Chapter 153:

Adriana rolled her eyes. “You talk too much. It’s exhausting.”

“Seriously, can’t you go easy on me for once? I’m your brother!”

“I’m hitting you because you need it,” she snapped. “Yes, I know you can’t stand Vivian. I don’t like her either. But if you only look at what’s in front of you, you’ll miss the real game.”

She turned to their older brother with a nod. “Vivian’s got good instincts, sure, but someone’s helping her. She’s not doing all this alone.”

Jayceon frowned, confused.

Adriana sighed. “Listen. Everything she says sounds gentle. She treats Millie with polite distance. She doesn’t openly challenge Serena. But in the end, people online still turn on both of them. That’s not a coincidence. That’s coordination. It’s her words, yes. But it’s also a marketing team, crafting the image and planting the narratives.”

Jayceon gave a slow nod, the weight of realization settling on his face.

Beside him, the other man had remained silent throughout, his stillness amplifying the tension.

Each second seemed to stretch endlessly.

Meanwhile, as online debates gained momentum, multiple events unfolded simultaneously.

Before the charity gala, Alexia had asked Giffard to find an IT expert who could help restore the cellphone data. However, so far, there had been no progress. Elsewhere, Seville had managed to obtain footage from the Heavenly Melody live recording.

But because the recording had been done covertly—with the phone hidden under a seat—none of the stage activity was clearly visible. Instead, the surrounding conversations were captured, making the clip noisy and difficult to interpret.

With few options left, Seville turned to his older brother.

He handed over the file. “Hey, do you think you can help with this?”

The man in black-rimmed glasses turned toward his brother. “What kind of help?”

“I need the background noise removed. Just leave the singing intact.” Seville tapped the screen to play the video.

After listening for a moment, the man adjusted his glasses. “I write code. That’s it. I’m not a wizard.”

Seville laughed. “Come on, you’re one of the best data specialists in the country.”

The man sighed, exhaling slowly. “Only when it involves numbers. Fine, leave it here. I’ll try.”

“Appreciate it!” Seville replied, his tone light but hopeful.

Still, Seville wasn’t relying solely on that. He had come up with not one, but three plans.

The audio had failed to capture anyone’s face, after all. Even if his brother performed some kind of magic, there was no way to extract a clear identity from thin air.

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