Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
The photo had been taken from a sneaky angle and showed Ruth without her usual makeup. Ruth’s appearance had been heavily masked by makeup before, and her style had changed so much that Jenny hadn’t even recognized her at first.
Jenny snapped a photo, posted it online, and immediately started playing the victim. “Years ago, this person stole my work for commercial gain, turning my hard-earned efforts to dust. Back then, the Turner Group punished her but also shielded her from facing jail time. Now, this plagiarist has resurfaced through this competition, and no one seems to care about the injustice I suffered. Why is that?”
Ruth’s plagiarism incident had indeed caused quite a stir back then. Before long, the news gained traction; someone quickly uncovered that Ruth wasn’t just any contestant-she was both Hayden’s student and a designer at the Turner Group.
As the details came to light, the backlash grew, with people pointing fingers at Ruth and the Turner Group. Most of the criticism was aimed squarely at Leila.
“Remember, Ruth didn’t have it easy in recent years. How did she manage to change her identity and stage a comeback?”
“Don’t you know who the president of the Turner Group is now? She hails from the Nixon family. With her connections, it’s a walk in the park to help someone like Ruth make a turnaround.”
“A plagiarist should never be forgiven. Why is she getting a chance to make a comeback? Let’s boycott Leila and the Turner Group!”
“Agreed!”
“We need to stand up for the creators!”
Despite the online barrage of curses, Leila remained unruffled. After the incident had been debated passionately for an hour, Leila finally revealed all the evidence she had meticulously gathered over the past few days.
Her release included the revelation that Ruth and Jenny were half-sisters. By laying out their respective works, it was easy to tell who had stolen whose manuscripts.
But there was more: Leila had uncovered damning evidence that Jenny’s affiliations with various welfare and nursing homes were dubious at best and that Jenny had reaped enormous profits from these questionable partnerships.
Once Leila had posted the incriminating evidence, she let out a sigh of relief. Still, a gnawing worry lingered in her mind. She was anxious that Jenny might not make a scene. Leila had analyzed the situation.
If Ruth stepped up to clear the air, some people might start questioning why she had stayed silent for so many years..
They might even wonder if she was hiding something more. But now was the perfect moment for Ruth to speak out. She was just a vulnerable girl who had been driven into a corner by Jenny.
Meanwhile, Jenny never imagined Leila had such damning evidence. It was clear that the investigation and evidence gathering against Jenny had been underway for some time, but Leila had kept it under wraps, staying silent until now. As a result, Ruth and the Turner Group endured prolonged criticism and blame.
As Jenny faced the mounting backlash in the public eye, a chill gripped her hands and feet, causing her legs to go weak. The welfare and nursing homes that had partnered with Jenny quickly asked her to clarify the matter.
However, the videos provided by Leila, filmed from a first-person perspective, were both stark and undeniable. The leaders of these institutions were on the verge of facing imprisonment.
Their facade of benevolence was nothing but a well-crafted illusion. Publicly, they posed as champions of care, luring families to entrust them with their loved ones.
In reality, they subjected the elderly and children to harsh treatment and abuse behind closed doors. They even forcibly took mentally disabled seniors and children, resorting to blackmail when families wanted their loved ones back. With Jenny’s reputation on the line, no one dared to utter another word.
Now that the evidence was out, Jenny would face any real punishment since she wasn’t directly involved in mistreating the elderly and children, but the damage had been done. Her reputation was tarnished.
The leaders of these institutions anxiously sent menacing messages to Jenny. “Jenny, you better make things right quickly, or we will take legal action. Remember, you have pocketed a significant amount from us. Don’t think you can escape this.”
“You have suggested numerous ways to torture them. Aren’t you worried that might get out?”
Fuming, Jenny fired back, “Why are you blaming me? You are all fools. Someone sneaked in, took photos, and you didn’t even realize it!”
The leader of the nursing home sneered and sent Jenny a photo. “It’s all your fault. She is your grandmother, and you didn’t even recognize her. Yet, you still sent her here-“
Jenny was at a loss for words. She stared at the photo on her phone, her fingers quivering uncontrollably, gripped by a tumultuous blend of anger and fear.
It was Tilda. Jenny rarely interacted with Tilda and had little recollection of her appearance. All Jenny knew was that Ruth and Tilda had endured hardships over the past few years. No one could have connected the elegantly dressed, rosy-faced elderly woman in the photograph to Tilda.
Back then, when Jenny’s people had found Tilda wandering the streets, Jenny assumed Tilda was an elderly woman from a wealthy family who had lost her way. However, little did Jenny know that it had all been a trap, meticulously set by Leila.
Frustrated, Jenny wondered when Leila had started planning this. She hadn’t even noticed it. Rage surged through her, and she hurled her phone aside. Suddenly, she remembered what Anna had said to her.
On that day, Anna had expressed a desire to collaborate, but Jenny had turned Anna down at the time. She could tell Anna had a huge crush on Landon and bore an air of arrogance that she found intolerable.
But now, with Landon refusing to help her and no options left, Jenny realized she might have made a mistake when saying no to Anna. After pondering for a moment, Jenny dialed Anna’s number..
The online chaos against Jenny had subsided over time. Jenny had gone silent in the past few days. After all, the evidence against her was irrefutable; any attempt at defending herself would only further embarrass her.
Jenny’s once fervent supporters, who had previously vehemently defended her and condemned anyone who doubted her, now seemed like fools. Ironically, the harshest critics of Jenny were once her most devoted fans.
Someone had even tracked down Jenny’s address, but she had already moved out by then. Amid the chaos, Ruth had taken the opportunity to clear her name, and the Turner Group had gained new fame. Even Leila had become a topic of public fascination.
