CHAPTER 326: CHAPTER 326: BOYCOTT

The words were filled with venom, but Rose was not finished. Suddenly, she thought of someone, and her expression brightened.

"Theodore," she whispered, almost to herself, before she laughed again. "Yes. That boy is far too handsome to waste his life on acting. I will make him my toy. My boy toy. He will serve me instead of the audience."

Her friends stared at her in shock. Rose’s eyes gleamed like a predator’s. "And Olivia," she continued. "She will become my maid. She can serve me every day and watch her siblings suffer. That will be a better punishment than death."

The more she spoke, the darker her words became. Her friends’ faces turned pale. They had never realized that Rose’s heart was so poisonous. But none of them dared to argue.

Their parents had forced them to stay close to Rose, and they knew what had happened to her past friends.

Those who stayed with her were rewarded with money and power, sometimes even sent abroad to live better lives. So they stayed silent, even as their stomachs twisted in fear.

Rose leaned back in her chair, completely pleased with herself. She didn’t care if her friends were shocked.

They would learn that this was her real face. If they wanted to stay near her, they would have to accept it.

In her mind, the Waters family had already lost.

Rose sat in her chair, a smug smile still painted on her face as she imagined her future.

Just then, a loud ringtone cut through the air. One of her friends jumped and quickly pulled out her phone. Her eyes widened when she saw who was calling. It was her boyfriend.

She looked toward Rose nervously, her hands trembling slightly.

Rose noticed but acted as if she didn’t care. She began examining her nails as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

Her friend let the phone ring and ring, hoping Rose would say something. But Rose remained silent.

Finally, the call was missed. The girl clenched her teeth, her face pale, and turned to Rose with pleading eyes.

"Rose... may I please call him back?" she asked softly, almost begging.

Rose tilted her head as if she had only just noticed. She smiled in mock kindness.

"Of course. Why are you asking me for permission? You can always answer your phone. You do not need to ask me."

The girl forced a smile, but her stomach twisted. She remembered too clearly the last time she had answered a call at the wrong time. It had been when Rose was putting on her makeup.

Rose had exploded in anger and punished her by making her kneel outside the mansion for two whole hours. Her knees had been bruised, but she had not dared to complain.

Now, even though Rose acted casual, the girl’s heart pounded with fear. She quickly redialed her boyfriend’s number. The call connected, and she asked, "What happened? Why did you call so many times?"

Her boyfriend’s voice was sharp with urgency. "Check the internet right now. You need to see this."

She blinked, confused. "What do you mean? What happened?"

"If you don’t check the internet now, you will regret it later. I’m telling you, it’s big." His tone left no room for doubt, and then he hung up.

Her hands shook as she opened a browser on her phone. At first, she didn’t understand.

Then the headlines hit her like a hammer. Her mouth went dry, and she swallowed hard, her eyes wide in disbelief.

Her body stiffened as she slowly turned toward Rose. "Rose... you should check the internet," she whispered, her voice trembling.

"What is the Waters family finally dead? Haha! I never thought my parents would be so efficient." Rose laughed. However, her smile vanished the moment she saw the headline.

"The Lancaster family is being boycotted by the entire business circle."

Everywhere she looked, post after post appeared. Business partners were announcing they were cutting ties. Former allies were mocking her family, saying this time the Lancasters would lose everything.

Some even laughed that the mighty Lancaster name would soon mean nothing.

Rose’s head spun. She felt dizzy as if the world around her was collapsing. The glass of wine in her hand slipped and shattered on the floor, but she didn’t even notice.

It took a long time before she finally blinked herself back to reality. She looked up and saw that her two friends had also opened their phones.

Their faces were pale with shock as they scrolled through the endless flood of news and comments.

"No!" Rose shouted suddenly, her voice sharp. "Do not look at it! Put your phones away right now!"

But it was too late. They had already seen it. And instead of obeying her as they always did, the two girls ignored her. They put their phones in their pockets, stood up, and walked toward the door.

"Wait!" Rose cried out in panic. She rushed after them and blocked their path. Her hands trembled as she spread her arms wide. "Where do you think you are going?"

The two girls exchanged a glance. One of them said calmly, "We’re leaving, Rose."

"You are disrespecting me!" Rose shouted. Her voice was desperate now, no longer filled with confidence.

"This news is just temporary. My family will rise again. When we do, I will punish both of you for betraying me."

At those words, one of the girls finally snapped. Her eyes blazed with anger.

"Punish us? Rose, do you even hear yourself? You are acting like an entitled brat right now!"

Rose’s mouth fell open in shock. No one had ever spoken to her like that before.

The girl stepped forward, her voice shaking but firm.

"Even if your family somehow survives this, you will never be as powerful as before. And you know what, Rose? If you had treated us like true friends, maybe we would have stood by you. Maybe we could have helped. But you never cared about us. You only know how to use people and treat them like dirt."