Chapter 51

What? Get Master Lunar to personally prove it?
Queenie’s head snapped up, her bright eyes shining with a newfound light. Juniper knew Master Lunar’s choreography and music so well; she must be in regular contact with her.
Oh my god. The person who lent her the dress… was it really Master Lunar?
Salma, however, remained silent, her gaze fixed on the confident girl before her, lost in thought.
…
Across town, in a luxurious villa, Yolanda lay on the sofa, leisurely scrolling through the news on her phone. It was all hate directed at Queenie, Juniper, and Aurora High School. Queenie was being called a vain poser for wearing a fake. Juniper was accused of stealing the spotlight. Aurora High was being mocked for producing students with no moral compass.
Master Lunar’s fans were leading the charge.
“The real version of that dress was bought by Master Lunar three years ago. How dare some student from Aurora High wear a knockoff to perform her dance?”
“A cheap imitation, an absolute disgrace.”
“Yes! The One already called her out.”
“They should! What did Master Lunar ever do to deserve being dragged into this mess and trending online?”
“Right? And some people are even questioning if Master Lunar’s dress is the fake one. Seriously, do these people need to get a life?”
“And that Juniper one user wrote, deliberately fanning the flames in her direction. “You think just anyone can play Master Lunar’s ‘Dawn’ on the spot like that? She was way too practiced in the video, like she’d done it a thousand times. And she’s the one who lent Queenie the dress. If you ask me, she orchestrated this whole drama herself.”
“Maybe she’s trying to break into the entertainment industry and using this for clout.”
“I have to admit, she has the face for it. So pure and beautiful, totally unique. She could probably make it big.”
“What a scheming bitch!”
Yolanda felt a thrill of satisfaction reading the deluge of hateful comments. But her eyes turned cold when she saw the praise for Juniper’s looks.
A few seconds later, she sent a message to the online trolls she had on payroll: [Post all the juicy details of Juniper’s colorful life online.]
“Juniper, you want fame? I’ll give you fame.”
In less than five minutes, new hashtags stormed the trending topics list.
#Juniper The Fake Heiress
#Juniper The Backstabber
#Juniper The Delinquent
The internet erupted again.
“She’s the adopted daughter of the Sherwin family? As in, Yolanda Sherwin’s family?”
“Whoa, Yolanda was in the same competition.”
“An insider online claims that when Juniper lived with the Sherwins, she was always stealing things from the real heiress. And in this competition, Yolanda was supposed
to be a shoo-in for first place until Juniper suddenly pulled this stunt.”
“She ate their food, lived in their house, and still bullied the real daughter? What a pathetic leech.”
“That’s nothing. I heard she did even worse things, like trying to seduce rich heirs and failing miserably.”
Soon, the internet was a cesspool of vitriol.
At the Schwartz Group headquarters, Felton burst through the door, his face grim. “Boss, it looks like Ms. Payne is in trouble.”
At his words, the man bent over his work snapped his head up, his handsome features instantly icing over.
“So that’s how she hurt her hand,” Shanley said, his voice dropping several degrees as he finished reading the online posts. She had performed with such passion; no wonder her hand had swollen up like that. The girl had chosen a seat in the back and left the moment the music ended. If she wanted to steal the spotlight, all she had to do was stand on stage to capture everyone’s attention. She didn’t need to resort to tricks.
Shanley slammed his laptop shut, his face so cold it could freeze water.
“Find out who’s behind this.”