Love in the Limelight (Astrid and Elio)

Chapter 81

"We've got a lot on our plates. Let's vamoose." The group was set to leave, but Astrid grabbed hold of one of them by the collar, demanding with a stern voice, "Don't play dumb. I heard every word you guys were saying. Now, apologize!"

Lately, the negative press about her was piling up like dirty laundry, and she'd already traced the source back to the people spreading it, including the very guy she was holding onto! "Apologize?" The man found the request amusing. He tried to wiggle out of Astrid's hold, but she held on tight. He scoffed and retorted, "What did we do wrong? Why should we apologize to you?" Astrid replied, "I've given you a fair shot." She dialed a number on her phone, "Hey, it's me. Some folks are spreading false info about me. I'm going to sue them for defamation. I'll send you all the deets and evidence later."

The group was caught off guard by Astrid's move. The man who was laughing earlier quickly stopped and challenged her, "On what grounds are you accusing us of defamation? What evidence do you have? Quit trying to intimidate us with your lawyer!"

Astrid smirked, "According to the law, if anyone spreads rumors violating a citizen's personal reputation rights, they must bear the responsibility to cease infringement, restore reputation, eliminate influence, publicly apologize, and compensate for the loss.

She continued, "Otis, you've got a Twitter account. You've been posting false stuff about me, like thirty tweets in the past few days with over 20,000 retweets. It's seriously messed with my image. You're breaking the law. You might be facing detention and fines."

Everyone was taken aback. Before they could react, Astrid pointed to a surveillance camera behind her, "You guys were loud when you were badmouthing me earlier. It's all on tape. If you don't want to get caught, don't do dumb stuff like this. Expect a letter from my lawyer."

Selena, who stood behind Astrid, was scared stiff. She was worried that Astrid would get the short end of the stick, but she didn't expect her to be so tough and well-versed in the law. Otis was dumbfounded.

He'd been running an online account, posting false info about Astrid to draw attention. He never told anyone about it, but how did Astrid know it was his?

He knew someone who got sued and detained for posting false info about celebrities and was slapped with a hefty fine.

The thought of facing the same fate made Otis back down, "Ms. Irvine, I messed up. Please, give me another chance!"

"I already did, and you blew it." Astrid retorted, turning to leave. Otis quickly followed.

"Ms. Irvine, I really know I was wrong. You're so gentle, generous, beautiful, and kind. You wouldn't hold grudges against someone like me." Otis begged and was on the verge of tears. Astrid glanced back at him, scoffing, "Don't try to guilt trip me. Yes, I'm beautiful, but I'm not kind. I hold grudges. I won't let you off the hook."

A hush fell over the crowd at her words.

Selena was totally gobsmacked. Astrid usually seemed so soft-spoken, but she'd shown such a tough side. It was awe-inspiring.

"Astrid, you're so cool!" Selena looked at Astrid with admiration. Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the FɪndNøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Astrid raised an eyebrow, "Don't fall for me; it won't end well."