Chapter 862 Living The Life
So, even though she was smiling brightly in front of everyone, projecting innocence and triumph, inside, her emotions were a tangled mess. She felt lost, conflicted, even sad. She didn’t know what to do next. Would her life, and the people she loved, finally be safe? Could she really come out of her shell now and stop worrying about every little thing?
Hera wasn’t sure.
Her gaze drifted back to Alice, who had just stumbled and caught herself against the wall. Alice looked dazed, as if struggling to process how everything had unraveled so quickly. Her world was clearly collapsing, her carefully constructed persona shattered publicly, beyond repair. Even without turning around, Alice must have felt the weight of the whispers behind her, the judgment thick in the air. Her breaths came shallow and quick—she was having a panic attack, suffocating beneath the wreckage of her own downfall.
She never saw this coming. In her mind, everything was supposed to unfold exactly as she had imagined it—she would be crowned the victor of the competition, while Hera would be dragged through the mud, accused of plagiarism, and buried under a storm of criticism and public outrage. But instead, all those daggers were now aimed at her.
Alice was finally tasting fear.
She couldn’t accept how everything had turned against her. The reality was too much to bear, and in a desperate attempt to protect herself, she retreated into her own mind. Her vision blurred, the voices around her faded, and her body gave in to the weight of it all—she collapsed.
The nearby staff rushed over, quickly recognizing her condition and carrying her off to the hospital.
But there was one more person Hera had to thank—Antoine. He was the one who had captured the video of Alice colluding with the woman. By chance, he stumbled upon their scheme and took it upon himself to record the evidence, intending to warn Hera. When he realized he was a bit late, he wanted to come forward, explain everything, and show the video on the big screen. But who would have guessed that Hera already had everything under control?
Hera glanced at Antoine, who had been standing behind Alice earlier, wearing a wide, proud grin like an excited puppy. Behind him stood Alexandre, who had rushed in as soon as he heard Hera was in trouble. He had already rounded up all the staff involved in the bribery and assigned his team to gather the necessary evidence.
Alexandre was just about to step onto the stage to pull Hera behind him and present the proof he had collected—footage of Alice and the woman conspiring, and other footage that came from all over the venue to show the staff working for Alice and her co-conspirator. But Hera’s flawless handling of the situation left him awestruck. His eyes gleamed with admiration and pride as he watched her shine on stage.
It almost looked like Alexandre’s eyes were turning into heart shapes as he stared at Hera, his gaze so intense she could practically feel the heat from across the room. Meanwhile, the internet was exploding with reactions to the dramatic reversal.