Chapter 4

Before she could even start cursing, I swung my hand back and delivered another brutal slap. Both of her cheeks instantly turned a violent red.

Austin tried to lung at me, but the security guards tackled him to the ground immediately.

I pulled out a silk handkerchief, calmly wiping my hands as I looked around the room. My voice was ice-cold. "You people really never learn, do you?"

"Ashley, the last time you slandered me, the police made you write a 3,000-word apology. Yet, here you are again. Let me educate you on the law. If someone repeatedly and intentionally defames another person, the court doesn't allow out-of-court settlements. You'll be facing real jail time. Still want to keep talking?"

Ashley trembled, her mouth hanging open but no words coming out.

Director Jenkins was furious. "I have worked for the Harrison Group my entire life, and I have never been so insulted!"

"I will not let this slide. You, and you—for accusing me of having an affair with Ms. Sterling, my lawyers will be contacting you. Security, drag them out!"

The guards immediately grabbed Austin and Ashley, dragging them toward the exit.

Austin screamed like a wild animal. "Chloe! You bitch! How dare you lay a hand on her! Just you wait!"

I scoffed. "Wait? You aren't even worth my time."

I turned back to the guests who had joined in on the insults. "As for the rest of you, I’ve memorized your faces. The Harrison Group's legal team will be sending you letters shortly."

"And anyone who spoke ill of me today—your companies will never, ever partner with the Harrison Group again."

The crowd gasped, utterly terrified. I nodded to Director Jenkins and turned to leave.

Behind me, whispers broke out:

"Who is she? How can she be so powerful?"

"What is her relationship with the Harrison Group?"

"Wait... she looks familiar. Isn't she the heiress of the Harrison Group?"

"But her last name is Sterling!"

"You idiot, she took her mother’s maiden name! Helena Sterling!"

The regrets and groans behind me were satisfying, but it was already too late.

Once outside, Austin and Ashley were nowhere to be seen. I smiled coldly. This was far from over.

Later that evening, Mr. Raymond sent me a text asking if I was alright. He had heard about the incident. I apologized profusely and assured him everything was under control.

I couldn't believe those two idiots had brought their drama in front of him.

And of course, Ashley wasn't done.

The next day, she tried to start a smear campaign against me on TikTok.

She posted a video of herself crying to the camera, claiming she was a victim of bullying. She even hinted that I was a home-wrecker.

"I was at the New World Art Center, and I experienced the most humiliating moment of my life. I simply pointed out her true colors, and she had me assaulted and thrown out!"

"As a woman, I’ve always believed in female empowerment. I only advised her not to be a gold digger. But what did she do? She seduced my boyfriend, and when I confronted her, she beat me!"

"We are both women, yet your actions are an embarrassment to our entire gender!"

Using the banner of "female empowerment," she whipped up a massive wave of outrage online. She painted me as a gold-digger who went to a socialite boot camp, a girl wearing fake luxury items who specifically targeted wealthy men.

With Austin backing her up and posting old photos of "their beautiful memories," the video went viral. They leaked my name, and within hours, my social media was flooded with hate.

However, they hadn't managed to dig up my real identity. To the internet, I was just a nameless high-class escort.

I compiled all the screenshots and handed them straight to my family's lawyers.

When my parents saw the news, they were furious. They demanded to handle it, but I told them I wanted to settle this myself.

First, I had Ashley’s TikTok account permanently banned. Then, I pulled every single corporate contract and partnership Austin’s company had with the Harrison Group.