Chapter 104 Turning the Tide
Finished
So back in the Westwood Mountain tunnel, when Easton came across Julia lying on the ground-
His first instinct wasn’t to help her. It was to wonder if she might be the one Jean warned him. about–someone who could cause serious damage.
He was instantly on guard and turned on his voice recorder.
It wasn’t a big deal. Just a precaution.
If nothing happened afterward, all the better.
But if Julia really did plan to spread lies and cause trouble, he’d have concrete evidence to defend himself.
Sure enough, things unfolded just like Jean had predicted. Julia didn’t hesitate to twist the story and smear him.
But Easton wasn’t flustered–not one bit. This time, he had the upper hand. The tragedy from. before wouldn’t repeat itself.
“How’d you even think to start recording?” Jean had been sitting in silence for a while, deep thought. But she couldn’t help asking the one question that had been eating at her.
in
Easton set his phone down and looked at her with a faint, amused smile. His voice was gentle.
“Maybe it was divine intervention.”
There was something cryptic in the way he said it, like his words had layers.
Jean stared at him. “Can you talk like a normal person for once?” she asked, not bothering to hide the exasperation in her tone.
Easton let out a soft laugh. “I don’t know,” he said with a shrug, his face catching the afternoon light from the window. “Maybe it was a flash of inspiration. Or a total coincidence. Either. hit record… didn’t expect it to come in handy. Guess you could call it fate.”
way,
1
Jean gave a dry laugh. “Wow. That’s basically a whole bunch of nothing. Classic.”
Easton just smiled and didn’t say anything more.
His phone buzzed. A new message from his agent popped up on WeChat:
“Evidence has been submitted to the lawyers. You can post now.”
Easton glanced at it, opened Twitter, and began typing his third tweet of the day.
Most celebrities had teams that managed their social media accounts, but not Easton. He handled
mueruthing himself
Chapter 104 Turning the Tide
The tweet read:
Finished
“To Julia, and everyone else who joined in spreading lies and causing harm–I’ve collected all the evidence and passed it on to my lawyers. The internet is not above the law. Everyone will be held accountable for what they say and do.”
The moment that tweet went up, Easton’s fans absolutely exploded.
“Easton you’re so badass, this is exactly how you deal with haters.”
“Finally, Easton! You’re standing up for yourself!”
“Oh my god this is SO satisfying. Hit them where it hurts!”
Julia’s still a minor… not sure if she’ll face charges, but I hope she gets what’s coming to her.”
“Standing ovation. You’re amazing, Easton!”
“It’s over for Julia, right? There’s no coming back from this.”
“She still hasn’t tweeted anything. If she were innocent, she would’ve responded the second that audio dropped. Her silence says it all.”
“Julia, you liar. I cried over your sob story. You played us. You’re disgusting.”
“Easton I was wrong to doubt you. I’m sorry for ever questioning you.”
“If you ever doubted Easton, you were never a real fan. Just leave.”
“That was beautiful. I feel so damn vindicated.”
“I’ve waited so long for this moment. You didn’t let me down.”
“The more I think about it, the more pissed I get. Julia is such a snake.”
“Julia, karma is coming for you. You lied–you deserve everything you get.”
“Please tell me this is the final plot twist. Can we be done now?”
“I’ve been glued to this mess all day. Haven’t done a single thing at work.”
“Absolute chaos. I live for this drama.”
At that point, hashtags like #Easton, #EastonRecording, and #EastonClarifies were all trending at the top of Twitter.
He’d used just three tweets to completely flip the narrative. Nearly everyone now believed he was
innocent
Chapter 104 Turning the Tide
Finished
All those people who had been supporting her, sympathizing with her, praising her strength? Gone. Replaced by waves of doubt, rage, and disgust.
“Julia, you there? Hiding like a coward? Come out and explain yourself.”
“Did you hear the audio, Julia? Got anything to say?”
“Gone quiet now, huh? What happened to all that drama?”
“Staying silent won’t help you. Easton’s got lawyers involved. You’re not walking away from this.”
“You’re seriously not gonna say anything? This proves everything.”
“What the hell is wrong with you? What did Easton ever do to deserve this?”
“Easton literally saved your life. You turn around and try to ruin his? You’re despicable.”
“Trash. You don’t deserve the spotlight.”
“You’re thirteen and already this manipulative?”
“Get down your knees and apologize to Easton. Without him, nobody would even know who
au at, Julia? I thought you loved posting. Cat got your tongue?”
played everyone’s sympathy. You’re dead to me.”
O
Julia stared at the nonstop flood of notifications, her phone trembling in her hand.
Her face was pale, her whole body tense with panic.
She bit down on her lip. A sick feeling churned in her stomach.
The backlash hit harder than she’d expected.
She shut down the app, unable to keep looking.
Why the hell did Easton have that recording?
How could he possibly have thought to hit record in that moment?
It didn’t make sense. It felt downright eerie.
She couldn’t believe it. She’d actually lost–because of some bizarre recording.
If it hadn’t existed… I would’ve won.
Chapter 104 Turning the Tide
Everything had fallen apart.
Her reputation was in ruins. The entire internet hated her. And she’d made enemies with someone powerful–someone with serious influence in the industry.
The entertainment world had just slammed its doors in her face.
Who would ever dare hire her again?
Julia sniffled hard. Her eyes were red, tears threatening to fall.
And then her phone rang.
She glanced down and saw the name on the screen. Her eyes widened slightly.
It was a familiar name.
Julia’s feelings were suddenly a tangled mess.
