Chapter 7 Variety Show Invitation

"Ella is still the most sensible one." Liam turned to Laura, fuming. "Remember what you did today. Since you won't help find Lora for Ella, the Garcia family won't come to you for anything anymore. And don't even think about asking us for help when you're in trouble!"

Laura shrugged, unbothered. "I hope you mean that. Don't come crying to me later."

The moment she got in the car, Laura noticed Lora's account had a flood of new messages, all from Liam's account.

[Hello, I'm Ella's brother. I'm sure you saw the drama that unfolded today. For the sake of my sister's reputation, I'm willing to pay top dollar for this account. Please reply as soon as you see this.]

Laura couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.

Liam had just said he'd never ask her for anything, and now he was practically begging. If he ever found out Lora was Laura, she wondered if his head would just explode.

Lora: [One billion dollars.]

The chat showed he was typing for a long time, but no new message came through.

After a long while, Liam finally replied: [Stop joking. This account isn't worth anywhere near that.]

Lora: [I'm not joking. One billion dollars. Not a cent less.]

"Damn it!" Liam saw Lora's reply and hurled his phone across the room in rage.

"Liam, what's wrong?" Ella asked. "Is Lora refusing to sell the account?"

"She's willing to sell, alright. But she's asking for a billion dollars. How is that any different from robbery?"

Ella's expression darkened, then something seemed to cross her mind, and a flash of delight lit up her eyes.

"Liam, there's actually another way to turn things around for my image. The thing is, it might affect Laura somewhat... Never mind. Laura is still family. I just can't bring myself to hurt her."

"Ella, you're just too kind. That's why she's been able to walk all over you for so long." Liam's voice softened. "Laura already said she wants to cut ties with the Garcia family, so we don't need to worry about her reputation. What's your idea?"

Ella leaned close to Liam's ear and laid out the whole plan.

Laura had barely gotten home when Lena called.

"Laura, this is bad! Ella posted a video on social media and now everyone online is tearing you apart! I made eight fake accounts to fight back and I'm still losing!"

"Calm down. Let me see what's going on."

Laura hung up and went straight to the trending page.

Ella had released security footage of Laura destroying the canvas in the flower room, along with a nearly thousand-word apology letter.

[I'm so sorry that the July Art Show didn't live up to everyone's expectations. It all started three days ago when my work was destroyed. Watching everything I'd poured my heart into get ruined, I didn't even have time to grieve. I just picked up my brush and started over. For three straight days, without eating or sleeping, I managed to recreate the pieces needed for the show. But I forgot that three days of rushing could never match three months of careful, dedicated work. Still, for the sake of the show going on, I pushed through. As for why the paintings were destroyed, I'd rather not get into it. I don't want people focusing on who did it. I know it wasn't intentional, and I've chosen to forgive. I sincerely apologize to everyone, and I promise that my next exhibition will be my very best, and I'll make sure it's an experience worth your time.]

After reading Ella's statement, Laura could only marvel at how two-faced she was.

On the surface it was an apology, but she danced around the real issue and never addressed her connection to Lora, while still cashing in on everything Lora's reputation had built for her.

She claimed she didn't want people to know who had destroyed the paintings, yet the security footage showed Laura's face completely unblurred.

[Let's all dox the butcher who ruined someone's life's work! Ella's done nothing wrong, yet she's the one forced to apologize. How is this fair? The real instigator gets to hide away scot-free!]

[Found her. The butcher's name is Laura. She's an orphan. No wonder she has zero class.]

[Based on how she's dressed, she's probably a servant in Ella's house. She must have been jealous of Ella's talent and destroyed her work out of spite!]

[Everyone look! That Laura just made an account and she's posting her own creative process!]

That comment sent everyone rushing to Laura's new account.

Unlike Ella's lengthy response, Laura kept it simple: [Lora's creative process!]

Laura posted 18 sketches documenting a piece from initial concept through to the finished work.

[This Laura actually seems like she knows what she's doing. And isn't that painting the centerpiece of the July Art Show?]

[This whole thing is getting more and more confusing. Who actually painted it?]

[Forget who owns the painting. What matters is who can show their process. As an oil painting grad student, I can tell you those eighteen sketches from Laura carry serious weight. Who the original artist is couldn't be more obvious.]

[You're clearly a hater Laura hired. She grew up in an orphanage. How would she ever get the chance to learn painting? Those images are definitely AI-generated.]

Laura nearly choked reading that comment.

Sure enough, Ella's die-hard fans were just like her. Ella had just accused Laura of being AI-deepfaked, and now her fans were copying the exact playbook.

At the same time, Ella posted a new statement claiming Laura had stolen her sketchbook without her noticing, which was how she got those sketches.

Ella's fans and Laura's fans went to full-on war, going at each other with everything they had, neither side willing to back down.

And because of all the chaos, Laura's account, not even a day old, had somehow gained nearly a hundred thousand followers.

Laura decided not to respond to any of it. She'd wait until things hit a boiling point, then drop her trump card.

The next morning, Laura was barely awake when an unknown number called.

"Hi, I'm Miles Davis. Would Laura be interested in appearing as a guest on my show?"

Laura snapped wide awake. After making sure it wasn't a scam call, she asked, "Are you serious?"

"Completely serious. I've also invited Ella, and she's already agreed."

Hearing that, Laura smiled and said, "Sure. I'm in."

If she could blow things wide open on a TV show, she'd love to see whether the Garcia family could keep covering for Ella.

Laura was in a good mood that morning, humming to herself over breakfast, when Liam called.

"You've already gotten Miles's invitation, haven't you."

"None of your business." Laura was about to hang up.

Liam threatened, "I'm telling you not to go on that show. You know perfectly well that you and Ella are both in the public eye right now. If you appear together, people are going to start comparing you two..."

"What, even you think Ella can't measure up to me? I thought in your eyes she was absolutely perfect."

"Ella is the best. People just can't see it because you've blinded them." Liam's voice went cold. "Either way, you're not going."

"Watch me." Laura hung up.

After breakfast, Laura headed to the theater company. She was in the middle of warming up when Liam sent her a photo. He was standing right outside Lena's studio, and the look on his face was downright unsettling.