Twisted Ties of Love

Izabella was watching the popular video on the Internet and saw Ariana's disfigured face and blindness caused by an acid attack. She glanced over to Casey Dempsey, who was quietly working on his

computer.

"Did you do the acid job?" She asked.

Casey's fingers paused over the keyboard, his body instinctively leaning towards Izabella, his eyes scanning the news on her screen.

"Nope," he replied. Izabella had claimed the task for herself, so he had refrained from meddling.

Izabella had already leaked various information about Ariana to her haters' group chat; she wasn't concerned with what would happen next. For people like Ariana, who exploited legal loopholes to do dirty deeds, getting a taste of their own medicine was the best way to deal with them.

The audio of Ariana abusing a cat had gone viral, and Kristin wasn't about to let her off the hook. Ariana's face and vision being destroyed by acid at the hospital was like a double whammy, leading to a a ruthless end.

The first step of vengeance for Niki had been successfully executed, but Izabella felt no satisfaction.

These evildoers deserved what they got, but Niki was gone and would never come back.

The acid attack on Ariana by a mentally ill person at the airport was suspicious, to say the least.

How a mentally ill person managed to get out of the hospital, get hold of acid, and accurately throw it on Ariana amidst the hustle and bustle of the airport? All these suggested someone was pulling strings behind the scenes.

If it wasn't Casey, the first person Izabella thought of was Brett, known for giving others a taste of their own medicine. Nathaniel could pull this off too, but he didn't have the patience. He'd rather do the dirty work himself than pass the buck.

"X Entertainment's shares have been plummeting. Time to make a move."

Izabella looked at the data on Casey's computer screen. The situation was clear as day.

The dip in X Entertainment's share price was mainly due to Kristin being implicated in the cat abuse scandal, damaging the company's image. Many brands explicitly demanded to terminate contracts with Kristin.

Kristin was the face of X Entertainment, the linchpin, the most valuable asset. The quickest way to salvage the situation would be for the company to step in.

The company had been brainstorming strategies since morning. The best course of action was making Izabella take the fall.

After all, it was her cat that died.

Izabella glanced at the clock; it was eight in the morning. Her fingers drummed lightly on the desk, the small movement echoing in the quiet study like a ticking clock. She stared at her phone as if waiting for something. After a moment, it rang.

She straightened up as she saw the incoming caller ID, answered the call, and put it on speaker.

Casey remained silent.

The caller was Mr. Frost from X Entertainment.

As soon as the call connected, Mr. Frost engaged in some small talk with Izabella. "So, Izabella, what have you been up to lately?"

"Just teaching some people a lesson."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Clearly. He hadn't expected such a straightforward answer. "Mr. Frost, I'm guessing you didn't call just to chit-chat." "Right, I heard about your cat. You must be upset. I wanted to offer some words of comfort. Don't let it get to you. It's just a cat. You can always get another one. It's only $300." "Are you suggesting I should buy another cat, Mr. Frost?"

"The company's willing to foot the bill for the cat. I just don't want you to hold any grudges over a cat. You're part of the company. We're all family here."This is from NôvelDrama.Org.

His words might sound like comfort, but in reality, he was exerting pressure using the company's power.

These people had neglected her for quite some time, possibly still viewing her as someone they could easily push around since she had no influential backing.

"So, what counts as a family then?"

Mr. Frost, interpreting Izabella's calm tone as acceptance, continued, "The company has decided to hold a press conference for you. All you have got to do is say you don't blame anyone for the cat abuse and you were planning on getting a new cat anyway. Don't worry. The company won't let you down. Once this blows over, we'll give you an endorsement opportunity."

Izabella looked calm, but her fists were clenched. Casey, sitting next to her, did not look pleased either.

"And if I refuse?"

"Izabella, don't forget, you are under contract with the company for another seven years. I can make it impossible for you to appear in any productions," warned Mr. Frost. If the soft approach didn't work, he would resort to hardball. It was a typical strategy.

Mr. Frost believed he had many ways to deal with Izabella and was convinced she wouldn't dare to breach the contract. After all, not everyone could afford the hefty penalty.

