Chapter 279

 279:
Jude barely hesitated. He swallowed hard and nodded. “Okay! I’ll talk! I’ll clear Linsey’s name!”
“Really? And how do you plan to clear Linsey’s name?” Collin asked, his tone sharp.
Jude spoke quickly, his voice laced with panic. “This was all Kylee Russell and Cynthia Keller! I was forced into it!”
Collin’s expression hardened. His brows drew together, and the air between them turned cold. “Kylee Russell? What does she have to do with this?” The memory of the mob from earlier flashed in his mind—the way they had chased after them, wild with accusations.
So, it had all been deliberate.
Kylee. The one person he never suspected. And yet, she had been scheming behind his back all along.
Jude swallowed hard and pressed on. “Kylee hates Linsey. Cynthia told me herself—this was all Kylee’s idea. She wanted to crush Linsey completely!”
Collin remained unconvinced. His voice was steady, almost detached. “I heard Kylee got caught up in the plagiarism scandal too.”
Jude shook his head, desperation creeping into his voice. “That was just part of her plan! She needed to make it look real, so no one would suspect her! I swear, I had no choice. I’m just a designer. I don’t have fame or power. But Kylee—she’s popular, she’s got connections. I couldn’t afford to cross her. If I didn’t do what she wanted, I would’ve been done for.”
Collin studied him for a moment before asking, “Do you have any proof?”
Jude’s face fell. His fingers curled into fists at his sides. “The whole thing was handled by Cynthia,” he admitted. “She’s the one who told me.”
Collin exhaled a short, humorless laugh. “So, all of this is just Cynthia’s word? No solid proof. Just a bunch of accusations?”
Jude’s panic spiked. “NO! I swear, I’m telling the truth!” His hands trembled as he pleaded, his voice rising. “Please, you have to believe me! What do you want me to do? I know I messed up. I won’t do anything to Linsey again. Can’t I just apologize? She never plagiarized me.”
Collin said nothing for a moment.
His focus had already shifted. Right now, clearing Linsey’s name and putting an end to this slander mattered more than anything else.
As for the mastermind? He had plenty of time to deal with them.
“An apology isn’t enough,” he said finally.
Jude looked at him anxiously. “Then what do you want me to do? Just tell me, and I’ll do it.”
Collin’s gaze was unreadable. “Don’t ask,” he said coolly. “Just do as I say.”
After saying goodbye to Jude, Cynthia wasted no time. She arrived at a private, high-end villa, the kind only the wealthiest could afford.
Inside, Kylee lay stretched out on a plush massage table, eyes closed as a professional masseuse worked on her shoulders. She looked completely at ease, as if the world outside didn’t concern her in the slightest.
Cynthia stepped in quietly, her tone deliberately sweet. “Kylee.”
Without opening her eyes, Kylee spoke in a soft, lazy voice. “How’s everything going? Is the situation under control?”
Cynthia smirked. “It’s going perfectly. Linsey’s getting torn apart online. Even some of your fans are saying they want to go after her. I’d be surprised if she dares to leave her house.”
She let that sink in before adding, “Oh, and I made sure one of your most loyal fans, Allie Smith, is leading the charge. She and her group are already stirring up trouble. From what I heard, Linsey was so scared she was scrambling to hide.”
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