Chapter 856 Fans To The Rescue
Hera didn’t take her eyes off the TV screen until Alice finished her presentation. As soon as she wrapped up, thunderous applause erupted—louder than anything heard at the event so far. The live comment section exploded with praise, calling Alice talented, humble, and a darling of the design world.
Seizing the moment, many of Alice’s fans began dragging Hera into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Accusations flooded in, claiming Hera had been making things difficult for Alice behind the scenes. Old grievances and rumors resurfaced, pushed onto the trending charts. International viewers, unaware of the full story, jumped on the bandwagon, and before Hera could even step onstage, her name had already been dragged through the mud.
Seeing the rising tide of comments on the live feed, Hera’s eye twitched in barely restrained fury. It was becoming harder and harder to believe this wasn’t orchestrated by Alice.
In the audience, Athena was visibly flustered, rapidly scanning social media across all platforms to understand the extent of the smear campaign. While she hadn’t seen Hera’s full design, she was familiar enough with Alice’s previous work to know something was off. The last time Alice presented, her design—though visually striking—was a chaotic mix of inspiration without a clear theme or personal touch. It had looked good, yes, but it lacked identity.
Now, however, the design Alice showcased was refined, cohesive, and carried a deep conceptual foundation. There was a stark difference from her usual style, so much so that the inconsistency was glaring to anyone who truly paid attention.
Without needing to think much, Athena knew that with events like this, trouble was bound to follow. So when Hera asked her to help by buying food, Athena didn’t ask too many questions.
She understood Hera was being cautious—especially now that she and Alice were standing on the same stage. In a competition like this, there could only be one spotlight, and Alice would never allow herself to be the foil to Hera. That meant Alice would likely be the one to stir up trouble.
The moment Athena noticed things taking a turn for the worse, she sprang into action. She logged in online and immediately began coordinating with Hera’s fan group, doing what she could behind the scenes. They couldn’t fight back too aggressively—that would only make things worse—but they could form a shield.
Together, they stood like a wall, trying to protect Hera from the sharp attacks being hurled at her by angry bystanders. These people, who knew nothing of the truth, were unknowingly being used like knives—cutting into Hera with every baseless accusation and cruel comment, pushing her further into the storm.