Chapter 429 Stealing the Dress
Emma was momentarily taken aback, then lowered her head, her voice soft but tinged with a hint of grievance. "Phoenix, this dress is the one I gave you, but..."
"But what?" Phoenix cut her off. "Didn't you say it would look better on me? How is this my fault now? Emma, isn't it too much to treat someone like this?"
Emma raised her head, her eyes slightly red, her voice trembling. "Phoenix, I just thought that since you liked the dress, I'd let you have it. I didn't mean anything else."
Before she could finish, she seemed to accidentally let something slip, saying softly, "Although, I did leave the dress in my closet, I didn't expect you to take it yourself."
As soon as she finished speaking, the room fell silent. Everyone's eyes widened, all turning to Phoenix.
"What? Phoenix took the dress from Emma's closet herself?"
"Oh my God, that's shameless! She stole the dress and then blamed Emma!"
"Emma is so innocent. She got her dress stolen and is being forced to admit she gave it away?"
Phoenix's face turned pale instantly. She opened her mouth but found herself unable to defend against the accusations. Furious and embarrassed, she shouted , "Emma, you're lying!"
Emma lowered her head, her voice even more aggrieved. "Phoenix, I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said anything. I didn't want everyone to misunderstand you."
Though Emma's words seemed to defend Phoenix, it actually made her situation even more awkward. The audience and contestants around them shook their heads, their eyes filled with disdain.
"Phoenix doesn't deserve to be in the competition!"
"Emma is so kind. Even though she's being bullied, she's still thinking about Phoenix."
Meanwhile, the live stream viewers quickly started discussing the incident, with many condemning Phoenix.
[Phoenix is unbelievable, so shameless!]
[Her behavior is disgusting. She should be kicked out of the competition!]
As Phoenix saw the barrage of insults on the screen, his face darkened even more.
As people continued to gossip about Phoenix's dress theft, a new trending topic erupted online: #Money Was Power – Rich Girl Destroys Car, Wouldn't Compensate.
In the video, Phoenix, dressed in designer clothes and high heels, stood in front of an ordinary car, yelling impatiently at the owner.
The car owner, an ordinary middle-aged man, gritted his teeth in anger but was powerless.
The video ended with Phoenix strutting away, leaving the car owner looking helpless.
The video sparked a new wave of outrage online. Netizens flooded Phoenix's social media and live stream, launching a fresh round of condemnation.
[Oh my God, Phoenix clearly missed the memo on basic human decency.]
[How can she participate in an international competition? It's a disgrace!]
[Phoenix's actions are illegal, right? The car owner should call the police and make her pay!]
Simultaneously, the live stream's comment section was flooded with messages.
[Phoenix, get out of the competition! Someone like you doesn't deserve to be a designer!]
[Support the car owner in calling the police! Phoenix must be held accountable for her actions!]
[Someone's entitlement is showing... might want to tuck that back in.]
Seeing the flood of insults in the comments, Phoenix frantically shut it down, but it was too late. Her social media comment sections were already overrun by angry netizens, and the competition organizers had received numerous complaint calls.
Panicking, she looked around, her gaze finally landing on Jack.
Her eyes pleaded with him, hoping he would step in to help. However, Jack merely gave her a cold glance before turning away, showing no intention of helping her.
Phoenix's heart sank.
She thought, 'Jack, how could you abandon me like this? You're ruthless!'
What she didn't know was that Jack's indifference was his way of getting back at her for deceiving him and for her previous betrayal of Scarlett.
With such a sensational story, the competition organizers had no intention of letting Phoenix off the hook. For the sake of the show's ratings, they even paid to keep Phoenix at the top of the trending charts, making her scandal the focus of the entire internet.
"Phoenix's attention is so high, we can't waste it!" the staff discussed in low voices. "Since she's already the target of public outrage, let's intensify the netizens' anger and boost the competition's attention even more!"
As the online condemnation of Phoenix grew more intense, a powerful figure behind the scenes took an interest in the situation. Sitting in his luxurious office, he looked at Phoenix's photo on the screen, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
"This woman is interesting," he murmured, then turned to his assistant. "Get me all the information on Phoenix. I want to know what kind of person she really is."
The assistant nodded and left, while the powerful figure leaned back in his chair, a playful glint in his eyes.
At that moment, Phoenix stood at the center of public scrutiny, completely unaware that she had caught the attention of an unseen hand. She gritted her teeth, filled with fear and anger.
"Emma, it must be you! You set me up!" Phoenix muttered to herself.
Meanwhile, the netizens' condemnation of Phoenix continued to escalate, with some even starting a petition to boycott her. Phoenix's reputation plummeted, and she became the target of widespread criticism.
More of her background information began to surface.
Netizens started digging into Phoenix's past and quickly uncovered her past scandals.
Phoenix wasn't a professional jewelry designer; she was a student of antique appraisal.
To be precise, she had no real talent or skills.
A video of her being criticized by Otis also resurfaced.
During her years abroad, she claimed to be furthering her studies, but in reality, she was indulging in nightclubs, parties, and luxury goods, leading a chaotic personal life. Her participation in the jewelry design competition was just a media stunt.
However, the information about Phoenix kidnapping Lucas and Seraphine hadn't been uncovered by netizens, thanks to Scarlett intercepting the news. But the powerful figure behind the scenes had learned about it.
"Kidnapping? This woman is ruthless."
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes filled with amusement. "Phoenix, no morals, beautiful, ruthless—she's quite an interesting woman."
The powerful figure picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Bring Phoenix to me. I want to meet her in person."
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