"Mr. Frost, your tactics are outdated. If you want to threaten someone, perhaps you should find someone else. Kristin and Ariana abused my cat, and I've been generous enough not to confront them directly. And now, you expect me to 'forgive' them? You're overstepping."

"So, you're refusing?"

"Indeed, I'm refusing."Izabella's voice shifted, warning him, "I've set my Twitter to private, so your old tricks won't work this time."

Mr. Frost asked gloomily, "Izabella,

are you trying to pick a fight with the company? You're just a country bumpkin with no connections or background. What makes you think you can take me on? Do you really think you and Casey are thick as thieves now? Let me clue you in. These rich folks are just stringing you along. To them, you're a nobody, just like Nathaniel. Remember that."

Casey expected his name to be kept. He was about to speak up when Izabella placed her hand on his, stopping him.

Seeing that the call was still on but nobody was speaking, Mr. Frost assumed Izabella was scared and continued to threaten her.

"This isn't just about you now. Your cat has been bad for business. Did you get that? You need to fix this, or I'll have you pay the company's losses." Keeping her cool, Izabella replied, "Don't sweat it. I'll square up with the company soon. You better brace yourself, Mr. Frost."

Hearing her cryptic words, Mr. Frost had a bad feeling, but he was too pissed off to give it much thought.

"You better realize you can't afford the penalty for breaking the contract." With that, he hung up.

Izabella didn't even glance at the phone on the table. She turned to Casey and said, "Time to get the ball rolling. Make them vanish before noon."

"Just make them vanish?" Casey's face was icy, and this was the first time Izabella had seen him angry.

Casey knew Izabella was in hot water at the company, but after hearing the call, he realized it was more than just a tough situation. The company didn't see Izabella as a person, just a pawn. "I've uncovered their dirty deals. They could go to jail."

"Leave it to you then. Where's Rachel?"

"She's on her way. Are you seeing her today?"

"No, tomorrow. We'll tackle one problem at a time."

Meanwhile, at X Entertainment's office.

After hanging up, Mr. Frost looked at a downcast Graham with contempt, "This is small potatoes. Izabella is like an ant. I don't get why you warned me about her."

"Did she agree?"

"Does she dare to say no?

Remember the paparazzi incident

with Kristin last year? She's been the scapegoat for a year now. If she had the guts, she would've fought back long ago, not waited this long. Mr. Frost took out a cigarette from the pack. Seeing this, Graham quickly lit

it for him.

Mr. Frost exhaled smoke, eyes half-closed, and said, "Weaklings don't bounce back easily. Didn't Izabella resist being the scapegoat at first? But look at her now, just another tool being exploited." Graham wanted to tell him that Izabella wasn't the same person anymore.

Izabella had the recordings, and she also had the contract termination agreement he gave her. With a single signature, she could walk away.

Graham didn't expect Kristin to stir up such a mess, even though he warned her before.

What surprised him, even more, was that Izabella knew Casey. The fuse that ignited this whole situation was Casey tweeting the video in support of Izabella, which now had over thirty million likes. Graham worried that if Mr. Frost called Izabella, she would pull out of the termination agreement right away. But Izabella didn't mention a word about it, as if she didn't agree.

This made Graham increasingly anxious, feeling like a grasshopper on the edge of a cliff, ready to be blown off at any moment.

The termination agreement was given to Izabella privately by him. If Mr. Frost found out now, he would be in deep trouble.

Was Izabella not terminating the agreement because she was afraid of Mr. Frost? Graham didn't think so. He had a bad feeling that Izabella was waiting for something. "Graham, you're Izabella's agent. You should be managing her, not the other way round."

"Mr. Frost, we should tread carefully and consider other options. Having choices is always a good thing."

Mr. Frost retorted, "Can you develop a more direct and effective PR strategy? The cat is Izabella's. If there's a problem with the cat, she should take responsibility."

"But I think Izabella has changed. She might not back down that easily."

"Don't worry about it. She's already agreed on the phone and even told me to brace myself."

That didn't sound like good news. Graham wanted to say something else, but Mr. Frost cut him off. He was confident that Izabella was helpless and couldn't escape his control, no matter how much she struggled.

"You can go now. We'll know the results by noon. She won't make a big move."