Their Punching Bag Became The Storm novel Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Emily’s Guilty Conscience

Chapter 8 Emily’s Guilty Conscience

“Chase, Whitney didn’t push me. It’s not her fault. It was my own carelessness,” Emily said, her voice quivering with tears. “Please don’t let this affect how we all get along.” Chase wrapped his arms around Emily, comforting her with a gentle pat on the back, and then shot Whitney a glare. “Why can’t you be half as sensible as Emily?”

Whitney crossed her arms and stared at Emily. “What, you don’t dare talk about it? Are you afraid?”

Seeing

curse.

Whitney still pressing the issue, Chase was so furious that he was ready to

Whitney couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. “Isn’t this a live show? Why doesn’t the production team release all the camera angles from yesterday when Emily got hurt? Let’s see how she really got the scrape on her foot.”

Her tone was calm and without a trace of emotion.

“Who do you think…” Chase was about to snap at Whitney, but when he saw the cameras rolling, he forced himself to hold back.

“You think the production team has nothing better to do? Just because you said so, everyone should be busier?” he said instead.

But right as he finished, a deep, magnetic voice with an indifferent vibe cut through the room. “I think Miss Harrington’s suggestion sounds like a solid idea,” Ryan said. Chase’s face flushed bright red, as if he’d been choked, and he glared at Ryan, frustrated and resentful.

Everyone else turned their attention to Ryan, too.

No one expected Ryan to take Whitney’s side.

Ryan stood just two steps away from Whitney, bathed in the bright lights like a deity descending onto the stage.

He flashed a casual grin. “Since this concerns Miss Harrington’s reputation, I doubt the production team would want anyone to be unfairly accused on their own show.”

A crew member replied immediately, “You’re right, Mr. Pierce. We’ll dig up the complete footage right away. No favoritism, we promise.”

“No!” Suddenly, a panicked voice called out to the staff, halting them in their tracks.

Emily’s face turned pale as she gripped Chase’s arm, her eyes so red it looked like she might burst into tears any second. She pleaded, “That wouldn’t be necessary. My foot injury has nothing to do with Whitney. Chase got it wrong.”

‘They can’t check that footage,‘ Emily thought.

Chapter 8 Emily’s Guilty Conscience

Whitney was a total newbie. With a little careful steering, Whitney got trashed online Tight from the start. Almost nobody was watching her stream.

Emily had calculated the camera angles for her own stream and Chase’s, making sure she could mess with Whitney without anyone noticing.

If the footage from Whitney’s angle and all those shots of the slope got out, Emily would be totally screwed.

There was a good chance those internet sleuths would expose her for trying to push Whitney down the slope. Not only did her scheme backfire and get herself hurt, but she’d even dragged Chase down with her.

She was terrified Chase might feel sorry for Whitney after she stepped in to save him, so Emily scraped her own foot and slyly hinted to Chase that Whitney had shoved her before the fall.

Based on her past experience, this trick always worked.

Especially since Whitney was basically a mute. She never spoke up for herself or tried to explain anything.

But after that tumble, Whitney suddenly got all snarky and didn’t care about saving

Chase’s face at all.

Things had completely spiraled out of her control.

Just imagining the video going public and everyone turning on her made Emily panic.

Whitney glanced at Emily, instantly understanding what was on her mind.

In her previous life, it had played out exactly the same way.

Because Whitney refused to apologize, Chase called her out on live stream, accusing her of causing Emily’s foot injury.

And since it was Chase doing the blaming, Whitney endured it withour protest, taking all the vicious online hate and humiliation that followed.

Plus, the Andersons had a good PR team.

Emily, their little princess and absolute favorite, was stepping into the spotlight.

The Andersons were fully prepared, with a top–tier crew running the show and guiding everyone online to become Emily’s fans.

By the end of the show, with Emily’s careful plotting, Whitney’s reputation was completely ruined.

Even if someone later rewatched the show and dug up that video to defend Whitney, it wouldn’t cause any waves. If anything, they’d end up getting flamed along with her.

So Whitney exposed it in front of everyone, on live camera.

Chapter 8 Emily’s Guilty Conscience

There were plenty of eager viewers who’d rewind the stream and comb through every second.

If they caught even the tiniest clue, Emily wouldn’t still be able to keep up her flawless innocent act.

Emily obviously understood this, and that was exactly why she was freaking out.

Whitney didn’t mind stirring the pot a little more. “Emily, why are you so panicked? Are you feeling guilty? Afraid the production team might actually release the full footage of what happened when I fell down the slope yesterday?”

“I–I’m not…” Emily shook her head, her eyes red and brimming with tears, looking like she was about to burst into tears from being misunderstood by Whitney.

That was Emily’s go–to move, always acting like she was the one being bullied to get everyone’s sympathy.

Kayla Chambers, another star who’s been fawning over Emily since the start, couldn’t hold back any longer. She jumped in, “Whitney, you’re not in the same league as Emily. Who do you think you are, trying to compare yourself to her?”

Kayla was an artist under the Anderson family’s entertainment company. Knowing Emily was the Anderson family’s heiress, she played the loyal sidekick role to perfection from the moment the show started.

Hearing the commotion, she rushed over, eager to defend her queen.

“Whether your foot is actually hurt or you’re faking it for sympathy, you’ll never measure up to Emily, the Anderson family’s heiress,” Kayla sneered.

She stepped in front of Emily, her face caked in makeup even at night, looking down at Whitney with a smug sense of superiority. “Why are you always so aggressive. Are you even worthy?”

Kayla thought her act of loyalty would win Emily over.

She didn’t notice at all that Emily’s expression was growing darker by the second. Whitney let out a soft laugh, her red lips curling into a deeper, almost mocking smile. The real heiress of the Anderson family is so much more noble, isn’t she?”

Kayla, totally missing the sarcasm, put her hands on her hips and shot back, “Of

course.”

“Kayla!” Emily snapped. Her eyes were even redder now, this time from pure rage. She grabbed Kayla’s arm, her nails digging deep into her skin. “Stop talking!” Kayla’s words landed like a heavy slap across Emily’s face, especially with Whitney looking at her with that mocking smirk, Emily was so furious she could’ve strangled Kayla right then and there.

Chapter 9 Confronting Chase and Emily