When Ruth and Tilda first heard the news, they hugged each other, crying tears of relief and joy. At last, after enduring a painful period, they were finally seeing a rainbow.
Yet, Leila couldn’t shake off a feeling of unease as she looked at the strangely silent and calm Jenny. She sensed Jenny wouldn’t give up that easily. Leila was right. When Leila spotted Jenny disguised as a nurse beside Sophie, her heart jolted. Her mind went numb, and her limbs grew weak and unsteady.
Jenny no longer exuded her former vitality. Her once youthful and charming face now appeared drawn and weary, showing signs of hardship and aging.
It seemed like she was enduring a difficult time in seclusion. Despite everything, upon seeing Leila, Jenny even smiled. But the smile, plastered on her pale face, twisted into something almost menacing.
Leila soon regained her composure, fixing a steady gaze on Jenny. “Take whatever you desire, even my life, but spare my child.” Sophie seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. Despite being so young, fear flickered in her wide eyes. She bit down hard on her lip, struggling to keep herself from crying.
Jenny gripped a needle in one hand and Sophie’s infusion tube in the other, her gaze steely. “Leila, no matter how formidable you are, your weaknesses ensure you can never be truly invincible.”
“What do you want?” At that tense moment, Leila scarcely dared to breathe.
“Money? Or perhaps I can offer you an identity and help you disappear to a place where no one knows you, allowing you to live out your days in peace and contentment. You’re aware of my capabilities. Whatever you request, I can deliver,” Leila tried to persuade her.
Jenny was momentarily moved, but she quickly snapped out of it. Leila had hurt her so deeply by revealing to the public what she had done. How could she forgive Leila? It was wiser to follow Anna’s plan, as there was still a chance for revenge.
With that in mind, Jenny sneered, “Fine, I’ll tell you what I want. Let’s see if you can actually deliver.” Without a moment’s hesitation, Leila nodded. “I want Landon,” Jenny stated. “Make him come here right now.”
“Alright, I’ll call him.” Leila pulled out her phone and dialed Landon’s number. The phone barely rang before Landon picked up promptly. Before Leila could speak, his calm voice cut through the line. “Don’t worry. I’m on my way and will be at the hospital in five minutes.”
His simple, steady reassurance nearly brought Leila to tears. Landon had been keeping an eye on them the entire time.
When she first spotted Jenny, Landon’s men must have relayed the information immediately to him. And Landon must’ve dropped everything and hurried to the hospital without delay. Leila had to admit that, at times, Landon proved to be reliable.
“I’ll be waiting,” Leila replied, her voice trembling despite her efforts to stay composed. After hanging up, Landon’s determination was palpable, and he stepped on the accelerator even harder.
True to his word, Landon arrived within five minutes. He had removed his mask, revealing his slightly flawed but undeniably handsome face. The skin, usually covered by a mask most of the time, appeared paler than usual, his eyes sharp and cold, exuding a chilling intensity. Landon radiated an intense aura of hostility and dark menace, as if he had just walked out of the depths of hell.
When Landon arrived, he immediately reached out to Leila, his grip firm and reassuring, before turning his gaze toward Jenny with a steely resolve. “Here I am. So, what’s your next move?”
Jenny seemed momentarily caught off guard upon seeing Landon’s face. Her voice wavered, carrying a note of wounded vulnerability. “I just need to know one thing. That day, when you saved me and let me stay at your place, was there not an ounce of compassion or sympathy for me? I doubt you feel nothing for me!”
Landon found her question absurd and utterly ridiculous, his eyes flashing with cold disdain and disgust.
“I only helped you because you claimed to have extensive connections. I needed help in locating Leila’s grandfather. But then, I discovered your involvement with Leila. She was furious with me back then and even refused to talk. I thought you might be useful, but I didn’t expect you to be so troublesome.”
Jenny’s eyes widened in disbelief. She hadn’t imagined that Landon was only interested in her because of Leila. Her voice rose to a shrill pitch.
“Just look at her, Landon! She doesn’t even care about you at all. She knew it was dangerous for you to come here, but she still let you! What if I wanted you dead? She’d sacrifice you for her daughter without a second thought!”
Leila felt a surge of nervousness and confusion. She wasn’t sure if she would allow Landon to do it if Jenny requested this. But before Leila could find answers, Landon spoke, cutting through her doubts. “I don’t need her to make a choice. I owe them both. Even if she didn’t ask, I’d be willing to give my life. I’d do anything for them.”
Landon’s words were unwavering, devoid of hesitation or pretense. His tone was as calm as if he were stating a simple fact.
Jenny was wearing a hidden microphone, and Anna, on the other side, listened to every single word.
Seizing the chance, Landon rushed to Leila’s side. Anna had already set off to the airport. She sat in the back seat of the car, watching the city blur by through the window. Landon’s words echoed in Anna’s mind, stressing how important Leila was to him.
The ache in her chest grew sharper with each passing second. Did Landon truly love Leila that much? Enough to risk everything, even his life?
Anna clenched her fists, her eyes darkening with a storm of emotions, torn between heartbreak and something fiercer. Jenny’s heart raced in shock as she saw the fierce determination in Landon’s eyes. Fear gripped her, but all she could do was silently pray that Anna had already escaped.
Before Jenny could gather her thoughts, Landon lunged forward and seized her hand. Jenny shrieked, instinctively swinging the needle she held, aiming to stab him.
Landon sidestepped her attack with swift precision and then pinned her to the ground with brutal force. In seconds, the bodyguards closed in, restraining Jenny with ease.