Chapter 354
Chapter 354:
“Enough!” Connor barked, his voice trembling as he stepped forward to shield Delilah. “Janice is nothing without the crutch of people like you! What else is she?”
“What else?” Leah’s expression darkened, her lips curling into a predatory smile. A flicker of malice passed through her eyes as she regarded Connor with icy disdain.
Janice met her gaze, her face unreadable, but a slight nod was all the affirmation Leah needed.
With permission granted, Leah’s cold smile sharpened into something feral, untamed, and electrifying. Her voice rang out, laced with dangerous glee.
“Connor, open your eyes wide and take in the fortune you’ve foolishly thrown away. You had the keys to a kingdom, and you let them slip through your fingers.”
As her words echoed, a sudden commotion erupted. From the shadows of the venue, a surge of bodyguards flooded in.
They began to drive the fans out of the venue.
“What’s going on?”
“You can’t just kick us out!”
“This is the best drama I’ve seen in years! We’re not leaving!”
“I came here for entertainment, and I’m not leaving until I get the full show!”
The protests turned into shouts, but their defiance was short-lived. The bodyguards unleashed high-pressure water cannons, sending icy torrents crashing into the crowd.
Fans screamed as the forceful jets drenched and scattered them.
The live broadcast screens flickered off and the once-packed venue was emptied, leaving only the Edwards family and Janice’s group.
Connor, drenched and shaken, felt a sharp unease gnaw at his chest. His mind raced, piecing together the brutal efficiency of Leah’s actions.
Why such extreme measures? Was it to protect Janice’s identity?
“All this fuss!” Carman barked, her tone slicing through the rising tension. “For what? Janice is just some nobody riding on the coattails of men and her so-called friends. She’s nothing without them.”
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Leah’s smile didn’t waver; if anything, it grew sharper, her voice a silken blade. “Is that what you truly believe? How sad! Do you even know the surprise Janice was prepared to give the Edwards family upon her return?”
“Let me guess—a hand-knitted keepsake from some orphanage workshop?” Dotson sneered, unwilling to believe that Janice’s abilities far exceeded their imagination.
Leah’s laugh was soft, almost pitying, as she shook her head. “It’s heartbreaking, really. Your blindness, your arrogance. But I suppose it’s a relief for the world that Janice held back her surprise. Because if she hadn’t, Edwards Group’s market value would have soared—by a hundredfold.”
Connor burst out laughing, his amusement rippling through the room. “A hundredfold? Oh, that’s rich! What is she, some undercover mogul? Royalty? Or, wait, let me guess—JE herself?”
Leah’s smile stretched wider, her confidence unshakable. With a deliberate snap of her fingers, she delivered her bombshell with relish. “Precisely. Janice is JE.”
The laughter evaporated. A heavy, stunned silence descended, as if the air itself had been sucked out of the room.
Connor blinked, then threw his head back in roaring laughter, breaking the quiet. “Janice? JE? That’s the best joke I’ve heard all year!”
The Edwards family erupted into mocking laughter, the sound bouncing off the walls like cruel echoes.
“Saying she’s JE’s friend is already laughable, and now claiming she’s JE herself is the biggest joke of the year.” Dotson’s face twisted with disdain.
Through it all, Janice remained unmoved. Their taunts rolled off her like water off stone. She knew the truth—and she knew they’d never accept it. Their small minds were bound by their own limitations, incapable of grasping the extraordinary.
.
.
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