Chapter 103 Watch Out, I'll Hit You
Zachary knew what Winona was about to do, but he stayed still and allowed her to snatch the phone away.
Winona glanced at the screen; it was still locked, and only the notifications for WhatsApp and missed calls were visible.
What was Zachary doing?
Why had he been staring at his screen all this time?
Winona poked at the phone and asked, "Why are you here?"
"You've taken over my bed. Where else would I go? Or are you disappointed I didn't sleep with you?" Zachary hadn't slept a wink all night. He had clear red blood vessels in his eyes. His jacket was carelessly tossed aside, leaving him in his thin shirt and trousers. A few buttons on his shirt were undone, exuding an unusual leisure and casualness compared to his usual self.
Winona looked at him incredulously. "How can you manage to keep a refined and handsome face while saying something so shameless?"
Was that what she meant?
She was asking why he didn't just go to another room to sleep, rather than sitting on the sofa like a ghost all night long. What if he was staring at her while she slept, fantasizing about who knows what?
Even the thought was somewhat creepy.
Zachary ignored her sarcasm. "What's with the screen background?"
Winona's screen wallpaper was a hand-drawn cartoon character. That would have been fine, but the character was dressed uncannily like Zachary and was headless. Next to it was written—Watch out, I'll hit you.
"Do you really want to hit me?" Zachary asked her.
"Isn't it obvious? Don't you know how annoying you are?"
She opened WhatsApp and saw that Luke had sent her an address along with a message: Let me know if that's enough. Otherwise, I'll think of something else.
Winona put her phone away and opened the closet door.
It had been several months since she moved out. Zachary had said he would have the servants throw out her things, so she didn't have much hope of finding clothes to change into. But the outfit she was wearing was wrinkled and reeked of alcohol, so she tried her luck and found, to her surprise, that her clothes were still neatly hung in their original place, sorted from short to long, with accessories packed in sealed bags hung alongside.
Weren't these supposed to be thrown out?
Winona considered this potentially flirtatious question in her mind but didn't voice it.
She took the clothes to the bathroom, where her facial cleanser, toothpaste, toothbrush, and toothbrush cup were all intact.
After washing up, Winona left without hesitation.
She thought Zachary might stop her, so she had even prepared a response, but when he saw her coming out, he only commented indifferently, "Take the dirty bedsheets with you."
Winona sneered. She would never call Fiona a venomous snake again. Taming this bastard, Zachary, made her a veritable saint!
Winona was seething with anger. She wrapped up the expensive bedding and pillows, dragged them outside, and dumped them into the garbage bins downstairs.
Then she took a cab to the address Luke had given her—a grocery store. After explaining her purpose, she was handed a lash drive.
Back home, she plugged in the drive and found five videos on it.
Although she was aware that Layla was no good, Winona hadn't expected her to stoop so low as to scheme against others just to clinch a contract.
And it wasn't just once or twice—plagiarizing others' work, sealing their lips through coercion or bribery, and bullying her way around were all part of her routine.
Winona transferred some money to Luke; the next step was just waiting for the right opportunity.
She could have sent the videos directly to journalists and then paid for trending searches to stir up interest, but doing so would risk exposing herself, and the buzz wouldn't last.
After all, Layla wasn't a public figure. Public concern over business affairs wasn't that high, and behind Layla was the Mean Company.
However, Layla unexpectedly got into trouble before Winona could find the right moment.
Layla got into a fight with an internet celebrity, who had hundreds of thousands of followers, over a seat at a restaurant. Both were known for their bad tempers, and their argument escalated into a physical altercation.
Layla was accompanied by several menacing men who clearly meant trouble. The internet celebrity ended up with her facial implants knocked out and her bloodied face crying in pain.
Someone at the restaurant filmed the incident and posted it online, where it quickly spread. As fans sought justice for their idol, the commotion grew, and Layla became a meme spread all across the internet.
Winona messaged Luke and instructed him to release the previously gathered videos at the right time.
This was Luke's expertise—he knew exactly when to release them to maximize public outrage.
Layla tried her best to suppress the trending searches and hired internet trolls to clean up her image. But once Luke's videos were out, she lost control of the narrative. She couldn't appeal for sympathy anymore; even her residence and phone number were exposed by netizens.
As Winona watched Layla's personal information being exposed online, she was reminded of her own past hardships. She too had been scorned, with nowhere to live, huddling in dark corners of parks, fully clad yet fearful of recognition.
The cold mockery and online rumors were relentless, as were the cruel loan sharks.
She realized the situation was as pitiful as a stray dog's plight.
And yet, Layla, the chief culprit, was somewhere out there, probably enjoying herself.
Lost in these thoughts, Winona was jolted back to reality by the shrill ringing of her cell phone. She turned to look at the phone on the desk. The call was from Layla.
She didn't answer the call. It kept ringing persistently, over and over, as if the caller was determined to get through to her.
Winona was getting annoyed by the incessant calling. She was about to turn off the phone when a message from Layla came through: "Winona, if you won't pick up, I'll just wait for you at your place. Finding someone's address is a piece of cake for me."
The text was charged with Layla's fury!
This person can never change! She was reduced to a target of universal scorn, but she was still carrying herself with such arrogance.
Winona smiled and thought to herself, "Well, if that's how it's going to be, I simply won't answer!"
She switched off the phone and prepared for bed, but just as she had settled down, there came a series of loud knocks on her door.
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