Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Chapter 1993

Heaven must have a pair of watchful eyes!

Carmella's heart was doing somersaults with excitement. She clutched at her chest, trying to calm the wild rhythm, and slowly turned to head back into her room.

The next day, a proclamation from the Macclain family hit the headlines.

In the statement, Bennett and Simone came clean about their past, confirming that they had indeed supported KING; not only had they moved her from C City to J City, but also had taken her on as their goddaughter. However, they disclosed that their relationship had not been close, and at present, there was no communication between them.

A few short sentences amounted to an admission of what had been said in the post: Estelle was a turncoat, an ingrate, the proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing!

With hundreds of thousands of shares, the Macclain family's announcement sparked a wildfire of boycotts against KING on the internet.

KING had been the target of online vitriol more than once, but in the past, her fans had come to her defense and endeavored to manage the narrative. This time, however, KING's fans were completely drowned out by the fury of the netizens.

Photos of KING attending the Sampson family wedding and serving as a bridesmaid were plastered all over the web.

The internet was awash with sarcastic jibes:

[I always wondered why KING set her sights so high; it seemed even the Macclains weren't good enough for her. Turns out she was clinging to the Sampson family tree!]

[So that's how she became an international designer at such a young age, by despising the poor and currying favour with the rich, and cozying up to the big shots] [Designer? She's a disgrace to the profession!]

[Blacklist her! Kick her out of the country! Since she loves fawning over foreign designers so much, then let her be gone!"]

Being said to lack in national pride and professional ethics, and to have betrayed her own benefactors, KING had fallen from grace into the dust.

Early in the morning, when Harriet saw the news, her face registered disbelief.

With Estelle already on the receiving end of a tirade from netizens due to the fashion show, how come the Macclains decided to wade into the fray?

And the Macclains issued such a misleading statement, which was beyond Harriet's belief!

The situation had escalated far beyond her expectations, so she drove straight to the Macclain residence.

A servant led her in, and as soon as she entered, she saw Carmella cradling a cat in the living room.

"Ms. Harriet?" Carmella stood up, looking somewhat surprised.

Harriet's voice was cool, "Ms. Macclain, I would like to speak with Mr. and Mrs. Macclain, if that would be convenient?"

Carmella's gaze shifted, "Is this about KING?"

"Yes, I want to ask Mr. and Mrs. Macclain why they would issue such a statement. Surely they know better than anyone whether KING is their daughter or not."

Carmella raised an eyebrow, "I'm curious, Ms. Harriet, why do you care so much about KING? Just because she's your lead designer at GK? I'd advise you not to waste your energy. KING's reputation is tarnished, and she will soon be blacklisted by the industry. I hope you'll cut your losses in time and issue a statement to end your collaboration with KING. Otherwise, GK might not withstand the backlash from the outraged public."

Harriet scoffed, "I trust in KING's character. I won't be swayed by hearsay, nor will I kick someone when they're down."

Carmella shrugged with a smug air, "I'm just looking out for you, Ms. Harriet. If you won't listen, that's your call!"

"What's going on?" Simone descended the stairs, and upon spotting Harriet, she paused in mild surprise and then smiled, "Ms. Harriet? What brings you here today? You should have called ahead, so I would have prepared for it. My apologies."

Harriet was cool and collected, "No need for formalities, I'm here for KING!"