Julian Lawson instantly became alert, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he stared coldly at Silas Hawthorne. "Yes, brother, quickly stop him!" Hawthorne Two rushed over from behind. Following closely behind was June Hawthorne. Silas Hawthorne still maintained his elegant demeanor. "Whatever you want to say to her, say it here. Don’t bully her," Silas Hawthorne spoke with a smile, but there was a hint of warning in it. Julian Lawson paused slightly, his gaze shifting from Silas Hawthorne’s face to Serena Sterling, with inquiry in his eyes. Chapters fırst released on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⁂𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⁂𝕟𝕖𝕥 "Don’t think of me and her as being so vile," Silas Hawthorne spoke bluntly, "I simply admire Irene." "And me!" Hawthorne Two also stepped forward, "Everyone knows I’ve been idolizing stars for a long time!" June Hawthorne nodded in agreement. The tension in the air was palpable. "Brother Julian, you all..." Vera Hansen pitifully wanted to say something. "Shut up!" Jasper Ford was fed up and directly scolded, "I’ve never met someone as duplicitous as you!" "Jasper!" Julian Lawson immediately stopped Jasper Ford, his brows furrowed, seemingly as a warning. "Why call me?" Jasper Ford was also angry, "You’re divorcing Serena for this kind of thing, you..." "It’s my fault." Vera Hansen immediately cried out, "It’s my fault, I didn’t know Irene was..." "You!" Jasper Ford was utterly infuriated, but he couldn’t do anything about Vera Hansen, so he could only fume silently. "If you want to talk, just talk properly. Don’t whimper and cry," June Hawthorne intervened, "Didn’t President Lawson want to say something to Serena just now? Perfect, we can be witnesses and ensure no one feels wronged." All of this happened within a minute, and soon there was a fierce argument here, attracting the attention of others around. Serena found it quite headache-inducing. She looked at Julian Lawson: "As they said, if there’s anything, say it." Julian Lawson’s eyes showed a moment of sadness. He opened his mouth, seeming to want to say something, but when his gaze passed over the faces of those present, he swallowed his words. There was a silence lasting about three seconds. Serena just quietly looked at him. "Serena, can we schedule a time to talk alone?" Julian Lawson finally asked sorrowfully. Serena looked at him compassionately. Then she withdrew her gaze and said, "I just finished performing, I’m a bit tired and need to rest." Serena turned to the Hawthorne family members, smiling and thanking them politely. Then she said to Jasper Ford and Chloe, "Let’s go, I’m feeling a bit thirsty." Throughout it all, she didn’t look at Julian Lawson and Vera Hansen again. Jasper Ford also understood Serena’s intentions and said to her, "There’s prepared water in the resting room, let’s go." It was only when the group reached the side of the steps, almost stepping into the camera range, that Julian Lawson turned around and looked sadly at Serena’s thin back. "Serena." He called out to her again. But Serena didn’t turn back. With Chloe’s help, she dragged the performance attire and disappeared around the corner. Here, only the three Hawthorne family members and Julian Lawson along with Vera Hansen were left. Hawthorne Two and June Hawthorne were discussing what to eat later, while Silas Hawthorne listened as usual beside them, talking as they walked out. Meanwhile, Julian Lawson was peering down, staring at the spot where Serena had just stood, remnants from her performance attire’s plaster left behind. Vera Hansen watched all this unfold, her teeth almost gritting to pieces. Yet, she couldn’t show it, only displaying a puzzled look and said, "It’s unbelievable that Irene is actually Serena." She implied, "Wasn’t it said during the first live broadcast that she’d been injured ten days prior and couldn’t attend the rehearsal?" Julian Lawson still didn’t look at her. Meanwhile, Hawthorne Two, who hadn’t yet walked out, suddenly turned back and said with an "innocent" face, "I heard she truly got injured." "I heard she fell down the stairs or something," Hawthorne Two said, seemingly gossiping, "She was badly hurt, apparently couldn’t even get out of bed." Hawthorne Two made a sarcastic remark, "Don’t know who did it." Julian Lawson looked at the plaster marks on the ground, his fingertips trembling slightly. "Sis, you’re a woman, tell me, if you encountered this, what would you do?" Hawthorne Two continued with sarcastic talk, asking June Hawthorne beside him. June Hawthorne joined in with Hawthorne Two, saying, "What else could one do? The heart is dead; you must live well." Hawthorne Two nodded seriously. Vera Hansen was infuriated to the point of almost smoking, but held it in due to her image. Her face showed innocence as she tried to speak, but Hawthorne Two had already silenced her with his words. "The medical report Jasper Ford gave was definitely fake; you guys knew Serena’s condition ten days ago, but her injury is real." "Anyone with eyes could see clearly the state of Irene during the previous shows." Vera Hansen finally couldn’t hold back, saying, "Second Young Master, are you speaking up for her because you like her?" Hawthorne Two seemed to have heard a joke. "I do like her, what’s the problem?" He replied matter-of-factly, "Everyone knew about my star-chasing early on, right?" Hawthorne Two displayed a very surprised look. "Did I not make it obvious enough?" After saying that, he rolled his eyes and went off with his siblings to enjoy some delicious food. Here, only Julian Lawson and Vera Hansen were left. They remained silent, not speaking for a long time. On another side, the three Hawthornes had already walked out, Hawthorne Two looked at his brother, asking for credit, "Brother, how did I do!" Silas Hawthorne smiled and nodded, "Not bad." "Then reduce my workload a bit this month, I’m tired." Orion Hawthorne bargained. Silas Hawthorne gave him a smile. Orion Hawthorne immediately felt shivers down his spine. "Okay, okay..." Hawthorne Two begged for mercy, looking helpless, "Brother, why don’t you help her yourself and always use me as a scapegoat." Once they were outside and got into the car, Silas Hawthorne finally spoke, "She hasn’t agreed yet, I need to consider her wishes. Forcibly proclaiming affection to everyone is a burden to others." So, the control of scale is essential. Using Orion Hawthorne’s star-chasing as an excuse, at least she wouldn’t find it irritating. She has always been attentive to her work. "Oh..." Hawthorne Two seemed to understand, halfway. Meanwhile, Serena and the others had already sat down in the rest room. At this moment, their little group was bustling with activity. Under Quinn’s leadership, they had launched a full attack. Previously, some people questioned whether Irene and Serena were collaborating. But later, after Serena’s wonderful singing with the plaster mask removed, no one questioned it anymore. Irene is Serena, Serena is Irene, indisputable. Then they discussed the donation fraud issue. There was definitely no fraud problem with Serena in donations, but, at this time, another issue arose— "Since Julian Lawson d his and Serena’s joint marital property, then isn’t Vera Hansen the one who didn’t contribute any penny?"