Chapter 100
Alden fell silent.
"Never mind, I have faith in the way we've raised Bella. She could never be like the Zade family," Mrs. Hawke said, but even as she spoke, doubt was taking root in her mind, impossible to ignore.
She was especially worried about the possibility of Arabella siphoning off the Hawke family's resources to benefit the Żades. So, she'd started tightening the reins on Arabella's allowance.
"Let's trust Bella," Alden nodded, his voice serious. "Besides, if anything goes wrong with her right now, it could impact our family too."
Mrs. Hawke sighed, "I know, I just worry. If she were our own flesh and blood, maybe we wouldn't be facing this issue."
Alden felt a surge of frustration whenever Miranda came to mind.
"Enough, let's not dwell on this. We raised her ourselves, and what's done is done. Miranda's never going to be on the same page as our family."
At the Hawke Group's NeuraCore building, Dorian frowned upon hearing Arabella's words. It hadn't bothered him before, but now Arabella's demeanor struck him as overly dramatic.
Her possessive statement also rubbed him the wrong way. Why couldn't he have another sister? Miranda was his actual blood relative, after all.
Meanwhile, at the law firm, Alistair watched the live stream with a darkened expression.
For some reason, hearing Arabella casually speak about their connection always brought his thoughts back to Miranda. And whenever he thought of Miranda, his mood soured.
His assistant chuckled, saying, "Your sister is adorable."
Alistair gave a faint smile and replied, "Is she now."
"Wow! Who's that girl? She's stunning!" the assistant exclaimed suddenly. Alistair turned his gaze to the live stream.
On the screen, a girl in sunglasses and casual overalls walked confidently toward the recording studio.
Her high ponytail and youthful glow practically leapt out from the screen. Even with the sunglasses, her fair skin seemed to reflect the sunlight, drawing all eyes to her.
When Miranda appeared, she immediately captured everyone's attention.
"What a stunning lady!!"
"Ahhh Miranda, I've just become your fan, I adore your acting skills and looks!" "Whoa, did the show really get Miranda on board? Are they trying to stir the pot?"
"Is the show crew clueless about the beef between Bella and Miranda? What's Miranda doing here? The
crew owes us an explanation
"Naturally beautiful people don't need all that makeup!! She's just too gorgeous!"
"The show will invite anyone for ratings, won't they? No shame at all."
"She's Miss Lancaster, and who are you to criticize here?"
"Not even related by blood, just an adopted daughter."
The comments divided into three camps.
One group was the bystanders, here for the drama. After all, Miranda and Arabella, were known to be
"arch-enemies", and everyone was curious to see the sparks fly
The second group consisted of new Miranda fans, drawn in by her straightforwardness, sharp wit, and modesty.
The third group was Arabella's supporters, picking apart everything about Miranda.
They claimed she had plastic surgery, or that she manipulated President Lancaster to cozy up to the wealthy.
Simultaneously, many mysterious
unts quickly catapulting her to
began boosting Miranda's
the top spot.
Rocket donations flowed continuously. The audience was stunned. Those mysterious accounts.
Weren't they owned by the low-key yet wealthy heirs and heiresses? Was she really that popular? Was her network really that vast?