I immediately called my assistant.
"Has CCPR noticed this? Suppress the topic immediately."
Not long after, my assistant called back helplessly.
"Director Alicia… CCPR already reported it to CEO Blackwood. They're handling it with Lilian's team."
My heart sank.
In the past, whenever something like this happened, I was always the one responsible for handling it. No one interfered.
But now that it involved Lilian, Alexander had stepped in.
It was obvious he no longer trusted me and had handed everything to Sophia.
I forced a bitter smile and silently prayed Sophia would handle things smoothly—without creating more trouble for me.But still the ache in my heart was unbearable,
Suddenly nausea rose in my stomach.
I rushed to the bathroom and threw up everything I had just eaten.
After rinsing my mouth, I returned weakly to the room and sat on the bed, trying to calm myself.after some moments I eventually returned to my senses.
Only then did I realize my phone had been chiming nonstop.
When I picked it up, I froze.
99+ notifications.
My heart skipped.
What happened now?
I opened the messages.
The first comment read:
"What kind of makeup is that? Were they all blind?"
Another said:
"Who is this Director Alicia? Why is she trying to ruin Lilian?"
"Why would Éclat Beauty hire such a useless director?"
Then another comment appeared.
"Interesting fact: Director Alicia is Chairwoman Roseline's adopted granddaughter."
"No wonder. She's only 23 and already a director."
"Director Alicia is so unprofessional."
The comments kept going.
What hurt the most was how everyone believed I only reached my position because of my adopted family.
After all the years I had worked so hard.
I couldn't keep reading.
It was unbearable.
So I began tracing the source of the rumors.
Soon I found it.
Someone had posted a screenshot from a fan group conversation.
Community Manager:
"Fans, please stay calm and avoid aggressive comments under Éclat Beauty's posts. We're all frustrated too. Lilian's makeup was perfect, but Director Alicia insisted on changing it. Since she's the project leader, Lilian had no choice but to follow the client's demand."
Someone asked:
"Isn't Lilian involved with CEO Blackwood? Can't she do anything?"
The manager replied with a 'shh' emoji.
"I can't say more."
My expression turned cold.
That manager was clearly part of Lilian's team.
Another comment appeared.
"Doesn't Alicia have Twitter?"
Another replied:
"Found it."
That explained how they found my account.
My Twitter wasn't verified.
Someone inside the company must have leaked my personal information.
The insults multiplied rapidly.
Thousands of comments.
Private messages flooded in.
Afraid of seeing more, I switched off my phone.
So this was the "solution" Sophia and Lilian's team came up with.
Shifting the blame entirely onto me.
I took my phone again.
Using the screenshots from the fan group and photos from the studio, I immediately called the studio and asked them to identify who leaked the images.
Then I called Sophia.
She answered almost instantly.
"Hello? Director Alicia. How's your rest at home?"
"Sophia, cut the act. Did you post those tweets?"
"Director Alicia, please don't be angry," she said smugly. "I had no choice. CEO Blackwood asked me to handle it. I couldn't let Miss Summer's reputation suffer, and the brand couldn't take the hit either. So… you had to take the fall."
My heart tightened at the mention of Alexander, but I kept my voice steady.
"Did CEO Blackwood tell you to do this—or was it your own decision?"
"It was my decision," she replied arrogantly. "But even if CEO Blackwood finds out, he won't do anything. Want to bet?"
I went silent.
Because deep down, I knew she was right.
I couldn't take that bet.
I had long understood that in Alexander's heart, compared to Lilian, I meant nothing.