The cost

Chapter 23

Mia groaned, rubbing her eyes as she picked up the phone. “Yeah? What’s up?” she answered, her voice tinged with irritation.

“Ms. Reed, please check out the trending topics. Eliot’s voice came through, unusually soft as he sensed the impatience in her tone.

“Okay” Mia then hung up. Eliot wasn’t one to panic, so whatever it was had to be big.

Mia logged into Twitter and saw the trending topic, Vulnerable Group Bullied? Woman at BBQ Breaks Innocent Man’s Wrist

The content somehow sounded familiar to Mia, so she clicked on the video.

In the video, the pervert was grinning at Mia, and the next second, she broke his hand.

The clip had gone viral, racking up countless views and a storm of comments..

The first few comments hit her like a punch to the gut. This text is © NôvelDrama/.Org.

Sunflower: [Wornen always say men are the problem, but this video proves some women are worse. This is terrifying.]

Sourcandy: [I’ve never seen such a crazy lady. She’s a disgrace to all women.]

DancingYouth: Is this staged? I’ve never seen a woman that strong]

Easygoing: [Ruthless women like this are seriously scary.]

Mia read all these comments, utterly amused, thinking. ‘Idiots. How could they judge anything from a few seconds of video” She quickly WhatsApp and sent Eliot a message: [Why haven’t you taken down the trending topic!)

Eliot texted back. It’s tricky. Someone from the Eldoria Group is pulling strings behind the scenes]

opened

Mia pondered. So, they’re making their move, huh? Let’s see who is behind all of these Then, she typed back [Any leads on who’s behind this?) Eliot (I dug into the surveillance footage from the barbecue place. Turns out, the video was uploaded by a guy who went to the same college as Kirsten]

Mia’s mind raced as she wondered, Kirsten? Seriously? After all the warnings I’ve given them?‘ She frowned, about to dive deeper into the rabbit hole, when the page refreshed, revealing another headline, “Five Men Harass Women at BBQ Joint, Stopped by a Good Samaritan and Taken to Police Station.”

And, as if that wasn’t enough, there was a retweet from none other than Matthew where he wrote, “Respect women, respect the truth. I was there.” The comment section beneath his retweet was blowing up.

Annie: [Hello everyone, I’m one of the women they harassed. If it weren’t for that brave lady, I don’t know what would’ve happened.] TastyBarbecue: [I’m the owner

er of the barbecue shop. This lady did nothing wrong. She’s innocent.]

WhistlingWind: [I was there too. Mr. Blackwood, who stood up for them, was awesome. And that lady who stepped in was also a total badass.]

Purebouls: [Looks like there are more good people than bad out there. But wait, why was Mr. Blackwood at a regular BBQ joint? Is that pretty girl his secret lover?]

Mua was shocked that Matthew would speak up for her. That was the last thing she expected. But then again, his public declaration could lead to more beadaches than help.

At Mia was lost in thought, her phone buzzed. It was another message from Eliot: Just found out this mess has Shawn Lister’s fingerprints it. He a connected to the entertainment company under Elduria Group.]

y]

Mia’s mind flatbed to the intel Logan had given her and the replied to ion (Shawn’s tight with David. Seems like David’s not ready to

ready to back down

all over

She thought, David’s gone all out against me. But when the time was right, I’ll settle the score, one way or another!

She shot a quick message Eliot (Please dig deeper into David anal his family |

With that done, Mia rubbed her temples in frustration. Just as sh

as she was about to get up, the ward door Eluabeth waltzed in her gaze as frosty as a winter morning. She swept her eyes over the room with a look that could freeze hell over, clearly

wung open with a dramatic whoosh.

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Chapter 23

seething with anger.

Her resentment was palpable, especially since Matthew had publicly backed Mia. Elizabeth’s fury bubbled up, and she practically vibrated with rage. “Mia, shame on you. Even after the divorce, you just can’t leave Mart alone!

Mia, propped up on her bed, kept her cool, an unreadable smirk playing on her lips. As Elizabeth ranted, Mia casually tapped her phone, recording

the show.

Elizabeth’s

is once–sweet demeanor twisted into a mask of malice. “Don’t kid yourself, Mia. Thinking a baby will make Matt come running back to you? For all you know, the father might not even be him.”

Mia stretched her legs, then rolled her eyes theatrically, “Elizabeth, darling, your drama is a bit much. Why don’t you show yourself out? I’m not in the mood for your theatrics.”

Elizabeth’s disdainful sneer could have sliced through steel “Quit the act! Mia, if you don’t steer clear of Man, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Mia hit pause on the recording, stood up with deliberate slowness, and sauntered over to Elizabeth with a smirk. “Are you done! Good, because now it’s my turn.

She loomed over Elizabeth, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Elizabeth, don’t mess with me. Cross me again, and I’ll make sure you pay back every ounce of blood

you owe.”

She leaned in closer, a chill in her voice as she patted Elizabeth’s face with mock tenderness, “Got it?”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened in pure fear as she bellowed inwardly, ‘She’s crazy! She’s absolutely crazy: This realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She stumbled backward, her balance betrayed by her shock, and fell gracelessly to the floor.

SIND GIT