Their Punching Bag Became The Storm novel Chapter 78

Chapter 78 The Truth Speaks for itself

Chapter 78 The Truth Speaks for Itself

Whitney stared at him, completely thrown off. She complained inwardly, ‘Why can’t he say it straight? I’m not a mind reader. How am I supposed to know what’s going on in his head?”

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s head back.” Ryan sighed, slipping one hand into his pocket as he strode off toward their place.

Whitney thought, ‘Men’s minds are impossible to read. He is so weird sometimes: She pouted, couldn’t be bothered to figure Ryan out, and jogged after him.

Neither Whitney nor Ryan noticed a thing. Though Nora had already left, the camera feeding the main screen stayed locked on them at Darian’s direction, tracking them until they finally walked off.

That screen only activated during full cast gatherings, and with the mission now complete, the other guests were filtering in from their individual streams to the group hub.

So every viewer caught the entire scene.

[Whoa, why do I suddenly smell jealousy in the air?]

[Who let the green–eyed monster out? Oh, wait, it’s my boy Ryan.]

[Is Ryan actually jealous? Is he?]

[Damn, the way he said ‘Nora‘ and ‘Elian‘ like that. I’m literally dead.]

[Whitney still looks completely clueless, and she even thinks Ryan’s being difficult.]

[So does Ryan look like he’s being forced to seduce someone?]

[Nah, his face is practically screaming, ‘Come flirt with me. Only me.‘]

[First time seeing a fake scandal debunk itself without the person even responding.]

[You can tell Darian did this on purpose. He’s helping Whitney clear her name, too.]

[Just watching their private interactions, Whitney would never seduce Ryan, let alone strip naked to seduce him as the source claimed. What kind of game is that staff member even playing?]

Darian watched the live comments rolling in on the data monitor, rubbing his chin with a self–satisfied smile. He had absolutely done this on

All he had to do was. Se. Nothing debunked a rumor faster than raw, unfiltered reactions.

keep the cameras rolling on Whitney and Ryan’s uncensored, off–script interactions. Then the

claim that Whitney had stripped naked to seduce Ryan would crumble on its own.

Darian thought, ‘Honestly, between those two, Ryan is probably the one who will have to strip naked to get Whitney’s

attention.

That thought made him smirk, but he quickly shifted gears. He needed to find that so–called staff story

who leaked

the

Every crew member on the island had signed NDAs. If he caught the leaker, he’d make sure they never worked in industry again.

Night fell.

Elian found a window to slip away from the cameras, leaning on Nora as he made his way to Whitney.

Whitney had originally wanted him to lie face down on Ryan’s bed. But Ryan said he was a germaphobe. In the end, Elian insisted he’d sit upright instead.

Whitney narrowed her eyes. “You sure?”

Elian snuck a glance at Ryan’s

Whitney shrugged. “Alright then.”

stare, swallowed hard, and nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure. It’s not that bad. Sitting’s fine.”

Elian lowered himself onto a bench with extreme caution, every inch of the movement pure torture. Whitney reached behind him and pressed a spot on his lower back. “Hurt here?”

The moment her hand touched him, Elian let out a howl of pain.

Whitney froze. She hadn’t even applied pressure yet.

But Elian was already sobbing, a six–foot–three guy crying like a wounded animal.

Whitney thought, ‘That means I have found the right spot.

“Hang in there. This’ll be quick.” Whitney looked at Nora. “Grab a towel and stuff it in his mouth.”

Chapter 78 The Truth Speaks for itself

Elian imagined the scene and immediately shook his head, tears streaming down his face. “No, I can take it.”

He thought, ‘No way I’m admitting I can’t handle this.

Whitney shrugged. “Then suck it up.”

Honestly, seeing Elian bawling like that was pretty pathetic. But since he wanted to tough it out, Whitney let him be.

Anyone who did parkour had been through pain at least as bad as this before they got to where they were now So Whitney

didn’t hold back at all.

Elian had no idea what Whitney was pressing into his back. The moment her finger landed, a blinding, gut–wrenching pain ripped through him, like his spine had been severed clean through..

His brain couldn’t even process what was happening before his mouth flew open on instinct. “I’m dying. Whitney, please, have mercy.”

Elian, this big guy, was straight–up crying like a little kid.

Nora was trembling beside Elian, terrified by the screams. She hadn’t even seen what Whitney did.

Whitney had simply placed her hand on Elian’s lower back. Her slender, pale fingers looked delicate, almost boneless, yet held terrifying power.

Nora was so shaken by Elian’s shrieks that she half–believed Whitney could snap his spine in two if she squeezed a little

harder.

Elian’s piercing screams tore through the residence, echoing across the island. They carried to the nearby gathering point where the other cast members were filming. Naturally, they bled through the mics and into the viewers‘ ears.

The viewers were confused. They thought, ‘Are we hearing things? But that sounds exactly like Elian. Is he calling out for Whitney?

Just as the viewers were trying to make sense of it, Emily glanced toward Ryan’s residence, her eyes pooling with concern. Elian went to see Whitney earlier. What on earth is happening?”

She stood up as she spoke. “Should

we go

check on him? If something happened to Elian, it could be serious.”

Her words dripped with concern for Elian. Emily figured this would win her points with Elian’s fanbase and subtly hint to the audience that Whitney was the reason behind his agonized screams.

That hint was all it took. Everyone recalled how Whitney had told Elian to come see her about his back.

trending scandal instantly put two and two together. The thought, ‘Has Whitney shifted her target to Elian? Is she taking advantage of his injury, getting handsy with him while he can’t fight back?

The viewers who’d bought into th

Elian’s screams kept coming, one another.

Forrified

Emily, who hadn’t stirred up much drama on camera today, shrank into Chase’s arms as if

She gazed up at Chase with wide, glistening and whispered, “Chase, does Whitney re

the livestream? If people get the wrong idea about her, that would be awful.”

the

is carrying into

Chase noticed that as Emily spoke, her body was trembling against him. He thought, “Back when we were at the Anderson residence, Whitney was always picking on Emily, using every trick in the book.

‘Hearing Elian’s screams must have brought back memories of Emily being bullied by Whitney.”