Chapter 99
Isabella Montgomery spent the entire day consumed by her thoughts.
Five years had passed since she forged her iron-willed persona.
Yet now, hesitation and confusion clouded her mind.
She switched her phone to airplane mode.
Collapsing onto her bed, she sank into quiet contemplation.
Meanwhile, Alexander Whitmore left Rosewood Manor with purpose.
He immediately summoned his personal assistant, Harrison Caldwell.
"Release the photos," Alexander commanded without hesitation.
Harrison nodded and executed the order precisely.
A flood of Isabella's old photographs instantly flooded the internet.
These images captured her most awkward teenage years.
Junior high Isabella sported outrageous, non-mainstream fashion.
Her hair stood in edgy, spiky formations.
Heavy eye makeup dominated her youthful face.
High school brought a gold-worshipper phase.
Every outfit shimmered with excessive sparkle and shine.
Her fashion choices were painfully unfashionable.
The photos revealed a perpetually hunched posture.
Helplessness radiated from her plain features.
One particularly damning image showed her crawling on all fours.
She had lost a bet to some society ladies.
The internet erupted within hours.
"ISABELLA MONTGOMERY'S PLASTIC SURGERY EXPOSED" trended nationwide.
"ISABELLA CRAWLING LIKE A DOG" followed closely behind.
Online commentary turned vicious and relentless.
[No wonder her photoshoots looked so mediocre! Her real face is nothing special!]
[I can't believe how ugly she used to be! Definitely went under the knife!]
[Plastic surgery! Everything about her is fake! I regret ever supporting her!]
[She acts so high and mighty now? Remember when she crawled like a dog?]
[Fake face, fake fashionista persona. What's even real about her?]
[Those leaked photos are her real face? So disgustingly ugly!]
Isabella's carefully built reputation crumbled overnight.
Her fanbase hemorrhaged followers by the thousands.
Chanel's sales plummeted following her endorsement controversy.
Victoria Kensington watched the chaos unfold with pure delight.
Tomorrow's showdown would be an effortless victory.
With Isabella's reputation in ruins, competition became impossible.
How could Anthony continue favoring such a disgraced woman?
Victoria texted her manager, Isadora Vasquez, immediately.
[Spare no expense. Keep these photos circulating until after the showdown.]
Deep in the night, loud pounding echoed through Rosewood Manor.
Isabella stirred from her troubled sleep.
She had been wrestling with her feelings for Nathaniel.
The relentless knocking pulled her from bed.
She stumbled toward the door in a groggy haze.
Her agent, Julian Hawthorne, burst inside anxiously.
His face was tight with concern as he took in her disheveled state.
"Another disaster happened while you slept," he announced urgently.
He thrust his smartphone into her hands.
The screen glowed with endless hate comments.
Her past photos spread across every social media platform.
Netizens now branded her an ugly, plastic surgery fraud.
Isabella's eyelids fluttered slightly.
A cold sneer twisted her lips.
Alexander had taken these photos during her foolish pursuit.
He called them precious memories of their time together.
Now he wielded them as weapons to destroy her.
Julian studied her silent reaction solemnly.
"Finally feeling scared? Having regrets?" he pressed.
"Regrets?"
Isabella straightened her posture.
A beautiful, chilling smile curved her red lips.