Chapter 38: The Scandal Snowballs

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Afterward, Marshall once again sought out the Rivers family patriarch, hoping to gain his support in weathering the crisis. But unlike before, the old man’s stance had shifted–he was now vague and nomittal.

Marshall couldn’t make sense of it. The man had already agreed in principle before–what had changed so suddenly?

But that would have to wait.

That very night, a bombshell shook the entertainment world. A notorious gossip ount known as “Detective Kōngkōng” dropped a cryptic post on Twitter, iming to have explosive dirt on a top celebrity. The teaser mentioned that the celebrity had once been involved in a serious scandal: a car crash on a quiette- night street. ording to the post, the star had pulled strings to pin the me on someone else—then fled overseas to dodge the fallout, trying to bury the incident for good.

Most notably, the leaker specified that the celebrity’s surname started with the letter “R“-but nothing more.

The inte went into a frenzy. Within hours, the topic skyrocketed to the top of Twitter’s trending list.

Curiosity exploded asizens scoured the entertainment scene for every big name with an “R” surname. From trending idol singers to award–winning actors, no one was spared. Everyone who fit the profile got dragged into the public spotlight.

Yet “Detective Kongkong” seemed to enjoy keeping everyone in suspense. No matter how the media prodded or fans pleaded, he refused to share further details. Instead, he kept posting vague, tantalizing hints–stoking the fire, feeding the frenzy, and letting the spection spiral out of control

Sloane skinned a few of the headlines the next morning and then tossed her phone aside, uninterested

The atmosphere at the Rivers family breakfast table was noticeably tense

Samantha, still sullen fromst night’s webling at tilessly at her seat.

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Chapter 38: The Scandal Snowballs

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Boone, meanwhile, lookedpletely distracted. Helen had to call his name multiple times before he even noticed.

“Boone, what’s going on with you?” Helen frowned. “I’ve been calling you over and over.”

Boone snapped out of it with a dy. “Sorry. I didn’t sleep wellst night.”

Helen’s eyes filled with worry. “You shouldn’t stay up sote reading scripts. You need rest.”

“Yeah, I know.” Boone mumbled, clearly not paying attention.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. ncing at the message on WhatsApp, Boone shot up from his seat. “Mom, Dad–I need to step out for a bit.”

“At least finish breakfast-” Helen hadn’t even finished speaking before he was

gone.

Sloane watched him leave, the corner of her lips curling into a knowing smirk.

Boone rushed to the meeting point where his manager was already waiting. The moment he arrived, his pent–up frustration exploded.

“You told me everything was taken care of! What the hell was that leakst night?”

The manager looked just as anxious. He rushed to reassure him. “Boone, I swear everything’s under control. The fall guy already took the me and got sentenced. He insists he was the one behind the wheel. There were no witnesses–besides, the other driver died on the spot. I’m telling you, that leak has nothing to do with you.”

Boone frowned, pacing in agitation, anxiety gnawing at his gut.

Seeing his concern, the manager doubled down on his pitch. “People are only dragging your name into it because your surname starts with an R That’s it. I already hired a PR team to drown it out. They confirmed you were out of the country at the time. You’re in the clear.”

Boone stared at him, voire low. “You’re absolutely sure there’s no loose ends?”

The manager patted his chest confidently “Positive Trust me, it’ll blow over. There are plenty of other R–named celebrites The public’s just guessing in the

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Chapter 38: The Scandal Snowballs

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