"Impossible!" Bonnie rejected the idea outright.
She had lived in this villa since childhood. It held all the memories of her youth. Every corner, every brick, even the tree at the entrance was planted by her and her late grandmother. Asking her to leave? Not a chance.
Her father must have known this and sold the villa to him on purpose.
Derek raised an eyebrow. "So, you're planning to live with me then?"
Bonnie fell silent.
She snapped, "Only a dog would want to live with you!" Realizing the wording was off, she quickly corrected herself, "I mean, I wouldn't even live with a dog!"
Derek: "..."
Her phone kept buzzing with messages. She glanced down.It was Cathy.
Cathy: Sugar Daddy, are you there? Sugar Daddy, are you there? Sugar Daddy, are you there?
Bonnie burst out laughing.
She walked into the living room, sank into the sofa, and replied: Daddy's here.
The video call came through immediately.
As soon as she picked up, Cathy's gleeful voice filled the speaker: "Babe, do you realize you've just slapped the entire entertainment industry in the face? That Mandy chick, the first one to mock you on X when the scandal hit, deleted her post! Now she's out there saying you're clearly from a wealthy family and extremely well-mannered. Even bootlickers don't lick this hard, LOL!"
Bonnie laughed along and then apologized, "I'm sorry, Cathy. I didn't mean to keep it from you."
Cathy waved it off. "Come on, what are friends for? I don't care at all."
Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried this might create distance between them.
As Bonnie stood up, Cathy finally got a proper view of the villa through the camera and her eyes widened in shock. "Holy crap, what kind of god-tier house is that? Do your folks play golf in the living room?"
Cathy's description cracked Bonnie up, and they chatted about everything under the sun.
Fifteen minutes later, Derek walked out of the dining room.
He picked up his car keys, the tailored suit accentuating his tall and noble presence. He turned slightly toward her and said lazily, "I'm heading to the office. Think it over, are you staying or not?"
Bonnie pressed her lips together.
Cathy, still on the call, suddenly went silent, then gasped. "Bonnie, do you have a boyfriend?!"
Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding? I'd rather die alone, jump off a building, than ever date him!"
With one hand in his pocket, Derek glanced at her indifferently. A few seconds later, he reached for the door and left without a word.
After he was gone, Bonnie wandered upstairs and downstairs.
Her father had sold everything in the villa to Derek. Even her handbags and jewelry were still perfectly arranged in the original walk-in closet.
Scheming old fox!
Muttering under her breath, she grabbed some clothes from her suitcase and headed into the guest room for a shower.
In her own house, she was reduced to using the guest bathroom! Bonnie seethed. Was there no justice left in the world?
After her shower, she dried her hair and scrolled through the news on her phone.
Though several hours had passed since she publicly revealed her identity, the buzz online was only growing. A few accounts that had viciously smeared her were now playing dead. Some of the snarky ones had gone silent, while others shamelessly claimed it was all a misunderstanding or worse, tried to ride the wave of attention. No one apologized. Some even kept insulting her.
Bonnie's eyes grew cold. When she had been seen as just another nameless, powerless actress, she had no choice but to swallow the abuse. No one cared about her side of the story. But now? Now she had the power to fight back.
Why shouldn't she?
She could have made it on her own through hard work and determination, but it was these people who forced her to take another path.
Now, she was eager to see who would still dare to cross her on this road.
Tossing aside the towel, Bonnie directly @the male influencer who had been the loudest critic, replying: You're out of a job.
The man, having benefitted before from clout-chasing, wasn't intimidated. When he saw Bonnie's tag, he arrogantly replied: Big talk. Who do you think you are? You think just saying it means I lose my job? Sorry, my schedule's booked through next year.
He even confidently attached his calendar as proof.
Bonnie narrowed her eyes at the image for a few seconds, then found a number in her contacts and made a call.
After that, she tossed her phone onto the table and went to change clothes.
Ten minutes later, the male influencer started frantically posting on X and tagging her repeatedly.
WTF Bonnie, how can you be this petty?! @BonnieWesley
That was my only big brand partnership and you destroyed it? Wow. Real impressive. @BonnieWesley
Can't take the heat? Come on, fight me fair and square! @BonnieWesley
You bitch, even if I die, it'll be on you! @BonnieWesley
Comments poured in underneath:
[What's going on?]
[Totally confused ·jpg]
[Same confused face ·jpg]
[What did Bonnie do? Damn, I'm dying of curiosity!]
Bonnie ignored him completely, walked over to the fridge. Derek such a boring man. Even after all these years, the fridge still had nothing but bottled water. No drinks, no juice, nothing.
She grabbed a bottle, took a sip, and stood out on the balcony for a while before returning to her room.
The influencer was still posting, but his tone had clearly softened.
Come out! Damn it, I give up. I was wrong, okay? I shouldn't have said those things. @BonnieWesley
Please, just give me a response? Don't be so ruthless, alright? @BonnieWesley
I'm sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry, I'm literally on my knees @BonnieWesley
Netizens commented:
[LOL. Weren't you all tough just a moment ago? What happened, @MaleInfluencer? Can't handle the backlash now?]
[Still don't know what Bonnie did, but whatever it was, it scared the crap out of this clown.]
[AAAAHHH I FOUND OUT!! My cousin works at that brand and just told me!! Bonnie directly called the brand's CEO. After hearing her out, they immediately cancelled the collab with that influencer and are demanding breach-of-contract compensation for damaging the brand's image. No wonder he's terrified now.]
[These rich people have all sorts of connections behind the scenes. That influencer? He's nothing. Clown.]
[Holy crap! For real? Bonnie's a badass!]
[Damn, Bonnie's not playing around this time.]
Fully awakened, Bonnie lay down on the bed and called Derek.
Three calls. All declined.
It wasn't until the fourth that he finally answered, slowly and lazily: "Who's this?"
Bonnie: ?
"Your ex-girlfriend!!"
Derek drawled, "Oh? Aren't I blocked on your blacklist?"
Bonnie: "..."
"Would it be inconvenient if I stayed at your place?"
Derek: "You mean you, or me?"
Bonnie pouted, "What if you have a girlfriend?"
Through the receiver, she heard him chuckle, low and amused. After a pause, he replied slowly, "Well, thanks to you, I'm practically a misogynist now."
Bonnie: ??????
Online, the influencer had completely crumbled and issued a formal apology, begging for Bonnie's forgiveness.
Thanks to the reposts by various gossip accounts, the comment section exploded and with more people, came more noise.