Watching You Burn In Regret novel Chapter 133

"Did you get the addresses for those media companies? Where are they based?"

Seren's suspicion matched her friend's—there had to be someone pulling strings behind the scenes to stir up trouble.

Nadine answered in detail, not missing a beat.

"Yeah, I just finished checking. All those companies are based in Riverbend City. They're small, privately owned outfits. No connections to any major corporations or prominent families."

"Oh, and Seren, do you think that washed-up starlet might be holding a grudge and coming after you? If it's really her, I'll buy some dirt on her for you—give her a taste of her own medicine. Make sure she doesn't get away with it."

Nadine's tone was brimming with righteous indignation.

Seren paused, deep in thought.

"I doubt it. If she paid for hit pieces, the internet would immediately suspect her. If anyone caught her, her reputation would crash even faster. No A-list celebrity could afford to be that reckless."

"It's probably not the Powers family either… but who else could be gunning for you like this?"

Nadine instinctively ruled out the Powers family.

After all, if they wanted to smear Seren, they wouldn't bother going through a bunch of small-time companies.

Seren didn't add much more. "I don't know yet. Let's just keep an eye on things for now."

After hanging up, she sat cross-legged on her bed and scrolled through Instagram.

She'd used Instagram back in college—maybe not often, but she was no stranger to it.

Most of the smear posts had already been deleted, but with a quick search she managed to dig up a few that remained.

She skimmed through them.

The accusations were all basically the same:

Someone had dug up her debut history from three years ago and was questioning whether that painting had really been done by her at age nine.

They claimed she was a fraud, putting on a "child prodigy" act just for attention.

Seren frowned, lost in thought.

Whoever was behind this had managed to find her debut records from three years ago.

That alone proved it had to be someone she knew from Riverbend City.

And among the people she knew there, only four could possibly have a motive to buy smear articles about her:

Diana Yates, Garry, Sheridan, and Sheridan's old flame, Willa.

She'd had her share of friction with Diana and Garry, but both cared too much about their reputations to risk something this petty and malicious. They'd never stoop so low or give anyone leverage over them.

She could rule out Sheridan, too.

His family owned half a dozen media companies—if he wanted to smear her, he wouldn't have to go through a bunch of small fries.

That left one person. The answer stood out as plainly as a bald head in a crowd.

Sheridan's long-lost love—Willa, freshly returned from abroad.

"I've already had legal notices delivered to those companies. They won't dare post anything else about you. As for whoever paid them off, we're still investigating."

There was a brief silence before Seren spoke again.

"Lennon, I know who's behind this. Can you come with me to the set tomorrow? I need to confront her."

Now that she knew it was Willa—and where to find her—Seren had no intention of letting this slide. If she didn't push back, Willa would only see her as an easy target and keep escalating.

She fully intended to settle the score.

And with Lennon solidly in her corner, she had nothing to fear.

"Of course," Lennon replied without hesitation.

His voice softened. "Mrs. Crestwell, come sit over here. Let me dry your hair."

"It's cold out. If you leave your hair wet, you'll catch a chill and get a headache."

His words were gentle, each one laced with concern.

The mental image of Lennon carefully drying her hair made Seren feel both warm and awkward.

Blushing, she stammered, "You go ahead. I'll do it myself in a bit."

"But I want to dry your hair for you, Mrs. Crestwell."

Lennon's tone was gentle but laced with a quiet insistence.