At the same time, Serena Sterling also noticed something unusual. "What’s going on?" Chloe asked puzzled, "Who are these people? Why are they suddenly helping us?" Indeed, a new force appeared online, and no one knew whose side they were on. In no time, all the previous rumors had been completely wiped away. "Should we continue?" Jasper Ford looked at Serena. Serena shook her head. The outcome was already decided. Serena didn’t really need much promotion; with her strength, she could advance as long as nothing unexpected happened. However, Vera Hansen had been targeting her all along. Previously, she teamed up with Alexander Ford to suppress her quality of the video and sound, and later exposed her to baseless scandals. Based on the feedback from Quinn, they had even fabricated salacious rumors about her. Claiming she slept with the entire "Heavenly Sound" team to secure such a high ranking. What makes a woman indefensible is slut-shaming! This behavior is absolutely despicable! Serena Sterling isn’t a fool; she’d definitely fight back. Luckily, her strength crushed everything, causing these rumors to collapse on their own. Furthermore, this current force... Serena frowned slightly, finding it excessively strong. "Who could it be?" Jasper wondered aloud. "Let’s find out," Serena said, "it’s best to know these things." On the other side, Vera Hansen sent a message to Connor Goldsmith—[Can’t stop it anymore, temporarily hold off releasing the information about the miscarriage for later use.] Soon, the rankings for the fourth round of "Heavenly Sound" were released. Irene was undoubtedly the first. Followed by the rankings of the other participants. This round concluded amidst the undercurrents surging beneath the surface. Everyone exited the stage in an orderly manner. Serena was also preparing to leave, but as she brushed past Vera Hansen backstage, Vera tried to grab her hand. Serena fiercely swung her right hand, avoiding her grasp. If it weren’t for the fact that Vera was a terminally ill patient, and if there weren’t countless people watching, she would have slapped Vera already. "Irene, don’t think you’ve won!" Vera rasped under her breath. Serena sneered, "You better take care of yourself first." Chloe, the assistant, rolled her eyes, "Exactly, our Irene has things to do, don’t block the way." Chloe’s attitude towards Vera had taken a complete 180-degree turn. Initially, Chloe was somewhat a casual fan of Vera, but after witnessing Vera’s actions recently, she felt utterly disgusted! "You!" Vera glared at Chloe with hatred. Chloe was undaunted, supporting her own artist and speaking with confidence, "Now everyone online is trying to guess who has been trying to harm our Irene. Miss Hansen, instead of throwing threats here, maybe you should pay more attention to yourself." With that said, she supported Serena and left. Vera was infuriated but had no choice but to force herself to calm down. Indeed, the online discussions were heated. It was a spontaneous discussion by netizens. "It’s too bizarre; every time, the target is Irene. Who did she offend? This time someone even fabricated such horrible rumors. If it weren’t for the discerning eyes of the public recognizing Irene’s strength, she really could have been unjustly accused." Once or twice could be a coincidence, but from the first to the fourth round, it became increasingly obvious each time. Initially, everyone suspected Alexander. But Alexander wasn’t willing to keep taking the blame for Vera. He directly released a video of himself applying iodine in a hospital, along with the caption: "It’s none of my business." The video made him look rather miserably comical, somewhat pitiful. The grievance in his eyes was evident. Someone also revealed that he was pinned down in the back utility room and got a face full of dirt. Some clever netizens speculated that he intended to cut the power but was stopped by Jasper Ford. He had plans but failed to execute them and was restrained. So, although he remained a suspect, the suspicions towards him slightly diminished. As a result, suspicion circled back to Vera Hansen. After all, besides Alexander, the only one with such capability was Vera, backed by Julian Lawson. It was a process of elimination. Originally, it seemed like her victory was within grasp, with so much dirt on Irene, but things ended up . Vera concluded that the reasons were: First, the person she was blackmailing called her away at the last minute, missing the best timing to release dirt on Irene. Second, an unknown force suddenly intervened, cementing the final result, making her miss another opportunity. According to Connor Goldsmith’s observations, Irene’s people also didn’t know who they were. Vera glared fiercely at the back of the departing masked woman. So, this time, Irene narrowly escaped! But now wasn’t the time to dwell on these matters; she needed to clear her name swiftly. With this thought, Vera’s eyes turned red as she walked towards Julian Lawson. Serena, Chloe, and Jasper Ford arrived at the RV. And there they saw the three members of the Hawthorne Family waiting. The second young Hawthorne rushed over. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ ɴovelfire.net "Amazing, amazing! Irene, you surprise me with every performance! You’re simply my idol!" June Hawthorne nodded happily, then the next second reached out to tousle her brother’s hair, making him stand properly so as not to scare anyone. The First Young Master Hawthorne stood not far away, looking over. She paused slightly and said, "Just now online..." Serena wasn’t sure, so she paused. "Yeah, it was my brother who arranged it, and of course, I helped too!" the second young Hawthorne immediately answered. Serena was slightly surprised and looked up at the First Young Master Hawthorne. "Hawthorne Group invested in the show; you’re the biggest attraction of the program," he explained concisely, enlightening Serena. Thinking back, it made sense. Previously there hadn’t been any other forces helping, but just the day before Hawthorne became an advertiser, help came this time. It made sense, given the investment intended to be profitable. With that, Serena bowed deeply, "Thank you." June immediately helped her up. The second young Hawthorne also eagerly chimed in, "You’re naturally strong; it’s those people talking nonsense. I don’t even know how a music competition got tangled with all those irrelevant things!" He paused slightly, stealing a glance at Jasper Ford to his side, then at the masked woman in front of him, and whispered, "You and Jasper Ford..." Serena was truly amused by his inability to keep secrets, reminiscent of a silly golden retriever. "We’re friends and collaborators; the online rumors are untrue," Serena said. Jasper Ford nodded in agreement and added, "Yes, we’re friends, and there are other reasons not convenient to disclose now." Though Jasper Ford was interested in Serena, her intentions were clear, and he didn’t wish to tarnish her reputation. "That’s good, heh heh... ah, sis!" the second young Hawthorne was mid-laugh when June smacked him. "Don’t mind him, he’s foolish," June apologized to the masked woman. Serena didn’t think much of it; he was just a curious kid. She repeated once more, "Thank you." A nod was shared between Serena and the Hawthorne siblings and directed towards the First Young Master Hawthorne. The response was a simple "mm" as acknowledgment. After a brief conversation, the three from the Hawthorne Family departed. The exchange was perfectly timed. Serena turned to step onto the RV. Just then, a large hand pressed against the vehicle’s door. Serena looked up and saw Julian Lawson’s tightly pursed lips and dark eyes. Those eyes were fixated on her, seemingly seeking to pierce through the mask on her face.