The Day I Kissed An Older Man

Corinne picked up the cooled water and drank before turning to smile at the guilt-stricken Anya.
“But if I were to guess, that black leather case must be filled with cash, right? But why would Anya give my stepmother so much
cash? Was she trying to be a good daughter in my stead? No. There’s only one reason: Miss Anya bribed my stepmother, who
never liked me, to bring Josephine and her mother to the Holdens’ mansion to malign me so that I’d be kicked out of the house.
“But their plan failed, so Miss Anya asked my stepmother to teach Josephine and her mother to bring the matter online. Both
Josephine and her mother don’t look like people who know their way around online, so it was obvious someone must’ve guided
them. Who’d be more qualified to do that than my stepmother? She had honed her skill of creating a buzz to make her precious
daughter famous back then.
“But having my stepmother guide Josephine and her mother wasn’t enough. The one surefire way of making sure the buzz
doesn’t die down is to use money to fuel the flames. Though, the Carews don’t have any money or connections. The most they
could do was to create a little buzz before the news died down again. Plus, there were not many things they could do since the
Holdens had issued stern warnings to all the media companies to not report on the scandal.
“But then, Josephine and her mother decided to take the matter overseas. Someone must’ve given them the resources to do
that. And who else would dare to risk crossing the Holdens by backing Josephine and her mother when they had no proof to
show what they said was true—except for the Riveras?”
Cedric and Beatrice could not help but frown when they heard the accusation. The Riveras might not get along with the Holdens,
but they would never kick someone when they were down or participate in something that did not bring any benefit to their
interest.
Lucas, however, knew Corinne was not really talking about everyone in the Rivera family. “Corinne, are you saying...”
Corinne took another unhurried sip of her water. “The mastermind behind the online slandering is none other than Miss Anya!
She was the one who planned the whole thing, and she was also the one who fueled the flames.”
Cedric and Beatrice looked at Anya in disbelief.
Lucas, however, was not surprised since he was no longer blind to just how evil Anya could be, Though, he still blamed himself
for spoiling her in the past.

Anya still had not given up yet. She glared vehemently at Corinne as if she was the victim. “Corinne, what right do you have to
accuse me like that? Where’s your proof? I don’t even know the mother and daughter who slandered you online, nor have I ever
met them. You can’t malign me like this just because you want to prove yourself innocent.”
Corinne scoffed coldly. “It’s true you don’t know Josephine and her mother since you’ve always been cautious not to leave any
traces. That’s why you chose to pay off my stepmother to do your bidding instead while you secretly used your family’s
connection and influence abroad to create a buzz around the lies they had been spouting nonstop!”