Revenge Begins: Reincarnated as a Hated Idol!-Chapter 77: The Unveiled Reckoning

Neil, sitting in his study, looked at the watch on his wrist, which reflected the time as 7 pm.

’Only an hour’s left in the news broadcast.’

His thoughts were anxious.

Now that his secretary had left, he no longer had to pretend to stay composed about the current situation.

He was contemplating how to deal with the predicament he found himself in.

Since Ember wasn’t picking up her phone, it was clear that she was determined to go against him and Titan Crest Entertainment.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that he couldn’t stop the broadcast no matter what.

If the threat of being blacklisted by Titan Crest Entertainment and its celebrities didn’t stop Ember, then there wasn’t anything Neil could use to force her to stop the broadcast.

She was the granddaughter of the Sun Group’s chairman after all.

He wouldn’t think of hurting her even in his dreams. Hurting her was akin to suicide.

Her grandfather, the chairman of Sun Group, was one of the most powerful and richest men in the country. In front of him, Neil was akin to an insect.

Sun Group’s foundation ran deep, with connections extending to even the president of the country. In front of them, Neil found himself severely lacking.

So, if he could not stop the broadcast from happening, then only one choice remained for him—

Minimize the impact of the evidence against Lucian so that Titan Crest Entertainment wouldn’t be affected severely.

Yes, the evidence would hurt Titan Crest Entertainment and its reputation deeply; however, the one at fault was Lucian.

If Neil simply passed all the blame on Lucian, making him the scapegoat, then Titan Crest Entertainment could escape unscathed with minimal damage.

He only had to sacrifice his ambition to acquire Lucian’s father’s shares, and that would solve everything.

Since he had a plan of action, he decided not to delay the preparations any longer.

He first called Iris.

Iris was in a meeting with Ethan and usually wouldn’t pick any call; however, Neil’s calls were an obvious exception.

She excused herself from the meeting and picked up the call.

"Iris, get the legal team to prepare divorce papers for Lucian and your divorce." Neil instructed coldly.

"What? But why?" Iris was unaware of the broadcast and thus was surprised.

"Ask your secretary. She will fill you in on everything," Neil said before ending the call.

He needed to make a few more calls and instruct his subordinates to be ready to put up an explanation as soon as the broadcast exposed Lucian.

Actually, Aren had wanted Neil to discover the broadcast beforehand. It was one of the reasons he posted the promotional video of his interview.

If he wanted, he could have stayed silent, letting the news air without anyone knowing about it beforehand.

Sun News could simply rerun the news several times to turn it into national-level news.

However, he chose to let Neil discover it on his own—to watch him scramble, to let panic seep in slowly rather than strike all at once.

He must have felt all-powerful in all these years.

He had gotten Aren killed with a single order, flaunting the influence and power as the chairman of Titan Crest Entertainment.

However, in this moment, he could do nothing to stop the news from airing. All his connections were suddenly useless. For the first time in a long while... he was powerless.

And that was exactly what Aren wanted.

More than the fall itself, Aren wanted him to feel it—the slow, suffocating descent. To know what was coming, yet be utterly incapable of stopping it.

After all, getting struck by lightning would only cause you a few seconds of agony; however, knowing it would strike in an hour, feeling each second drag as dread coiled tighter around your chest...

That was true torment.

...

Soon, the clock struck eight.

Aren and Lisa sat side by side on the edge of the bed in his hotel room, the muted glow of the television painting their faces in shifting light.

On the screen, the logo of Sun News gleamed in the top right corner as the ongoing advertisement faded out, revealing the same white room in which the promotional video was shot.

But something was different.

There were no chairs.

Viewers anticipated the chairs to be brought in shortly; however, they were greeted with footsteps, not heavy like a man’s, but instead the sharp clicks of heels of a female.

In the frame walked in Linda Thorn, confusing the viewers.

Since the promotional video featured a different reporter, they expected to see the same reporter here as well.

Linda looked straight into the camera, a solemn smile spreading across her face.

"I’m here to tell you why Aren Frost and Lisa Vern were replaced from their drama so suddenly."

The camera framed her from the waist up, steady and unflinching.

Her voice was measured—neither loud nor soft, but perfectly controlled. The kind of voice that didn’t ask for attention... and yet commanded it effortlessly.

And her words did the rest.

"They were replaced because they offended a powerful agency, resulting in their blacklist from the entertainment industry."

A ripple of shock spread through the unseen audience.

Linda paused, letting the weight of her statement settle before continuing, her smile deepening ever so slightly.

"You might be wondering—which agency? What did they do to offend them? Do I have proof?"

A beat.

"I have answers to all of those questions."

Her gaze sharpened.

"And I will be revealing everything in this broadcast. So stay with me until the end... because this is not just news."

A faint breath.

"It’s a scandal that will shake the entire entertainment industry."

And then, she began.

Piece by piece, the truth unraveled.

—Lisa signing with Titan Crest after To Your Heart’s finale

—getting pressured by Lucian to sleep with him

—Threats he gave to Lisa to make her agree

—Aren saving her from her manager and then coming up with a plan.

"As evidence," Linda continued, "we have a full audio recording of what transpired after Lisa entered Lucian’s room."

The screen shifted.

A new video began to play.

Inside a car, Aren and Linda sat in the front seats, the audio echoing through the speakers. Lucian’s voice. Lisa’s voice.

Then, on national television, the whole interaction between Lucian and Lisa was exposed.

Moreover, after Lucian went to bring the wine, the screen revealed the recording from Lisa’s spy cam, providing the video proof as well.

The whole country watched Lucian falling into his own trap and jumping on Lisa with a frenzied expression.

And then—

Falling to the floor, clutching his groin.

Meanwhile, the recording from Aren’s side was also shown from time to time in cuts, making it feel like watching a movie.

Soon, the screen showed:

—Aren rushing into the hall

—Lisa stumbling into his arms, crying from fright

—Aren caressing the back of her head, comforting her gently.

After this heartwarming moment, the screen returned to Linda standing in the white room as she pressed her lips:

"Not only did he try to r*pe Miss Lisa. After I went to question him, he sexually assaulted me as well."

The screen returned to the evidence video, showing Linda getting pulled into Lucian’s clutches as he sexually assaulted her; however, the video was censored to not let Linda face any embarrassment.

In the conclusion, Linda clarified Aren’s relationship status as well:

"In the promotional video, it was promised to reveal Lisa and Aren’s relationship status. We will not renege on our word."

The screen revealed the article by Aris Kest, highlighting the pictures taken by her.

"These pictures are from the time when Aren rescued Lisa from her manager and took her to this hotel to ask her about her situation. Lisa had cried, and Aren tried to comfort her, resulting in the lipstick marks on his shirt and Lisa’s disheveled hair."

Linda smiled.

"So, they are not dating—yet."

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(A/N - Thanks for reading. ^..^)