"Look at the comments under those videos. They're calling her the biggest slut in Sterling City—no shame, throws herself at any man who'll have her."
"Now look at your comment section. Nothing but praise for how clean and pure you are, a lotus untouched by mud. Isn't that exactly what I wanted?"
Nausea churned up from the pit of my stomach.
I bowed my head, eyes falling to the delicate diamond bracelet on my wrist, and unclasped it without a second thought.
Two hours ago, Clyde had fastened it on me himself.
A proposal gift, he'd called it. He'd gone down on one knee to give it to me, his voice and his expression so reverent.
Anyone watching would have sworn he was desperately in love with me.
Funny—with skills like that, he was the one who deserved an award in the entertainment industry.
I forced the tears back, clenching the bracelet so tight the links bit into my palm.
From inside the garden, their voices drifted over again.
"So when are you going to tell her the truth?"
Victoria's voice was thick with grievance. "The backlash online is already at full boil. She's being torn apart. Are you really going to keep this up?"
"No rush."
Clyde ruffled Victoria's hair, indulgent.
"My mother hasn't completely softened up yet. Let Deidre keep playing her part a little longer—once my parents fully accept you, I'll toss her."
"By then her reputation will be in the gutter, and my parents will cut their losses for the sake of the family name. You marrying into the Gilbert family will just fall into place."
"But..."
Victoria bit her lip, voice dripping with tender concern. "Poor Deidre, though. She doesn't have the faintest idea what's really happening to her."
Clyde let out a cold scoff, then reached over and tapped the tip of Victoria's nose.
A single laugh, dripping with the kind of contempt that made your skin crawl.
"Our Victoria, always so kindhearted."
"Deidre Morton? She's nobody. Some random model from some backwater town who spent three years scratching around Sterling City's elite circle without a single thing to show for it."
"If I hadn't picked her, she'd still be in some back-alley booth pouring drinks and kissing up to people, trying to claw her way into the industry. I gave her resources. I gave her the title and the spotlight of being my girlfriend. She should be on her knees thanking me."