CEO’s Regret After I Divorced (Serena and Ryan) novel Chapter 157

Chapter 157: Chapter 157 She should withdraw from the competition

Serena’s POV

I nodded slightly when Ethan approached me about the news. "Yes, I saw it. You’re aware of it too, Mr. Quinn?"

Ethan settled into the seat beside me, his face clouded with displeasure. God, he seemed genuinely bothered by this whole mess.

"It’s ridiculous how these people fabricate stories," he grumbled. "You’re clearly not that type of person. I’ve already ordered an investigation."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised he cared so much. We’d only just met, yet here he was, rushing to defend my honor. "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Quinn."

"It’s the least I can do. This is San Francisco—practically my territory. Anyone pulling stunts like this won’t get away with it." His jaw tightened as he spoke.

I waved dismissively. "Don’t get worked up. I’m used to baseless gossip by now." Reaching over, I handed him the participant list a staff member had given me earlier. "Here’s the lineup for the first half. Take a look."

Ethan accepted the paper, scanning it briefly before setting it down. His eyes returned to me, studying me with an intensity that made me slightly uncomfortable.

"Once the semifinals are over, the competition will be wrapping up soon. Are you planning to return to New York immediately after?"

I shook my head. "I haven’t decided yet."

"About our potential collaboration," he leaned forward slightly, "why don’t we put that on the agenda? After the competition ends, we could sit down and discuss details properly."

His eagerness caught me off guard. I studied his face, trying to read his motivations. "Mr. Quinn, we’ve only just met. Why do you trust me so readily?"

Ethan seemed startled by my directness. He glanced away momentarily, looking almost... embarrassed?

"These past few days, I’ve gotten the sense that you’re genuinely talented. I’ve heard about Dreamland Jewelry’s reputation. A partnership between us actually makes perfect business sense."

He met my eyes again. "And regarding collaboration, I trust your abilities and your character."

His compliments warmed me more than I expected. There was something about Ethan that felt comfortable, natural—like we’d known each other much longer than a few days.

Some connections form instantly, while others never develop despite years of trying. Perhaps this was one of those rare, immediate bonds.

The atmosphere at the semifinals was noticeably tenser than the preliminaries. I found myself being more cautious with my evaluations, weighing each word carefully.

The livestream chat quickly filled with trolls.

[Who does Lazuli think she is? Just a somewhat famous designer—what qualifies her to judge others?]

[It’s all about connections! Didn’t you see yesterday’s news? It got suppressed within hours. If that’s not having powerful backing, what is?]

[Her sugar daddy must have paid to kill those negative stories. How charming!]

[Listen to her critiques—nothing but empty words.]

Some comments with sensitive words got filtered, which only fueled more outrage from the trolls. My fans jumped in to defend me, and the chat devolved into utter chaos.

But what I didn’t know at the time,Georgina watched the disorder unfold on her screen, unable to contain her glee.

"You did well with this. What a delightful mess," she told her assistant, who pressed her lips together without responding.

Georgina shot her a glare. "Go check on my work. My presentation’s this afternoon. Stop looking so miserable—you’re ruining my mood!"

The assistant nodded and hurried off to ensure everything was ready.

Meanwhile, Georgina kept her eyes fixed on the screen, occasionally adding fuel to the fire with comments from her alternate account.

What started as targeted attacks soon erupted into full-scale arguments as legitimate competition viewers became irritated and joined the fray.

By the time the first half of the livestream ended, nobody cared about the results—they were too busy tearing me apart.

The viewership numbers had increased dramatically, but not in the way the organizers had hoped.

Mr. Brook stared at his screen, his face rigid with dismay. "How did this happen?" he sighed heavily. "Control the comments immediately! If this continues, we’ll have to cancel the afternoon broadcast."

He’d wanted publicity, sure, but not this toxic kind that threatened the competition’s reputation.

Unaware of the online drama, I massaged my stiff neck after leaving the stage.

Checking my phone, I saw Ryan had messaged just minutes ago saying he’d arrive soon.

I decided to wait in the green room, letting my mind wander as I replayed the morning’s events.

The contestants had shown promise, but something felt off about the whole competition atmosphere.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but tensions seemed to be brewing beneath the surface—and somehow, I suspected I was at the center of whatever storm was coming.

---

Author’s POV

Ethan Quinn had intended to approach her for a chat but suddenly recalled what his assistant had mentioned earlier that morning.

As he made his way back to the break room, he glanced at the livestream replay on his phone, his expression darkening considerably.

On the screen were clear chat logs between her assistant and a tabloid reporter, including explicit instructions on spreading the malicious comments. Georgina’s body stiffened, her smile crumbling.

"This... this wasn’t me!"

"It appears... it was my assistant," Georgina recovered quickly, immediately shifting blame. "Mr. Quinn, please don’t accuse me unfairly. This was clearly her doing alone!"

Ethan drew a deep breath, his patience clearly wearing thinner by the second.

"Wait here, Mr. Quinn. I’ll call my assistant right over and find out why she did this."

Georgina turned and hurried to find her assistant, who was waiting in the car. She immediately grabbed the young woman’s arm and twisted it viciously.

The assistant nearly cried out in pain. "Miss Georgina, what’s wrong? What did I do?"

"They found out about everything. How could you be so careless?" Georgina hissed through gritted teeth.

The assistant froze. "How is that possible..."

"When we go back, you’ll take full responsibility for everything. Understood?"

Meanwhile, Ethan had returned to the break room and sat down next to Serena.

"What happened? You looked pretty angry," Serena said with a slight smile, unable to resist her curiosity.

Ethan nodded and explained the whole situation, showing her the evidence his assistant had just uncovered.

"So all this was Georgina’s doing?" Serena looked puzzled. "I don’t understand—what beef does she have with me?"

"How do you want to handle it?"

Serena raised an eyebrow. "Georgina works for LUXE Jewelry. It doesn’t seem appropriate for me to decide her fate, does it?"

"There’s nothing inappropriate about it. Someone like her won’t be working for LUXE anymore, I assure you," Ethan said with righteous indignation that seemed entirely genuine.

"In that case, I think she should publicly clarify the truth, and then..."

Serena paused, seemingly weighing her options.

The door to the break room swung open as Ryan Blackwood arrived.

"And then she should withdraw from the competition," he finished her sentence decisively.