"Dr. Sutton, hello. I’m Wendy’s agent. My name is Cynthia Abbott, but you can call me Ms. Abbott."

Wendy Winters’s agent wore a light blue pantsuit, with neat short hair and rimless glasses. She had the look of a powerful career woman.

She walked from the other side of the hospital bed to stand before Yvonne Sutton and extended a hand.

Yvonne Sutton had her hands in her pockets and completely ignored Cynthia Abbott’s outstretched hand.

Cynthia Abbott shook her head and smiled. "Dr. Sutton, you can’t be thirty yet, can you? So young, as expected. You act on impulse without thinking things through."

Dr. Sutton raised an eyebrow. "What do I need to consider?"

"For example, you could have talked to us before you posted that photo. We might have considered buying it from you—one or two million would have been no problem. Oh, by the way, how much is your monthly salary, Dr. Sutton?"

"So a single photo can sell for that much money." Yvonne Sutton clicked her tongue, a look of regret on her face.

"Actually, it’s not too late. You can tell the public that the photo was staged. That the real story is you have a crush on Mr. Reed and deliberately got close to him."

"And I ’deliberately’ let him hold my hand, and ’deliberately’ had him smile at me? Isn’t all this ’deliberation’ a bit too fake?"

Cynthia Abbott was still smiling. "Dr. Sutton, you don’t understand how public opinion battles are fought. The public just follows the crowd for entertainment; they don’t care about the truth. As long as you guide the narrative correctly, even the most fabricated story can become fact."

Yvonne Sutton nodded, feigning that she had been taught a lesson. "What a shame."

"A shame?"

"I don’t need the money."

Cynthia Abbott’s smile vanished. She glanced back at Wendy Winters, her expression clearly saying that this Yvonne Sutton was just as difficult to handle as she’d thought.

"I hear your parents have passed away, Dr. Sutton, and you have no other relatives in Aethelgard, is that right?" Cynthia Abbott looked at Yvonne Sutton again, no longer smiling. Her tone had hardened.

Yvonne Sutton scoffed but didn’t answer Cynthia Abbott’s question.

"No parents, no family... you have to bear everything alone. How pitiful!" At this, Cynthia Abbott’s eyes turned cold. "That’s why people like you should know their place. Don’t act all high and mighty. Don’t offend people you can’t afford to offend."

Yvonne Sutton shrugged. "So what will happen to me if I offend you?"

"You should know that this hospital is part of Reed Medical. And Wendy is about to marry Mr. Reed. Once she becomes the Young Madam of the Reed family, getting you fired will be as simple as saying the word."

"I can just get a job at another hospital."

"Reed Medical is the leader in this industry. If the Reed Family says the word, I’m confident no hospital will be willing to hire you."

Yvonne Sutton pressed her lips together.

’So they mean to blacklist me from the entire industry?’

’She thought about it. The Reed Family could actually pull that off.’

"First the carrot, then the stick." Yvonne Sutton sneered and lifted her chin. "What if I decide to stop being a doctor?"

Cynthia Abbott narrowed her eyes. "Dr. Sutton, why make things so difficult? It’s just a matter of taking the blame and getting chewed out a bit online. You’re not a celebrity, so what’s the big deal?"

"The label ’homewrecker’ is too filthy. I won’t carry it. And I would never do something so filthy!"

"You!"

That insult was pretty foul, too. Wendy Winters couldn’t hold back.

Just then, Vincent Reed arrived.

He was carrying a thermal container, which he handed to Wendy Winters’s assistant after entering. He said it was black chicken soup and told her to serve a bowl to Wendy.

At that moment, Wendy Winters let out a sob and burst into tears. She got off the bed, ran in front of Yvonne Sutton, and started to bend her knees, crying and pleading, "Yvonne, I love my career as an actress. I’m begging you, please don’t ruin me."

Yvonne Sutton scoffed. ’Just a moment ago, she had her agent threatening me. The second Vincent Reed shows up, she turns into a poor, bullied little victim.’

"I know you hate me because Vincent is marrying me instead of you. I’m sorry, I’m apologizing to you. Please, just go online and explain that photo. Don’t let those haters cyberbully me. I really can’t take it. I’m afraid I’ll try to kill myself again."

Yvonne Sutton’s anger flared. She raised her voice, "So you’re afraid of being cyberbullied, afraid of your career being ruined, so I should be the one who gets cyberbullied and has her career ruined instead? On what grounds? You’re the one who did something wrong, so you should face the consequences! I didn’t do anything wrong, so why should I have to take the fall for you?"

"Do you want me to kneel to you?"

As she spoke, Wendy Winters started to kneel, but Vincent Reed caught her and held her up.

"Vincent, help me beg Yvonne! Doesn’t she hate me for stealing you away? I can agree to it—after we’re married, she can continue to be with you. I’ll turn a blind eye and just pretend I don’t know!"

Hearing this, Yvonne Sutton absolutely exploded with rage. She couldn’t stop herself from stepping forward to slap her, but Vincent Reed blocked the blow. Furious to her core, she turned and slapped him instead.

"How dare you insult me like this!"

Vincent Reed’s face darkened. He glared at Yvonne Sutton, but when he saw the tears welling in the corners of her eyes, the words caught in his throat.

"This is bad. Someone’s leaking dirt on you!" Cynthia Abbott’s face grew darker and darker as she scrolled through her phone. "Wendy, some intimate photos of you and Stanley Lynch have been posted online. They’re trending now!"

Wendy Winters collapsed onto the bed. "Who? Who’s trying to frame me!"

Cynthia Abbott shook her head. "It’s not clear right now."

Just then, Cynthia Abbott received a private message: *You have ten minutes to clear up all the rumors about Dr. Sutton. Otherwise, I’ll release even more damaging material.*

Cynthia Abbott showed the phone to Vincent Reed and Wendy Winters. After reading it, they both turned to look at Yvonne Sutton.

Yvonne Sutton gave a derisive laugh. "Do you really think I’m capable of something like this?"

Vincent Reed sat down on the sofa, took a deep breath, and then logged into his account. He typed out a message with a flurry of keystrokes and posted it.

"Dr. Sutton and I were together for eight years, starting from when we first entered college, so all the online rumors about her are false. As for Wendy and me, I entered into a relationship with her before I had broken up with Dr. Sutton. Neither of them knew about the other. Dr. Sutton and I have now broken up, and the child in Wendy’s womb is mine. I want to apologize to both of them here. I ask everyone to stop speculating about them and please stop labeling them. They have done nothing wrong. I am the one at fault."

Vincent Reed had taken all the blame on himself. Yvonne Sutton glanced at the post and then turned off her phone.

She didn’t care what blame he took; she only cared that the rumors about her had been cleared up.

Back in her office, Mina Adler sidled up to her.

"Yvonne, are you sure there’s no one backing you?"

Yvonne Sutton was confused. "Why do you ask?"

"Those intimate photos of Wendy Winters and Stanley Lynch probably weren’t leaked by someone in the industry. Everyone’s in the same circle; you never know what dirt someone else has on you, so people don’t just go around leaking things about others. But look at whoever leaked this stuff about Wendy and Stanley. They’ve pissed off two major entertainment companies at the same time. Not only did they offend them, but they went on a total rampage, completely ignoring all the unwritten rules."

Yvonne Sutton remembered the private message the leaker had sent to Cynthia Abbott. It was clearly meant to defend her.

’But who could be backing me?’

’Could it be...’

Yvonne Sutton took out her phone, found Wyatt Shaw’s contact, and typed: *Was it you?*