Cherry's face had not changed much. She had the plastic surgery performed under the name "Cherry," and not "Kristine."
Initially, she was anxious to use the name "Cherry." But Kim told her that after her transformation, any medical history relating to plastic surgery would be cleared.
At that time, she really had no other option but to put her faith in him, trusting his advices. Over the years, the resemblance between her and Cherry drew much attention from people, who started to become suspicious. They tried to find evidence that she was Cherry, but they could find nothing.
As time passed, she started to slowly become convinced that it would be impossible for them to find any evidence.
Yet now, it seemed that something had been found.
"Miss Kristine, oh no, let me correct myself, Miss Cherry. Shouldn't you be incarcerated for the crime of murder? Why are you here? And why have you called yourself 'Kristine'?"
Hearing this particular question, the buzzing crowd stopped their chatter immediately.
The reporters had the intention to purely questioning her on her relationship with Alan and Luke. They did not anticipate such a bombshell being dropped at this occasion.
In an instant, all color drained from Cherry's face. She turned and faced the person who had uttered this weighty question. It was a plain, bland-looking paparazzo.
What on earth was happening? How was it even possible that this secret was somehow discovered?
"Miss. Cherry, if you didn't want other people to find out, you shouldn't have done it in the first place. However, you went ahead with it and, well, people talk. Here - this is evidence of your plastic surgery and that you are in fact Cherry." The man smirked and stared at her, silently awaiting her response.
Cherry looked down at the documents he had brought with him as proof of this claim. She looked at her signature on the plastic surgery consent forms, and then the pictures of her when she was released from the prison.
All at once, her legs turned to jelly and she could no longer support her own body. She almost fell to the ground.
How did this happen? How?!
What went wrong with the plan? How did they manage to source this information?
"Bullshit! You are making such fallacious claims! When I first started my career, you thought I was Cherry, and conducted in-depth research, isn't it? And what did you find, huh? I have nothing to do with Cherry. I share a surname with this Cherry person, it is Ye as well, but that is it! I am Kristine, not Cherry. I don't know what you're trying to do by saying this. You can't frame me!" Cherry shouted at the crowd and reached out to snatch the evidence out of the paparazzo's hand.
But he was too quick for her! He turned quickly, avoiding her grasp. Cherry fell to the ground. Her sunglasses slid off her face and her hair was disheveled. She was still wearing a mask but one could clearly make her out - and she was a hot mess.
"Listen, if you don't believe me, come over here and have a look at the documentation I have. Then, we can all question Miss Cherry regarding the veracity of her denial a moment ago," the paparazzo addressed the crowd and handed the forms and pictures to the others to see for themselves.
The paparazzi's eyes widened as they read the documents.
They had never thought that Kristine was Cherry in actuality.
What a bombshell...
"Miss Cherry, how did you get released from prison? And how did you become Kristine?" "Will you share your story?"
"Miss Cherry, what tactics did you employ to keep up this facade?"
"Miss. Cherry, don't you feel an iota of guilt for deceiving your fans, and the general public, so blatantly?"
It was sensational news that Kristine was actually Cherry. The news would cause not just waves, but a tsunami, in the entertainment world. Now, all that was left for the reporters was to get a comment from Cherry.
The assistant, who had been following behind Cherry, watched the scene play out in utter disbelief. She had never even entertained a thought that Cherry might be Kristine so she was also in a state of complete shock.
It was clear that Cherry had been dealt a knock-out blow and would not be able to pull herself up again. The assistant took a step back, sighing in defeat. She called Cherry's agent.
Cherry had been all the rage in the entertainment world since her debut. She was marked as the female actress with the most potential, and had already won the Best Actress award. Her future was as bright as shooting star. Yet now, it seemed her flame had been extinguished. She would be nothing in the industry after this scandal broke.
Engulfed by the crowd, Cherry sat on the ground in foetal position, covering her head with her arms. She didn't dare to raise a head and let them see her expression. She kept quiet, regardless of the comments and questions that she was being bombarded with.
Her tears fell heavily and endlessly on the ground before her. Distressed, she thought, "Oh, my God! I am really done for this time!
Now that my true identity has been disclosed, who knows what fate awaits me? Will I be arrested and put back in that hell hole? Must I spend the rest of my days in that torturous place?
No! I refuse - I refuse. But who can save me now? Who?'
Just at this moment, Anne stepped out of the court house. The sun was beating down and blinded her. Suddenly, a strong, manly hand shaded her face from above.
In the warm sun, she had titled her face upward and the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned. One could really appreciate her true beauty in this lighting. Her fair, porcelain skin seemed to sparkle. She was as beautiful as a goddess.
She didn't need to look to see to whom the hand belonged to.
"Kevin, no matter what, losing this case is simply not an option. I will not allow our company's reputation to suffer a blow. I can't let my designers down; they trust me so much," Anne said seriously, now holding his hand.
Kevin smiled. "Don't fret over this. I have enlisted the services of a few intellectual property specialists. We should hear from them quite soon."
She nodded as he continued, "Now, we just need to uncover the true villain behind this all."
Anne's eyes became increasingly colder as she thought of it all. She was a good, kind woman. She treated her employees with respect and was careful not to offend anyone, as a rule of thumb. She never thought that someone in her own team would betray her.
How could she let this traitor go?
She lowered her gaze. Suddenly, a sudden flash was caught in her peripheral vision. He looked up. Her face lost all color when she saw what was before her.
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