Chapter 496

Margaret Linton's bony fingers clenched the hospital bed rail, her knuckles turning white.

"We can't wait any longer." Her sandpaper voice scraped against the silence as she stared at her daughter's pale face.

Richard Linton stood by the window, sunlight stretching his shadow across the floor. "What are you planning?"

"Hire internet trolls." Margaret's head snapped up, desperation flashing in her eyes. "We'll blast this onto the trending list."

Richard's thermos clattered to the ground. Scalding water soaked his pants, but he didn't flinch.

"Have you lost your mind?" He hissed. "That's the Valdemar and Roland families!"

A bitter laugh carved deeper lines into Margaret's face. "They forced this. My daughter lies in a hospital bed, and they won't even acknowledge it."

The heart monitor's steady beep was the only sound in the suffocating quiet.

Richard bent to retrieve the thermos, hands trembling. "If this fails—"

"We have nothing left to lose." Margaret cut him off, turning toward the window. "This afternoon."

——

At that same moment, Sebastian Valdemar signed a document in the 32nd-floor conference room of Valdemar Group.

His pen paused mid-stroke as he glanced at the wall clock—12:30.

The trending list exploded.

#StarlightInitiativeScandal rocketed to the top, marked with a glaring "BREAKING" tag.

A video from Buzz Entertainment showed a blurred girl on a hospital bed, captioned: "Heiress Disabled in Human Experiment—Corporations Remain Silent."

Comments flooded in:

"This is inhuman!"

"Launch an investigation!"

"Valdemar and Roland suppressing the truth?"

In the employee lounge, staff huddled around phones, screens illuminating their faces.

"Is this real?"

"Those medical records look authentic..."

"Shh—"

The glass door swung open. Theodore Ashcroft stood framed in the doorway. The air froze.

"What's this?" His gaze swept the group.

A trembling intern extended her phone. "Mr. Ashcroft... we have a situation."

Theodore's temple throbbed as he recognized the hospital room—he'd delivered compensation there last week.

"The Lintons..." He gritted his teeth, punching the intercom. "Mr. Valdemar, we have a problem."

——

By the floor-to-ceiling windows, Sebastian set down his pen. Ice glinted in his eyes. "Suppress it."

"Too late." Theodore watched the view count skyrocket. "They hired professional propagandists."

Sebastian turned, shadows carving his profile. "Find out who's behind this."

——

Chaos engulfed Roland Corporation's PR department.

Alexander Roland studied the spiking crisis metrics on the screen, a cold smile curling his lips.

"Interesting." He pressed the intercom. "Contact Valdemar. Tell him—the game begins."

——

In the hospital room, Margaret traced her daughter's cheek as shares multiplied on her screen.

"Don't worry," she whispered. "Mommy will get justice for you."