Filed to story: Mia Bowen and Timothy Barrett Novel
the renowned Mia Bowen.”
Despite managing a forced smile, an underlying unease persisted within Mia. As she returned to her seat, her emotions remained far from uplifting.
The persistent twitching of her eyelid only intensified her niggling feeling that this matter was far from over.
The next day, the studio was flooded with complaints, coinciding with a troubling revelation on Twitter.
“Allegations against Mia Bowen, a renowned designer, suggest she secures high¨Cend home design contracts through questionable means.
“This led to a confrontation with the client’s family after allegedly administering drugs to an elderly client.”
This post swiftly went viral, accumulating a significant number of retweets.
In the morning, Mia was abruptly awakened by Gina. “Mia, are you still sleeping? Hurry and check what I sent you! Someone is spreading false rumors about you!”
Upon hearing Gina’s urgent words, Mia instantly snapped awake.
She swiftly grabbed her phone, and as her eyes scanned the headline, anger coursed through her, causing her hands to tremble.?
Clicking on it to inspect the contents, Mia turned pale with fury, exclaiming. “None of these allegations are true!
“I understand, but in today’s age, netizens tend to trust what they can see. Mia, have you offended someone? Should we consider involving the authorities?”
“I have a hunch about who might be responsible.”
Following the call, Mia took a brief pause to compose herself.
She reached out to Nathan. On the other end, his voice was raspy, suggesting he might have just woken up.
Suddenly, Mia recalled the time difference between Nord City and Bern City, and a pang of guilt swept over her.
“Nathan, sorry for disturbing your sleep.”
“Hey, Mia. No worries at all. What’s going on? Do you need my help urgently?”
Mia hesitated for a moment and then asked, “Nathan, could you assist me in identifying someone’s Twitter ID
right now?”
“Sure, whose ID are we checking?”
Mia sent him the tweet, stating, “I want to find out who this anonymous poster is.”
Nathan’s lingering drowsiness swiftly vanished when he saw the headline, his face pale.
“Don’t worry, Mia. I’ve got this!” he reassured.
Who dared to spread rumors and tarnish Mia’s reputation?
Nathan swiftly rose from his bed, opened his computer, and started calling each of his five brothers one by one.
On the other end, voices filled with irritation erupted. “Nathan, it better be something urgent! Why on earth are you calling so early?”
“Nathan, have you lost your mind? Why the early morning call? Are you on a mission to ruin my sleep?”
Nathan’s expression remained impassive. “Someone is spreading malicious rumors about Mia. It’s blown up into a major headline, causing quite a commotion in Bern City.
“Mia reached out to me for help, asking me to trace the identity of the anonymous poster. Can you sleep soundly while knowing Mia is going through this?
Nathan’s words instantly triggered an alert among the brothers on the other end of the phone.
As Dominic read the tweet, an uneasy expression settled on his face. “Jason, does your legal team know what steps to take?” he inquired.
With a stern demeanor, Jason replied. “I’m aware. It’s crucial that we apprehend the anonymous poster and put them behind bars. I won’t tolerate such behavior.”
Without delay, the five brothers embarked on an investigation, determined to unravel the truth behind the malicious rumor.
Following the call with Nathan, Mia found herself restless, grappling with a pounding headache that robbed her of a tranquil night’s rest.
In the morning, she freshened up and headed to work, considering it was a weekend with no scheduled classes.
As Mia stepped into the office, she noticed a significant number of people present.
However, upon entering the studio, an unusual silence enveloped the space, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere.
Mia was aware of the reason behind this unsettling ambiance.
Wilhelmina sneered, “Well, well, well, look who decided to show up. Are you oblivious to the widespread rumors surrounding you?
“Many studios are reaching out, questioning whether our studio’s success is merely a result of female designers trading favors.
“How do you suggest the women in our studio maintain their dignity amid such speculation?”
Regaining her composure, Mia responded, “Just like yesterday, these allegations are nothing but baseless rumors. I’ll be reporting it to the police.”
Upon the mention of “reporting to the police”, a tinge of guilt crossed Wilhelmina’s expression. After all she was the one who had drugged Keegan.
Yet now, she was deflecting all the blame onto Mia.
If Mia decided to make a report, would Wilhelmina’s actions eventually come to light?
Nonetheless, with Shelly in mind, Wilhelmina felt a surge of confidence¨Cperhaps there wouldn’t be any complications, would there?
Without hesitation, Wilhelmina fired back. “Who can say for certain? What if it’s just a case of crying wolf?
Your presence in the studio is undeniably affecting us.
“So, what’s your suggestion for dealing with this situation?”
The rest of the female designers mirrored equally solemn expressions. Indeed, rumors like these were precisely what women feared the most.
Stepping out of his office, Felix wore a displeased expression. “Mia, I didn’t anticipate this situation escalating to such an extent. It’s having a significantly adverse impact on the studio.”
Mia gave him an apologetic glance and reassured him. “I understand. I’ll take care of it.”
Suddenly, her phone rang, and for a fleeting moment, she assumed it was Nathan calling.
However, upon checking the caller ID, it turned out to be a call from Timothy.
This unexpected twist caught Mia off guard. She glanced up at Felix and said, “Sorry, I need to take this call.”
Entering the pantry area, she answered, “Hello?”
*Is making headlines your new hobby, Mia?” Timothy quipped sarcastically.
Seated in his office chair, Timothy scrutinized the trending topic on his computer screen with narrowed eyes, a hint of coldness in his gaze.
The headline revolved around Oakside Villa, the same place Mia had contacted him a few days ago without offering a clear explanation.
Indeed, it appeared that the occurrences at the villa that day went beyond a simple game of truth or dare.
There was a momentary silence on the other end of the phone as Mia muttered, “Do you think I wanted to do this?”
“So, you’re backing down now? Weren’t you the one full of courage back then? Truth or dare? Let’s keep the story going!” Timothy shot back.
Despite his persistent efforts to uncover the truth, he came up short.
However, the trending topic now made one thing evident¨CMia’s call that day was a cry for help!
It seemed that she had a tendency to be ambiguous with her words.
With a smirk, Mia retorted, “So, now you know. If your intention was to mock me with that call, consider your mission accomplished.”
With that decisive declaration, she abruptly ended the call.
Timothy was furious. Glancing at his phone and then at Heath beside him, he exclaimed, “Is she really that heartless? I shouldn’t have reached out to her!”
Timothy had already extended an olive branch to Mia. Why didn’t she simply express her need for help?
During her previous call seeking Timothy’s assistance, she had employed sweet talk, consistently addressing him as “darling” to win him over.
With a hint of hesitation, Heath asked, “So, Mr. Barrett, what should we do now?”
“Must I spell it out for you? Get that trending topic taken down!” Timothy snapped, his frustration evident.
Heath immediately complied, but before long, feedback from his subordinates reached him.
Heath seemed perplexed as he reported, “Mr. Barrett, there’s already been a request for the removal of the trending topic on their end, and the popularity has dwindled.”
Wearing a stern expression, Timothy inquired, “Who made the request?”
“It was Mr. Linden Lane from Nord City, also known as Liam.”
Upon hearing that name. Timothy’s mood turned sour. “Why are you just standing there? Keep investigating who’s behind all of this.”