Chapter 265 Aren't You Sick?
Pearl felt a bit let down when she realized Oscar really didn't know.
She shook her head. "Nothing."
Oscar didn't push it.
Pearl turned away, avoiding his gaze.
But she noticed how calm he looked.
She wondered, 'How could he not know he's Magee? Did he forget that part of his past? Even if he did, shouldn't he remember his old name? Where did things go wrong?'
The more she thought about it, the more stuck she felt. Her headache got worse.
She closed her eyes, trying to stop thinking.
Oscar tucked her in, watched her until she fell asleep, then quietly left.
He checked his phone—over a dozen missed calls.
He called back, looking serious. "Mr. Brown, the company's stock dropped because of Haley's incident. We couldn't reach you. What should we do?"
Oscar hadn't dealt with it yet. "Any news on Haley?"
"No, she hasn't contacted us since the bad news broke."
Oscar thought for a moment. "If she can't fix this, terminate her contract."
The person on the other end was shocked. "Are you sure?"
Oscar, with one hand in his pocket, replied coldly, "Her actions hurt the company and my family. She has to face the consequences."
"Got it."
Haley's scandal had hit the company hard.
Cutting ties with her was the best way to minimize damage. She needed to learn her lesson.
Oscar had done all he could and wasn't going to protect her anymore.
Haley was with Jeffery, lying in a hospital bed after surgery, still recovering.
When she got the news, she was stunned. The company had left her to fend for herself.
They wouldn't help clear her name or buy marketing to shift the focus. What could she do now?
Was she supposed to bear this shame alone?
Haley gripped her phone, furious at the online comments.
"You can leave now," Jeffery said, tossing his gloves in the trash.
Haley's face turned icy. "Leave? I have nowhere to go. Even the company won't help me, and I'm being trashed online!" She was losing control, refusing to accept this fate.
Jeffery sipped his coffee, looking at her calmly. "You still have Oscar. He started an entertainment company for you; he should protect you."
Haley clenched her fists, smiling bitterly. "Nonsense."
She looked out the window at the gray sky, matching her mood. "Maybe he did it for me at first, but people change. When I'm in trouble, no one stands by me."
"It's always like this!" she snapped. "No one can tolerate me!"
Jeffery watched her silently.
"No, I won't be defeated. I can be famous. Once I'm at the top, no one will look down on me!" Haley got out of bed.
She knew she could only rely on herself.
Seeing her about to leave, Jeffery said, "I'll walk you out."
Haley didn't respond; she needed to figure out how to handle the bad press.
Haley knew she had to shed these burdens to make it in the entertainment industry, and then the company would back her up.
As she walked out, someone quickly recognized her. "Isn't that the lying Haley?"
Panicking, Haley covered her face.
"That's her, she's feeling guilty!"
Despite wearing sunglasses and a mask, she was recognized.
Soon, a crowd surrounded her.
"How do you still have the nerve to show your face?"
"Shameless! You wouldn't have done such awful things if you had any decency!"
"Liar! Leading your fans to bully others—you deserve hell!"
Haley, pale and trembling, tried to explain, "I didn't cyberbully anyone, and I didn't lie."
Someone threw dirt at her from a flowerbed.
Terrified, Haley covered her head.
But Jeffery stepped in, using his coat to shield her.
The dirt and leaves didn't touch her.
Haley, shocked but feeling safer, followed Jeffery's lead.
Security guards intervened to stop the crowd.
Once they reached a safe spot, Jeffery let go of Haley, took off his coat, and tossed it in a trash can.
Haley, still shaken, said, "So many people hate me. They want me to go to hell!"
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Jeffery reassured her, "There will be a way."
Haley looked at him, desperate. "What way do I have left?"
Jeffery smirked. "Aren't you sick?"
Haley was confused at first, then it clicked.
The next morning, Pearl turned on the TV and saw Haley holding a press conference.
Haley, looking haggard with a bandaged ear, spoke into the microphone. "I know there are misunderstandings about me. People think my hearing loss is fake and that I caused cyberbullying. I've let everyone down, and I apologize."
She bowed deeply, showing sincerity.
Then she started crying. "My hearing loss was due to surgery. It's not fake. I am actually ill."
Pearl watched, realizing Haley had found a way to handle the situation.
Haley explained she had surgery for a condition causing noises in her ears, affecting her sleep and causing pain.
She didn't expect her hearing loss to be exposed.
She cleared Magdalen's name and shifted the blame to Chloe, claiming Chloe had spread false information for publicity.
Since she was recovering from surgery and hadn't been following the news, it took her a while to respond, for which she also apologized.
She took full responsibility and bowed three times.
Some might think Haley's attitude was good and choose to forgive her, even feeling she took the blame for others.
But there were skeptics too.
Still, she had minimized the damage.
As Pearl watched the news intently, someone knocked on the door. Thinking it was Oscar, she opened it, only to be stunned by who she saw.
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