Chapter 18 Selene’s face turned pale with anger. She sneered and said sarcastically, “Genevieve, take a look at them. This is the first time I’ve encountered such a true shrew. What kind of life have you been leading for the past three years?” Genevieve had planned to ignore their presence. Unfortunately, their impact on her appetite became undeniable. She stood up, a sneer on her face, cast a glance at Quincey and Rosalie, and slowly walked toward them. “Mrs. Hoffman, you’ve repeatedly claimed to look down on my background. Yet, it’s worth noting that Mr. Hoffman had not divorced his wife when you, as a secretary, became intimately involved with him and got pregnant. It appears that such customs are prevalent among the Hoffman family’s daughters–in–law. It’s something I could never bring myself to embrace,” said Genevieve. Quincey’s face immediately turned pale when she heard Genevieve’s words, and she trembled with rage. Whispered conversations began circulating among the people around her, disbelief evident on their faces. Genevieve’s revelation was nothing short of a bombshell. When Genevieve had insisted on marrying Anthony back then, the Lawrence family had thoroughly investigated the Hoffman family. Quincey’s use of improper methods to position herself as the lady of that family was the primary reason Genevieve’s parents had vehemently opposed any marriage arrangement with them. Upon hearing Genevieve’s exposure, Selene sneered without restraint. “No wonder you prefer Ms. Stewart, Mrs. Hoffman. It turns out both of you are mistresses. It’s only natural that two would cherish each other,” commented Selene. you Quincey’s eyes widened with anger, her face paling in embarrassment. Her shortcomings were being exposed publicly, and it was a shady past she would rather keep hidden. Pointing at Genevieve, she wished she could kill the latter then and there. “You bitch!” Quincey yelled. Quincey was on the verge of slapping Genevieve, but Genevieve swiftly seized her wrist and coldly shook it back. Losing her balance, Quincey took two steps back, nearly falling onto the carpet due to the momentum. Quincey stared at Genevieve, who had been submissive, with astonishment, as if she didn’t recognize Genevieve before her. Approaching with a cold and indifferent demeanor and a chilly aura, Genevieve addressed, “Mrs. Hoffman, you’d better reserve this trick to teach your daughter–in–law, Ms. Stewart. If you aim to impart a lesson to me, be prepared to pay the price, and you can’t afford it!” 1/5 A Chapter 18 She then cast a glance at the somewhat frightened Rosalie, who instinctively shrank back, holding her son tightly. After all, if Genevieve dared to confront Quincey, it was clear she wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to Rosalie. As soon as Genevieve and Selene were gone, Rosalie quickly went forward to support Quincey. “Mrs. Hoffman, are you okay?” she asked. Recalling Genevieve’s words, Quincey, with gritted teeth, delivered a hard slap to Rosalie’s face. you Rosalie covered her face, looking up in shock. Quincey issued a warning. “If you dare to spread about what heard today, I will teach you a lesson!” Despising Rosalie was an understatement for Quincey. If it hadn’t been for her grandson, she wouldn’t have spared Rosalie another glance. Ultimately, she desired a daughter–in–law with a clean background and a status well–matched to their own. Biting her lower lip, Rosalie nodded with a sense of grievance and made a gentle promise, her voice sweet, “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.” Gritting her teeth in fury, Quincey took out her phone. She was far from being reconciled to the insult she had endured. In the evening, as the heat of condemning hidden rules in the entertainment industry declined slightly, another piece of gossip quietly surfaced. It revolved around the scandal of Anthony’s wife having an affair, and this news didn’t attempt to conceal Genevieve’s identity either. Online headlines like [Mrs. Hoffman, Genevieve Lawrence, is having an affair] and [Genevieve is the director of Eagle Entertainment and the person behind the incident of unspoken rules] began circulating. Photos of Genevieve’s hand in hand with Jeffrey at a banquet even surfaced. The Hoffman family had blurred Jeffrey’s face due to his status, but Genevieve’s face was left clear. Accusations of a chaotic premarital private life had already plagued Genevieve, and now the news of an extramarital affair was exposed. It seemed those intent on tarnishing her reputation were relentless, trying to push her into a corner. While Genevieve was thinking about it, she received a call from Jeffrey. His tone was irate and solemn. “Did you see the photos online? I’ll have someone to deal with it and use this opportunity to announce your identity to shut their mouth up,” he proposed. 