CHAPTER 167
Rochelle slammed her tablet down on the table, her frustration evident. “These keyboard warriors are just mindless followers. They latch onto whatever’s trending and start pointing fingers. It’s infuriating! I swear, I want to track down every last one of them and give them a piece of my mind!”
Arianna glanced at the tablet’s screen, bracing herself for the harsh comments she knew would be there. However, the level of vitriol surprised her.
Netizen 1: [Every time there's news about this Arianna person, it’s just shocking. Once, maybe, but twice or more? There’s got to be something seriously wrong with her!]
Netizen 2: [I agree. I saw a video of Arianna with several random men. It’s definitely real. The actress who tried to cover for her was probably just trying to protect her. With money, you can fix almost anything!]
Netizen 3: [What a horrible person with such a flawed character. No wonder her own parents can’t stand her and decided to expose her. If I had a daughter like that, I’d be ashamed to even call her mine. What a disgrace to her family!]
On the other hand, a few more reasonable netizens commented, [Don’t take everything at face value. There might be more to this story that we don’t know about.]
However, those who defended Arianna were quickly attacked by another wave of netizens, who accused them of being cyber mercenaries hired by Arianna herself, or even Arianna trying to defend her reputation. The supportive comments were soon deleted under the intense backlash.
If someone else had made such allegations against Arianna, people would likely be waiting eagerly for a turn in the narrative. Yet, when her own parents made these accusations, the public was more inclined to believe them. Everyone took to the internet to express their outrage, pretending to be champions of justice while spewing vitriol.
If Arianna's resolve had been any weaker, the relentless online abuse might have driven her into seclusion.
Fortunately, Arianna had developed a resilient spirit from enduring similar scorn from Xander. The harsh comments from the netizens seemed trivial in comparison.
She reassured Rochelle, “Don’t let it get to you, Chelle. We don’t need to take these comments too seriously.”
Rochelle, distressed by Arianna’s calm demeanor, wondered how much hardship Arianna must have endured to stay so composed. She had once been known for her fiery temperament.
Rochelle got up, went to the kitchen, and retrieved a bottle of chilled mineral water from the fridge. She downed the entire bottle in one go, hoping it would help soothe her agitation, though it did little to calm her.
Returning to the living room, Rochelle sat down and said with a steely calm,
“Arianna, your parents orchestrated this to publicly humiliate you and turn everyone against you. Their goal is to force you back into their control, make you depend on them, and exploit you financially. They’ll also try to manipulate Charlie to keep you under their thumb.”
Arianna nodded in agreement. “I’m on the same page.”
Rochelle then asked, “What’s your plan for handling them?”
It was clear that Simon and Margaret had played their cards well, leveraging public opinion to their advantage. They acted decisively, capturing the moment to sway the narrative in their favor.
From the public’s perspective, Arianna’s credibility and integrity were now in question. It would be challenging to convince anyone of her side of the story if she attempted to clarify things.
The onslaught of online trolls would likely intensify, claiming she was unrepentant, making it nearly impossible for her to clear her name.
In the realm of the internet, spreading rumors was far easier than dispelling them.
Ignoring the situation was not an option. If left unaddressed, Arianna would face ongoing harassment from the reporters, and Charlie would continue to be troubled.
Rochelle was aligned with Arianna's thinking. To effectively counterattack, they needed a decisive strategy. Finding the perfect solution in that moment was challenging.
After a period of silence, Rochelle suddenly said, “Hey Arianna, there’s actually a really simple way to handle this.”
Arianna was quiet, but her eyebrows lifted when Rochelle suggested a solution.
Rochelle assessed the situation and said,
“You know what to do, right? If your real husband, Xander, publicly acknowledges your marriage, it would instantly dispel all the rumors about you having an affair and leading a scandalous life. With a husband like Xander, no one would believe the accusations against you.
“It’s the same for all those baseless claims. Xander just needs to speak out. As your husband and someone who shares your life, his support would undermine your parents’ allegations. Compared to them, Xander—as the CEO of the King Group—would lend far more credibility to your defense.”
"Additionally, as your husband, Xander should step forward to defend you against these rumors. Don’t you think your parents are emboldened because they believe Xander won't come forward to support you?"
Rochelle's points were all spot on, with each statement hitting the mark.
The reason the accusations against Arianna had stirred such public outrage was that her supposed actions had violated moral standards.
The difficulty in defending herself stemmed from her lack of credibility. After all, she was seen as a nobody. Furthermore, her public split with Xander and the damage to her reputation had left her in a precarious position. With so many negative headlines against her, proving her innocence without strong evidence seemed nearly impossible.
Thus, the most straightforward and effective solution was to have Xander step in.
Arianna realized this clearly, but the thought hadn’t crossed her mind until now.
She opened her mouth and asked, “Chelle, if you were in my situation, would you go to Xander and ask him to intervene?”
Rochelle laughed softly at the question and replied without hesitation,
“Absolutely, I would.”
