As soon as Vivienne returned to Vellmont Lodge, she crashed into bed.
Her dreams were a chaotic blur. Faces morphed from black and white to color, from models to abstract blocks. The final scene was a speeding bullet tearing right through Aurelia's forehead.
"Boom—"
She jolted awake from the nightmare.
[Ding—]
[Warning: Current main plotline deviation at 23%.]
[Warning: At 90% deviation, the Narrative Realm will be utterly destroyed.]
Her mind went blank for a few seconds before she held her head and rolled out of bed.
Voices drifted in from the courtyard—it was Marissa talking to Aurelia.
"Miss Lia, would you like some more tea and pastries? Our young lady probably won't be waking up anytime soon. She can really sleep."
"That's alright. Just sitting out here in the breeze is nice. Did you arrange all these flowers?"
"Oh, no, I only know my way around the kitchen. Our young lady planted all of those. She doesn't like to move around much, but she takes real good care of her little plants."
Shuffling in her turtle slippers, Vivienne leaned sluggishly against the window frame. "Marissa, are you talking bad about me again?"
Marissa looked up and saw Vivienne. She slapped her forehead in panic. "Oh my! I completely forgot, I've got soup on the stove!" With that, she dashed frantically toward the kitchen.
Aurelia smiled and waved at her. "Vivi, come down."
Vivienne rubbed her eyes, quickly splashed some water on her face, and slowly trudged downstairs, yawning all the way.
"What's going on? Did Lara finally get beaten to death?"
Harming family was a huge taboo. Now that Grandpa was back, there was no way he'd let her off easy.
Finally, using her own ordeal as an example, Lara encouraged every girl currently suffering from malicious rumors:
"There is no such thing as a leaked private photo in this world. Unless you admit to it, if someone tries to prove it's your private photo, then they are actively violating your privacy, and they are the ones committing a crime."
The press conference was a textbook reversal. Not only did it yank Lara back from the brink of total ruin, but it also elevated the Arlington family's public image to unprecedented heights.
Vivienne clicked her tongue. "Who came up with this? Gotta admit, I'm suddenly seeing Lara's potential as a dark-horse Best Actress."
Anyone could hear the heavy sarcasm in her voice. Aurelia smiled in agreement. "It was Cyril."
Vivienne raised an eyebrow. A bloodless victory—that definitely sounded like the socialite's style. "So, what's Lara's actual ending?"
"She's already been exiled. I heard Grandpa found an all-girls school for her. They call it a school, but it's basically a prison. When she gets out will depend entirely on her own luck."
Vivienne gave Aurelia a look. "You don't hate her?"
"I do, but Grandpa has his own considerations. He couldn't just throw her in an actual prison; the Ravenshire family can't afford that kind of humiliation. I understand the politics behind it. Besides, you already beat her up for me, and now she's lost her freedom. She's learned her lesson."

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