2/5 A Chapter 18 Genevieve wasn’t as enraged as one might expect. Since she admonished Quincey earlier in the day and knew Quincey’s petty and vindictive nature, it was unsurprising that she would seek retaliation. Genevieve harbored suspicions that the exposure of the gossip was orchestrated by Quincey. She smiled gently and said in a brisk voice, “Don’t interfere with it, Jeffrey. I’ll handle it. My identity must be kept secret. It’s repulsive to see me, as the daughter of the Lawrence family, trending alongside those people.” Jeffrey thought her words made sense and agreed. “If you need any help, do let me know. I will support you no matter what,” he reminded. “Thank you, my dear brother, Genevieve replied and hung up the phone. Genevieve then called someone into her office. It was one of the female interns, Jessica Wright. Jessica was the youngest with a good personality in the company. Jessica agreed to help after Genevieve explained her intentions. “I will assist you with this. I was concerned about the company just now. With this video, the truth will come out. Rosalie went too far this time. How can she twist the truth and throw her weight around!” Jessica exclaimed. Genevieve smiled and reassured, “You don’t have to worry about anything. Once you publish it, the company will respond to it immediately. No need to say anything else.” The two reached an agreement, and Genevieve asked Jessica to leave her office. At 7:50 p.m., the sky was already pitch dark. Jessica posted a ten–minute video on her personal account to celebrate joining the new company. The title of the video read! [First day of duty, where are the hidden rules?] As expected, it caused a great uproar. The video depicted Rosalie sitting farthest away from the producer, her actions appearing affected and pretentious. In contrast, the other four interns engaged in lively and straightforward conversation. Leonardo and the staff were explaining the show’s precautions to them. The atmosphere at the scene was relaxed and harmonious Jessica and another girl politely signaled to the producer and staff with cups of orange juice in hand, even gesturing toward Rosalie, suggesting she do the same. A cup of orange juice was also placed in front of Rosalie. 3/5 A Chapter 18 However, Rosalle erupted, standing up and exclaiming, “I’m not a bar girl. Why should I drink? Genevieve is trying to set me up on purpose…” Astonishment filled the room as everyone looked at her. Rosalle then approached Leonardo, picked up the drink in front of him, and poured it directly over his head. Leonardo jumped up in surprise, responding with a direct curse. The video abruptly stopped. Netizens stopped commenting on Eagle Entertainment’s page. Subsequently, they sought out Rosalie’s account, bombarding her with questions. One question emerged among the comments: [What’s the matter with you? Are you a narcissist or a psychiatric patient? Are you deliberately directing the netizens to single out innocent people?] Another comment surfaced: [Leonardo and Eagle Entertainment are innocent. Without this video, they will be unable to prove their Innocence and might have to leave this circle. Do you think you can achieve anything by depicting yourself as a victim?] One commented: [They even allowed the girls to have only orange juice. What a good company!] A comment accused: [You are Anthony’s mistress, correct? You are trying to force his wife away and take her place, am I right? Can you be more shameless?] Another person wrote: [Haha, you’re a good drama queen. If they really take advantage of females, I bet you’ll be the first to ride the coattails.] In an instant, public opinion swiftly reversed. Genevieve wasn’t idle either. She took a photo of her divorce certificate and posted it online. The title read: [Divorced. Working hard now.] Her post was a slap on the faces of those who chastised her for having affairs. It didn’t stop there. The official account of Eagle Entertainment posted a message: [We refuse all sorts of hidden rules and care about working women. Is there any room for women to move up in the workplace if ethical issues are always involved when collaborating with partners of the opposite sex?] 4/5