Chapter 243 Survival
Chapter 243 Survival
The rumors of Jessica hiring kidnappers to abduct Natalia continued to ferment online.
Along with the recording from before and Rosa's testimony, things really started to heat up.
Soon enough, Jessica's reputation in entertainment circles was in shambles. There were still people who believed she was innocent, but before a mountain of evidence, most people chose to believe their own eyes.
So voices against Jessica on the internet had grown in multitude.
That afternoon, Jessica was lying at home resting when she received a call from Nancy.
Someone had gone to the police station and asked for the driver. That someone was a renowned lawyer within the industry.
Since guilt hadn't been established yet, the driver did have the right to see a lawyer, so they couldn't do anything about that.
There was too much involved in this business. The media was on a hair trigger and poised outside the police station, itching to dig up just a bit more inside news.
So at this time, Natalia absolutely couldn't show her face. That went for Archie, too.
She thought for a while and said, "Let them meet, then. It's fine."
Nancy was a little worried.
"If that driver changes his testimony, it could be bad for your position."
Natalia smiled coldly.
"Relax. I've already decided to bring Jessica to rock bottom, so that's not the only card up my sleeve."
Hearing that, Nancy loosened up.
On the other side, Julia heaved a sigh of relief after finding someone to take care of the driver.
Then, that night, the police released another statement.
It announced that they'd found the crime scene where Natalia had been kidnapped. To go with it, they'd even released the photo and address of that cellar.
They made it evident in the announcement that, even though they'd tried their hardest to find the place, the perpetrators seemed to have caught on and moved the victim away. In other words, Natalia was still missing.
Julia looked at the photos and almost lost it with sheer terror.
She hurried back to Jessica to confirm.
When Jessica saw the leaked photos, she was stunned as well.
It wasn't possible!
She'd destroyed the whole crime scene and wiped away all traces of her or Natalia ever being there.
How could they have shot those pictures?
The cellar in the photo was exactly the same as the one Natalia had been held in.
On the operating table in the center, there were still faint signs of a struggle.
And the final shot was one of a ring.
The police stated that the ring had been recovered from the crime scene. After confirming with people close to Natalia, they'd confirmed the ring wasn't hers. That was to say, this ring very likely belonged to the mastermind of the kidnapping.
The image quality of the ring was extremely high. The gleam of the heart-shaped diamond on it was clearly visible.
All Jessica felt was cold, as if someone had dunked ice water over her head. She started shivering.
H-how was that possible?
Did-didn't she break that ring a long time ago?
Rosa had even said she'd go and have it fixed, so how could it appear here?
Rosa?!
She thought of something and widened her eyes.
That damn brat! They were working together to frame her?
Jessica was about to lose her mind, but no matter how she felt like she was in the clear, people still posted photos of when she'd attended previous events.
And enlarged her hand, putting the heart diamond ring in full view.
"Man! This woman's lost her mind; she really kidnapped Natalia?"
"That ring's a keepsake from Shawn Miller, right?"
"Seems so, I remember there being an interview where she said it herself. I'll dig it up."
Soon, they'd found that video on the internet as well.
It was the one where, not long after Natalia exposed her affair with Shawn, Shawn had given her the ring for their engagement.
A sharp-eyed reporter had noticed it and asked about it when Jessica was being interviewed.
And she'd boasted about it with pride.
To show them how delicately the diamond had been cut, she'd even raised her hand to the camera to get a better shot of the ring.
She'd never expected it to be used against her like this today.
Jessica went completely pale and staggered back, stumbling into the sofa.
Julia was at a loss for words. She massaged her head and sighed.
"Didn't you say you destroyed all the evidence? What's this about, then?"
Jessica shook her head.
The extreme terror and helplessness reddened her eyes.
"I don't know. I'd already had someone destroy that cellar and removed everything including that operating table. Why did it show up here?"
She paused, then looked at Julia, her face white.
"She must have planned all of this. She already expected me to kidnap her, which was why she got those photos? Those pictures weren't taken after the incident, that's impossible! And she couldn't have found that ring in the crime scene! They're collaborating to plot against me - it's a trap, and I jumped right into it!"
Julia made a slight, mocking sneer.
"Even if it was a trap, didn't you jump into it yourself?"
Jessica had no words.
Noticing Julia's dissatisfied tone, her face sank.
"Even you're saying this about me? Are you so disappointed in me that you're leaving me, too?"
Julia blinked.
Truth be told, she had it worse now despite her background in the industry.
The new generation surpassed the old. Her ability was already behind compared to the younger managers and representatives. Be it in experience or in their way of thinking, the times had caught up with her and even overtaken her.
As things stood now, Jessica was one of the best artists under her charge. If only for her own future, she couldn't let Jessica get ruined.
Considering that, Julia sighed.
"Don't take it the wrong way. I didn't mean it like that."
She paused, then said, "It's not looking good for us right now. Do you have any thoughts?"
Jessica shook her head.
"I don't know. My head's a mess right now."
Julia thought about it, brow furrowing.
"If it really had been Natalia's plot like you said, the only solution now is to find her. So long as we prove that she's fine and walking free, then all the rumors will be dispelled without any effort, and..." Her eyes gleamed, a cunning light flashing through them.
"If we do this right, we could flip the board and turn it all around."
Jessica started and looked at her. "What do you mean turn it all around?"
"Heh! Think. What if they found out that Natalia wasn't just fine, but started this whole show on her own and bought out the police to join in with her, all just to frame you, chase you out of the entertainment business, and take everything you have right now. What do you think they'll say then?"