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
me, 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 ce 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 rtionship 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 organizingmittee was seething with anger.
“Do you think this is just any ordinarypetition?”
The assistant’s statement was essentially insinuating that the organizingmittee and sponsors’
participants were colluding.
This was supposed to be the most authoritativepetition 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 apanying Riley.
It was improbable that she hade 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
nced up at Riley.
“Miss Freeman, during the incident, your assistant covered the surveince camera in Miss
Kaufmann’s room to hide her actions. Consequently, our production team reviewed the surveince
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
exin 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 shee up with all that?”
“The Freeman family is influential and powerful. If she doesn’t step up to take the me, it would be
seen as ipetence. 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 enemiestely. 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 me the evidence then, or
else it’s just defamation against me!”
Freya nodded. “That’s indeed true.”
The assistant willingly took the me for Riley.
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.
Themittee members questioned her several more times, but Riley stubbornly maintained her
ignorance of her assistant’s actions.
In the end, themittee 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 thepetition 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 red 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 ss from the table and
mmed it onto the floor.
Her swift and forceful movement resulted in a deafening crash as the ss shattered into countless
pieces.
Fragments of ss scattered in every direction.
Riley was startled and eximed, “Freya, how dare youy 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 youy a finger on Leah today, I will ensure your disgraceful exit from this
vi.”
“Fighting is not allowed during thepetition! 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 thepetition 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,e here,” Freya beckoned.
This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.
Leah promptly hurried over to Freya as if seeking refuge from escting 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 exin. this
incident when it’s broadcast to the public today.”
“It’s none of your business!” Riley red at Freya and stormed off.