Lilian panicked for the first time since she returned.

Especially when one terrifying

thought surfaced in her mind—

Had Alexander already discovered the truth behind her kidnapping?

Her face instantly turned pale.

No... impossible.

He couldn’t find out.

He absolutely could not find out.

If Alexander ever learned that Daniel Caldwell had been the one behind the kidnapping back then—

And discovered why it happened—

Everything would be over for her.

Lilian was still panicking over what to do next when another trending topic suddenly appeared online.

Kendra’s arrest.

The moment she saw the leaked photos of Kendra in handcuffs, her breathing nearly stopped.

"No... no! How is this happening?!"

She frantically scrolled through the comments, only for her expression to grow uglier and uglier with every line she read.

The internet had completely turned against her.

Her private messages were flooded with insults.

People mocked her endlessly.

Even some fans who once supported her had begun distancing themselves.

Left with no other choice, Lilian’s team hurriedly released a public statement online.

But the backlash only intensified further.

Lilian clenched her phone tightly, her fingers trembling.

As long as Alexander continued believing her kidnapping had happened because of his mistakes...

He would still feel guilty toward her.

And as long as that guilt remained, he wouldn’t completely withdraw his support for her career.

That was her only advantage left now.

But how could she possibly give up?

She had spent years planning all of this.

There was no way she would back down so easily.

Taking a deep breath, Lilian quickly dialed a number.

Soon, the call connected.

"Brother..."

Lucas Summer’s cold voice came through the phone.

"I’ve seen the news."

"Brother, this can’t continue," Lilian said anxiously. "Everyone’s attacking me now. I’m completely alone."

Lucas let out a cold laugh.

"You knew this could happen the moment you involved yourself with a married man."

His tone was merciless.

"You should actually be grateful Alexander didn’t publicly call you out directly. That means he still has some regard for you."

Lilian bit her lip tightly.

"Then what should I do?"

"What other choice do you have?" Lucas said matter of factly

" Return overseas?"Lilian said panicked

"No."

Before Lucas could answer, Lilian’s eyes suddenly darkened with determination.

"I didn’t come back after all these years just to leave empty-handed."

Her voice turned colder.

"The future mistress of the Blackwood family can only be me."

This time, Lucas finally smiled faintly.

"Now that’s the Lilian I know."

Lilian immediately caught the hidden meaning in his tone.

"Brother..." she asked carefully, "you already have a plan, don’t you?"

"Mm."

Lucas’ voice remained calm.

"But it depends on whether you have the courage to go through with it."

A dangerous smile slowly appeared on Lilian’s face.

"I’ll do anything..."

Her eyes filled with hatred.

"...to get rid of Alicia Sinclair."

Alicia’s POV

Monday morning.

When I woke up, the other side of the bed was still cold and untouched.

Alexander still hadn’t come home.

I stared at the empty space beside me for a few seconds before quietly looking away.

After yesterday’s chaos online, I hadn’t checked Twitter again. I simply didn’t want to keep seeing posts related to Lilian anymore.

But the moment I unlocked my phone that morning, a new trending topic immediately caught my attention.

#BlackwoodDominionWarehouseFire

My brows furrowed instantly.

A fire had broken out overnight at one of Blackwood Dominion Enterprises’ warehouses located in B City.

According to the preliminary reports, one security guard had died, three people were injured, and another employee was still missing.

The most disturbing part was that the missing employee had supposedly been seen inside the warehouse before the fire started—yet no trace of him had been found afterward.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation.

Several videos filmed by nearby bystanders had already spread across the internet.

Towering flames swallowed the warehouse as thick black smoke billowed into the sky. Firefighters rushed frantically through the scene while emergency sirens echoed nonstop in the background.

The scale of the fire looked terrifying.

I unconsciously tightened my grip on my phone.

Blackwood Dominion Enterprises had already been standing at the center of public scrutiny recently because of the scandal involving Alexander and Lilian.

Now, with a fatal accident added on top of everything else, public opinion exploded almost immediately.

The comment section was filled with mockery, anger, and conspiracy theories.

Some people directly blamed Blackwood Dominion for poor safety management. Others deliberately tied the incident back to Alexander’s personal scandal, claiming his "moral corruption" reflected the company itself.

As public resentment toward wealthy corporations continued growing, several different rumors regarding the cause of the fire began spreading online.

And every single version pointed fingers at Blackwood Dominion Enterprises.

Certain clickbait accounts aggressively fueled the situation, reposting unverified information and deliberately stirring public outrage for traffic.

Soon, the atmosphere online became increasingly hostile.

Even after Blackwood Dominion’s official Twitter account released a formal statement promising full cooperation with the police investigation, the backlash didn’t lessen at all.

"Blackwood Dominion Enterprises is fully cooperating with authorities regarding the warehouse fire in B City.

The injured employees have been sent for treatment, and support is being provided to the affected families.

As for the missing employee, preliminary findings suggest he may have fled the scene during the fire outbreak. Authorities are still conducting an active search."

The statement was instantly drowned beneath waves of insults and accusations.

"A person died, and they’re still talking like robots."

"What do you mean ’may have fled’? Are they trying to shift responsibility already?"

"Of course the rich would protect themselves first."

A few rational users tried urging everyone to wait for the official investigation results before making assumptions.

But those voices were quickly attacked as well.

Anyone defending Blackwood Dominion was immediately labeled a "capitalist puppet" by the furious crowd online.

The internet had completely lost its sense of reason.

And for the first time since the scandal began...

A strange sense of unease slowly crept into my chest.

Because somehow—

This incident felt far more dangerous and deeper than any of the issues we’ve been facing.