders!

B City

Cliff had just wrapped up a meeting and returned to his office when he found Antonia already waiting for him there; her face was obscured by a mask.

"Did you need something?" Cliff asked with a gentle smile.

"Dad!" Antonia approached with an icy gaze, "I've got news. Neither Magdalen nor Estelle is in J City. This is our chance!"

Cliff settled back at his desk with a smirk, "I know. Even Jonathan has left J City for days."

"So what are we waiting for?" Hate filled Antonia's eyes; as she removed her mask, the scar on her face was revealed. "Estelle did this to me. I'll never let her off the hook."

Cliff looked at Antonia with a pained expression, "Why did it become more noticeable after the surgery?"

"I drank alcohol during recovery," Antonia said, her eyes flickering with a hint of guilt.

"You-" Cliff frowned in annoyance, "If you care so much about your appearance, you need to have self-control."

When Estelle had pushed Antonia off the rooftop, her facial bones got shattered, and a deep gash was left on her skin. After meticulous care, the scar was hardly noticeable, but Antonia, obsessed with her dream of stardom and her looks, went abroad for plastic surgery.

However, the recovery from such procedures was lengthy, and as she was unable to resist going out drinking and partying with friends, which only worsened the outcome. The scar was now more prominent than ever!

"Dad, if you really feel for me, then hurry up and deal with that Estelle. While she's gone, we can get rid of her!" Antonia snorted.

"Don't worry," Cliff said with a cold laugh, "Be patient. By tomorrow, I'll have her splashed all over the headlines; by then she'll be the talk of the town!"

The following Monday, as people were just starting their workday, the internet exploded with a few startling news items.

The first was that KING had won the Silver Carpet Award at an international fashion week. It wasn't the highest honor; though her fans were a bit disappointed, they still flooded the comments under Snowy Studios, consoling KING and urging her not to take it to heart, and to bounce back and conquer Milan next time.

After all, nobody can guarantee to stay at the peak forever; ups and downs are part of the game.

This incident barely caused ripples, and the influence was limited to the fashion world and KING's fanbase, but then the second piece of news hit.

Coco, the winner of the Golden Summit Award, the fashion week's highest honor, had an agent who let slip at a cocktail party that Coco's victory was due to KING deliberately holding back.

Coco had paid KING a bribe of five million dollars, so KING deliberately made "mistakes" she once made in her previous designing and let Coco take the top prize.

Once the news reached domestic shores, it caused an uproar.

KING had a legion of fans not only for her genius designs but also for the cultural essence woven into them. Now, it seemed that KING had betrayed her professional ethics for money; it was an unforgivable act!

Then more dirt was dug up; it was revealed that Coco had previously given likes on social platforms to posts that insulted the people of her country, which sent public anger through the roof.

KING's fans tried desperately to control the narrative, but when matters of principle were at stake, the public refused to listen to any explanation. The entire internet demanded KING to make a statement. The scenes from a few months earlier replayed when trolls and paid commenters flooded the internet with vile remarks, making KING the target of widespread vitriol once again.

Even the Fashion Designers' Association in J City caught wind of the scandal and issued a statement to expel KING from their ranks.

With the Association's move, the notion that KING had accepted a bribe and intentionally lost to Coco was seemingly confirmed, which ignited even more fury among the netizens.