She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 649

The angelic reputation Corinne had spent years cultivating, the very foundation of her power, was shredded in minutes, replaced by the hatred and curses of billions.

The billionaires who had participated in the hunting game were equally devastated.

Jennifer’s father, a high-ranking political figure, found himself immediately under investigation by federal authorities.

Sandro, nursing his shattered knee, and Dorian, recovering from his injuries in the hospital, had their private phones blowing up with frantic calls from their families' boards of directors.

By the time they realized the magnitude of the disaster, it was already too late.

Because of the horrific scandal, the stock prices of their respective family empires went into a freefall during pre-market trading. In a matter of hours, a combined total of ten billion dollars was wiped out.

Ten billion dollars. Gone.

"Spin it! Launch emergency damage control immediately!" a CEO roared into his phone. "Tell the press it’s a deepfake! AI manipulation! Say it’s a smear campaign created by the real killers to avoid prison! Use every resource we have. Bury this!"

The syndicates joined forces, burning through cash and calling in every favor to crush the scandal.

Their massive PR machines went to work, flooding the news cycle with carefully planted articles: *“Leaked Video Likely AI Deepfake,” “Awaiting Due Process,” “Suspect is a Known Mafia Boss—Can the Video Be Trusted?”*

They unleashed armies of paid internet trolls to flood social media with doubt, insisting it was a targeted hit piece against innocent philanthropists.

For a brief moment, the strategy worked. The sheer volume of misinformation made people second-guess what they had seen. But Loyce had predicted their exact playbook.

She hadn't just asked Lucian to extract Corinne’s grandmother. She had also had Nightingale send him an encrypted file, asking him to use his resources to help the Lonsdale family bypass the media blackout.

The Lonsdale family's global logistics empire was massive. Upon receiving the file, Forrest and Morris executed their end of the plan perfectly.

They mobilized the family’s vast resources, deploying dozens of private helicopters across the globe.

These choppers thundered over the skies of major capital cities. Their doors opened, and millions of flyers rained down upon the crowds below like snow.

"Have you seen the news?!" his lawyer yelled back. "Look at the crowds outside the precinct! There are thousands of people out there treating them like martyrs! They are global heroes right now!"

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Ayla’s condition had stabilized, and she had quietly regained consciousness.

As she lay in her hospital bed, Sagan and his wife were whispering frantically at the foot of the bed, completely unaware she was awake.

His wife was furious. "How can you say it was an accident?! How can you say that young woman is a monster?! She saved our daughter! You are biting the hand that fed you!"

Sagan looked broken. "What choice do I have?! They threatened me! They said if I don't commit perjury, they’ll make sure Ayla doesn't survive her recovery!"

He put his head in his hands. "The whole world is watching this trial. We are the only witnesses who can give them a credible alibi. If I just lie on the stand, Ayla will be safe."

"Lie about what?"

Ayla’s fragile voice cut through the room, plunging it into dead silence.