"Celeste, it's confirmed. Two years ago, at the Beauteous event, the one who did the hitting wasn't Frank Castle, it was... Amelia Quinn." Jocelyn Shaw said to Celeste Monroe in the most spacious and luxurious mentor lounge.
The same day the news broke that Frank Castle had allegedly assaulted someone at the Beauteous cosmetics event two years prior, Celeste Monroe had asked Jocelyn Shaw to investigate. With the connections of the number one Diva Queen, such a matter was easily verifiable. Soon, Jocelyn Shaw confirmed that in that brand event, Amelia Quinn was the one who had thrown the punch.
"After Amelia Quinn hit the person, Frank Castle immediately took remedial measures: he apologized to the young woman who was hit, offered compensation, and distributed red envelopes to the staff present, asking them to keep it confidential." Jocelyn continued: "Beauteous also didn't want a scandal at their brand event, so they cooperated in suppressing the matter." Jocelyn sighed: "That's why this incident was never exposed until now."
"Then why is it being exposed now? And why has the assaulter become Frank Castle?" Celeste Monroe's eyes deepened, and a hint of coldness appeared on her exquisite, cold face.
Jocelyn Shaw paused, then voiced her conjecture: "It's likely because Frank Castle's performance in the first episode was too outstanding. Someone was afraid that if he became famous, it would be detrimental to them, so..."
Celeste Monroe asked: "Who?"
Jocelyn Shaw remained silent. Neither she nor Celeste Monroe were new to the industry; they were too familiar with the backstabbing in the entertainment world. Frank Castle had originally soared to fame with No Makeup, almost completely turning his image around. Then, the two-year-old assault incident was suddenly exposed, once again plunging public perception of him to rock bottom. Now, Frank Castle was, at best, a jerk with a little talent. And Amelia Quinn remained that pitiable, helpless victim, gaining another wave of fans through this.
It was obvious who benefited most from this incident. Jocelyn Shaw understood, and she knew Celeste Monroe understood even better. But Amelia Quinn was, after all, Celeste Monroe's niece... At this point, the best course of action would be to let the matter drop.
"Jocelyn, what about the girl who was hit?" But Celeste Monroe didn't seem to have that intention and continued to ask.
"She was fired by Beauteous after the assault incident. Beauteous gave her a sum in compensation and also made her sign a non-disclosure agreement. If she leaked the matter, she would have to pay a lot of money."
"Can you find her?" Celeste Monroe asked again.
Jocelyn Shaw was startled: "Celeste, what exactly are you trying to do? Amelia Quinn is your own niece. It's not appropriate for you to meddle in this!"
Celeste Monroe did not answer directly, instead asking: "Do you think Amelia Quinn did this?"
Jocelyn Shaw paused, then analyzed: "It's unlikely Amelia Quinn directly hired someone to spread rumors. After all, if someone wanted to investigate, she could easily be exposed. Perhaps it was someone else." She added: "But she knew the truth, yet she didn't come forward to clarify when Frank Castle was being slandered. Even if the rumor wasn't started by her, she tacitly approved of it." Jocelyn's voice grew colder: "She made a mistake, and Frank Castle helped her handle it, but now she's repaying kindness with enmity." She finished firmly: "Since that's the case, then she should be held responsible for her actions."
"Jocelyn." Celeste Monroe looked up, a hint of anger in her cold eyes: "Keep investigating. Find that girl who was hit. Have her testify for Frank Castle. I'll cover the compensation for breaching the NDA, and then find her a good job."
Jocelyn Shaw hesitated a bit: "If your second sister and brother-in-law find out..."
Celeste Monroe said calmly: "I want them to know what kind of daughter they've raised!"
"Alright..." Seeing Celeste Monroe so resolute, Jocelyn Shaw had no way to dissuade her. She quickly made a call to arrange for someone to find the person involved in the incident from back then.
Celeste Monroe leaned back on the sofa, closing her eyes. Emma, holding a black gown, came over but was stopped by Jocelyn Shaw. "Wait to change. Let Celeste rest for a while." Emma peered into the lounge. Celeste Monroe seemed to have fallen asleep. "Sigh, Ms. Monroe is too tired."
And how could she not be tired? So many engagements every day, practicing singing until the early hours of the morning. Today was supposed to be a hard-earned rest day. Because she had to participate in The Voice of America, Ms. Monroe had to drag her exhausted body to Eastwick TV.
Jocelyn Shaw gently closed the lounge door. Emma whispered to Jocelyn: "Jocelyn, do you think Ms. Monroe came to this show just for Frank Castle?"
Jocelyn Shaw glared at her: "Frank Castle is Celeste's ex-nephew-in-law! Don't say such things again!"
Emma stuck out her tongue: "Got it." She glanced at the lounge door, muttering to herself, If it wasn't for Frank Castle, why would Ms. Monroe, given her status, participate in a variety show? But Frank Castle is her niece's ex-husband, and he's so much younger than Ms. Monroe. It just doesn't make sense no matter how you think about it! Ugh, my brain is going to explode!
An hour later, the show began recording. Amidst the cheers and applause of the live audience, the mentors began to make their entrances.
The first to appear was still Liam Reed, greeted by the light boards and screams of his female fans. The second was Amelia Quinn. After the previous episode where her ex-husband wrote a song insulting her, and then her ex-husband's assault scandal was exposed, Amelia Quinn's image as a delicate victim was even more deeply ingrained in people's hearts. When she appeared, the entire venue erupted in fervent cheers. Everyone shouted "Go, Amelia!" to show their support. Some of Amelia Quinn's fans were even in tears, wailing: "Amelia, don't be afraid! We'll always be with you!" The scene was incredibly moving and heartbreaking, as if Amelia Quinn wasn't coming to a music variety show, but to an execution ground.
Amelia Quinn waved to the audience, a perfectly rendered fragile yet feignedly strong, sorrowful smile on her face. This only incited her fans to shout even more wildly, a cacophony of crying.
"Amelia is so strong! My heart aches!"
Lynn Evans was in the audience, surrounded by a group of Amelia Quinn's fans. She was crying the loudest. Tickets for The Voice of America were hard to come by. Mr. Evans had a friend who worked at Eastwick TV and had spent a full five thousand dollars to get her one. Before Lynn came, Mr. Evans had also told her to support Amelia Quinn but to curse Frank Castle less, saying that Frank was truly not a bad person. Lynn had scoffed at this, thinking her father couldn't tell right from wrong. Now, seeing Amelia Quinn feigning strength, Lynn felt even sadder.
"Wuwuwu! Amelia was harmed so terribly by that beast Frank Castle, and my dad still defends him! I don't want to be his daughter anymore!"
A nearby Amelia Quinn fan asked for details, and Lynn recounted how her father spent money to buy her tickets but still favored Frank Castle. The fans of Amelia Quinn were indignant: "You don't need a father like that!" They cheered: "Men favor men, girls help girls!" Another fan encouraged: "Sister, I support you in cutting ties with your dad!"
"Well, maybe not that far," another fan interjected, "If she cuts ties with her dad, no one will give her money to support Amelia!"
"True," someone agreed. "Sister, just maintain a superficial father-daughter relationship for now. Let him spend money to help you support Amelia, but you must have integrity and never, ever acknowledge a father with such twisted values!"
Lynn was very touched by the support from her "sisters." "You're right! No matter what happens, I will always support Amelia!"
"Go, Amelia!"
"Die, scum!"