Chapter 326 Persisting Until the End
Riley’s face turned pale in an instant.
Her assistant, standing nearby, gritted her teeth, knowing that if she didn’t step up to shoulder the blame, she wouldn’t gain any benefits either.
“It was me. Freya has always mistreated Miss Freeman, and I was angry, so I went to her
room.”
The chief director frowned. “This doesn’t add up. Even if Miss Kaufmann and Miss Freeman have conflicts, why would you enter Miss Kaufmann’s room?”
The assistant hesitated for a few seconds but quickly remembered the harsh words Riley had uttered about Freya earlier in their room.
“I wanted to verify if Freya had cheated to secure first place in the preliminary round. She’s new to this industry, and I found it hard to believe she had the skills to achieve that. Plus, her relationship with Radley and Inken made me suspect there might be something fishy with her performance. So, I wanted to search her room for evidence!”
The management staff member from the organizing committee was seething with anger.
“Do you think this is just any ordinary competition?”
The assistant’s statement was essentially insinuating that the organizing committee and sponsors’ participants were colluding.
This was supposed to be the most authoritative competition in the industry, and such rumors could severely damage its reputation.
Eric Warren, the management staff member, coldly retorted, “If you question our fairness, why even bother participating?”
In the midst of this, Riley hastily interjected, “I’m truly sorry, Mr. Warren! I had absolutely no knowledge of this matter. My assistant acted without consulting me beforehand. Had I known, I would have certainly stopped her!”
Freya crossed her arms as she looked at Riley’s hypocritical appearance.
Lately, she had noticed that Riley’s assistant seemed to have no grasp of fragrance blending
at all.
Rather than serving as an assistant, she appeared more like a personal maid accompanying Riley.
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Chapter 326 Persisting Until the End
+15 Bonus
It was improbable that she had come up with those words independently; they were likely something she had heard from Riley.
However, Riley had already distanced herself from her assistant, and it seemed that the organizing committee couldn’t do much about it.
“Miss Freeman, kindly see to it that your assistant leaves the beach immediately.”
“Alright, I’ll send her away today,” Riley responded swiftly.
It seemed as though the issue might be resolved with this.
On the sofa, the chief director’s phone rang, and he immediately answered the call.
After a brief conversation on the phone, he raised his hand and said, “Please wait for a moment.”
Following the call, the director tapped his phone a few times and swiftly located a video clip. He then glanced up at Riley.
“Miss Freeman, during the incident, your assistant covered the surveillance camera in Miss Kaufmann’s room to hide her actions. Consequently, our production team reviewed the surveillance footage from your room. Half an hour before your assistant entered Miss Kaufmann’s room, you had disabled all the cameras in your room and even deactivated the audio devices. Could you please explain this?”
Eric seemed distressed upon hearing those words.
Meanwhile, other contestants in the living room looked at each other, and someone whispered, “Isn’t it obvious that they’re plotting something?”
“Yeah, Riley’s assistant is just putting on a show. How could she come up with all that?”
“The Freeman family is influential and powerful. If she doesn’t step up to take the blame, it would be seen as incompetence. Who knows what consequences the Freeman family might impose on her? Stepping in now is just a minor setback. There might even rewards down the road; after all, she’s been a loyal servant.”
Riley had been acting arrogantly, and she had made her fair share of enemies lately. The contestants’ discussions were candid, and they didn’t hold back. Riley’s face darkened as she retorted, “What nonsense are you all talking about? I was just changing my clothes.”
Freya, seated on the sofa, sarcastically chimed in, “Changing clothes? Do you need to block the audio devices for that?”
Riley clenched her hand tightly. “It’s none of your business whether I blocked the audio devices or not. If you think I conspired with my assistant and instructed her to do so, show
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Chapter 326 Persisting Until the End
me the evidence then, or else it’s just defamation against me!”
Freya nodded. “That’s indeed true.”
The assistant willingly took the blame for Riley.
+15 Borus
Riley continued to deny everything. Even though the situation had been brought to light, she couldn’t provide any evidence.
Nevertheless, it was evident to those with a discerning eye that she intended to shamelessly persist until the end.
The committee members questioned her several more times, but Riley stubbornly maintained her ignorance of her assistant’s actions.
In the end, the committee members departed with stern expressions, and the director looked at Riley disapprovingly before leaving.
“Miss Freeman, sometimes evidence may not be crucial, but everyone’s watching closely. If you wish to continue participating in the competition without tarnishing the Freeman family’s reputation, it’s best to maintain a lower profile.”
Riley pursed her lips and remained silent, feeling somewhat guilty.
The assistant quickly left, but the remaining contestants in the living room didn’t disperse. Instead, they gathered around Freya, expressing their support for her.
Riley glared at the group angrily and said, “So what if she gave you all a tiny bit of coins? You’ve turned against me for such a small favor from her! All of you really haven’t seen the world!”
Despite their open criticism, no one dared to openly challenge her, given Riley’s position as the young lady of the Freeman family.
Among the group, Leah, the least assertive contestant, suddenly spoke up. “We’re not standing up for Miss Kaufmann just because of a hundred coins; it’s because we’ve seen her character and integrity. Miss Kaufmann is a good person.”
Riley’s eyebrows immediately shot up. “What do you mean? Are you implying that I’m a bad person?”
Before she could finish her sentence, she stood up and walked toward Leah.
Leah recoiled and whispered, “I didn’t mean it that way, but Miss Kaufmann is a good
person.”
As Riley was about to reach Leah, Freya quickly picked up a glass from the table and
slammed it onto the floor.
Her swift and forceful movement resulted in a deafening crash as the glass shattered into countless pieces.
Fragments of glass scattered in every direction.
Riley was startled and exclaimed, “Freya, how dare you lay a hand on me!”
Freya sneered, her eyes gleaming coldly. “Riley, you have truly tarnished the reputation of the Freeman family. Let me warn you, if you lay a finger on Leah today, I will ensure your disgraceful exit from this villa.”
“Fighting is not allowed during the competition! How dare you!”
However, Freya paid no heed and remarked, “You must have witnessed the skills of my lovely assistant. I’m no slouch, either. While the competition prohibits fighting, there’s no rule against me giving you a one-sided thrashing, is there?”
“You’re being unreasonable!” Riley shouted.
However, she hesitated to approach Leah once more.
“Leah, come here,” Freya beckoned.
Leah promptly hurried over to Freya as if seeking refuge from escalating tension.
Riley gritted her teeth in frustration.
Seeing the situation, the people around them exchanged whispers.
“Miss Freeman, I suggest you drop it. You should be more concerned about how to explain. this incident when it’s broadcast to the public today.”
“It’s none of your business!” Riley glared at Freya and stormed off.
