Chapter 3 Acting

Sandara followed the police to the station.The meat from their farm-and the meat served at the hotel-had already been sent out for testing. Whether there was really a problem or not, they all had to wait.

Outside the station, a sleek, obsidian‑black luxury car rolled to a stop.

The hotel manager and his secretary hurried over, standing stiffly beside the door. Neither dared to open it without permission.

The tinted window lowered.

A man's perfectly sculpted, cold features came into view.

"Mr. Addams, the farm's representative is here," the secretary said.

Skylar's dark eyes flicked toward the station.When he looked away, his voice dropped to an icy chill. "If the issue came from their meat, cut ties immediately."

The manager and secretary instantly understood.

He wasn't giving the other side a chance. Just straight to the chopping block.

"Yes, Mr. Addams," the manager said quickly.

The window rolled back up, and the car pulled away.

Minutes later, the food‑safety scandal blew up online.

Every headline pointed fingers at Wellington Farm.

Marketing accounts fanned the flames, claiming Summit Hotel only bought meat from the Wellington family out of charity-and now the farm had "repaid kindness with poison," dragging the hotel's reputation through the mud.

Sitting in the station, Sandara's phone lit up nonstop.

The results weren't even out yet, but everyone already assumed she was guilty.

A cold glint flashed in her eyes before she looked up with a fearful expression.

"T‑This... this news... w‑was it you?" she stammered, voice full of hurt.

The manager kept his tone calm. "Miss Wellington, I've been right here with you, waiting for the test results."

Sandara lowered her head as if she'd just been scolded-small, timid, helpless.

She twisted her fingers, opened her lips like she wanted to explain... then shut them again.Her pretty eyes reddened, welling with tears-the kind of tears that made people feel like they were bullying a soft, harmless girl.

The manager quickly looked away. He needed his job. Sympathy wasn't going to pay his bills.

He stood. "Officers, I still need to handle the aftermath at the ER. May I leave?"

"You may," one officer said, not looking up from the computer. "We'll call you when the results come in."

"Thank you."

The manager straightened his suit and got ready to go.

But Sandara seemed to gather a burst of courage."M‑Manager... the results aren't even out yet... and you're already pushing the blame on our farm... that's not right..."

She didn't get to finish. The manager turned back and shot her a cold look, and she instantly shrank, lowering her head again.

His guilt sharpened.She wasn't wrong-they were making her the scapegoat.

But conscience wasn't something he could afford right now.

"Miss Wellington, you misunderstand. The truth will come out. We didn't spread anything," he said quickly, then practically dragged his secretary out before he felt worse.

Once they were gone, Sandara's eyes narrowed.

She wasn't stupid. For public opinion to flip that fast, someone powerful had to be pulling strings.

Interesting.

She sat down again, slipping back into her obedient, frightened act.

An officer walked over, saw her scrolling through the hateful comments, and sighed.He'd thought she was just a scaredy‑cat.Now he actually felt bad for her-she'd barely returned to the country and was already getting crushed by capital.

When no one was watching, Sandara quietly switched to Messenger.

Sandara: Ryan, pull the kitchen footage from Summit Hotel. I need to see where the problem actually came from.Ryan: Already on it. The second I saw the news, I started digging. Gimme a minute.

A few minutes later-

Ryan: Found it. Someone in the kitchen definitely poisoned the broth.Sandara: Poisoned it? Seriously? What kind of hatred is that?Ryan: I checked the guy. Worked in the hotel kitchen for thirteen years. Fired recently for messing up a dish. Probably held a grudge. Want me to upload the footage?Sandara: No hurry. Right now everyone wants my head. Sigh... Haven't been cursed out in years. Honestly? It's boring.

Ryan sent a speechless emoji.

Sandara: By the way, that Addams Corp president who offered a huge amount for medical treatment-he's tied to Summit Hotel, right?Ryan: Yeah. Summit Hotel belongs to Addams Corp. The guy in charge is Skylar Addams.Sandara: Then reject him.

Her eyes darkened. She never forgot a grudge. If he wanted help, he would get nothing.

Ryan: Got it.

Sandara locked her phone.

Five years ago, she had been forced to help five ex‑fiancés fake their deaths.That's how the "fiancé‑killer" rumor began.

But on her wedding night, her real husband had jumped to his death.And the label stuck.

Abroad, she'd finally found peace.But the second she returned, everything crumbled around her again.

A sudden wave of reporters stormed in. Cameras flashed. Microphones shoved into her face.

"Miss Wellington, is it true your farm's meat sent over a hundred guests to the hospital?"

"N‑No... no... it wasn't..." Sandara backed away, overwhelmed.

"You do realize how serious this incident is, right?" another reporter pushed.

Tears pooled in her eyes. Facing the swarm of cameras, she choked out,"It wasn't our farm's meat... it wasn't... it wasn't..."

The officers nearby stepped in, unable to watch her pale, terrified face any longer. They shoved the reporters back out the door.

Sandara hid her face in her hands-and then burst into tears.

Wow... it had been a while since she acted a crying scene with this much emotion.

She cried helplessly, heartbreakingly.

Journalists outside pressed up to the glass, livestreaming her breakdown.

The more she cried, the more convinced the public became that she was guilty and full of regret.

"It really wasn't our farm's meat... It really wasn't..."

She slowly lowered her hands, revealing her tear‑stained face.Her eyes were red, lashes wet-she looked painfully fragile.

Ryan couldn't take it anymore.Her face was gorgeous-and she was crying like someone's beating her.

His hand slipped.

He accidentally uploaded the surveillance footage online.

Meanwhile, Sandara kept up her performance like a pro.Every tear, every expression-perfect.

She was actually pretty satisfied with her acting... until she noticed all the reporters' phones start ringing at once.

One by one, they answered.And their expressions completely changed.

They stared at her, stunned.Guilt began to replace the disgust they'd shown earlier.

Sandara paused, confused.

The officers had seen the leaked footage too.Recognizing the culprit, they rushed out immediately to make arrests.

The hotel manager saw the video and knew something was very, very wrong.He called up the chain of command in a panic.

At that moment, Skylar was with his daughter when his assistant rushed in.

"Sir, the hotel surveillance was leaked. It clearly shows someone poisoning the broth."

"Find the person responsible and hand them over to the police," Skylar said with a frown. "Such a trivial matter, and they dare disturb me?"

The assistant hesitated, then took a breath.

"Uh... boss, that farm girl everyone felt sorry for online... now that the truth's out, people are blasting the hotel instead."

"Attacking us?" Skylar let out a cold laugh.

His hotel?Being targeted online?Who would dare?

He controlled the entire public narrative.

The assistant showed him the video.

Skylar glanced at the crying girl on screen-shaking, helpless, miserable.

"Her acting is convincing. If she enjoys putting on a show..." His voice dropped to an icy hush."...then that farm can disappear permanently."

***