Chapter 154: Deserved Punishment

Olivia froze for a moment, instinctively took the phone, and quickly scanned through the entire content.

"She's really ruined?"

After a brief moment of surprise, Azalea was instantly filled with excitement.

She took back her phone and rapidly scrolled through the comments, her smile growing wider and wider.

"Hahaha, Hestia totally got what she deserved! After she came back to the country, she's been using Ethan's status to act recklessly and do all kinds of bad things. She always used her terminal illness as a shield, and even Saskia couldn't do anything about her."

"Now it's great—her lies have been completely exposed, and all her past scandals and evil deeds have been dug up. Saskia was so furious that she planned to have someone forcibly send her back abroad, but Hestia seduced one of the bodyguards guarding her and escaped."

"Too bad her luck ran out. Right after escaping, she ran into Regina. Regina had been looking for her everywhere because of the Jagger incident, so she literally walked right into the line of fire. Regina lost control on the spot and attacked her. Hestia dodged in panic, and in her confusion, rushed onto the road and got her fingers crushed by a passing vehicle—completely shattered bones!"

Azalea read through the comments one by one, getting more and more excited.

Finally, she slammed her phone down on the table.

"Hahaha! This is so satisfying! Evil people get what's coming to them! Hestia bullied you so many times, and now she's finally gotten her comeuppance!"

Azalea put her hands on her hips, laughing with complete abandon.

Olivia also felt a surge of satisfaction.

She wasn't a saint. Hestia was indeed exceptionally talented, and her complete downfall was certainly a great loss to the music world.

But none of that had anything to do with her.

She stood up and decisively slapped a card on the table.

"Today's a good day. Tell everyone in the studio—we're all having dinner together tonight. They can pick any place they want, and I'm paying for everything!"

Olivia smiled proudly. Azalea immediately let out an excited squeal and turned to notify everyone.

When Simon and Robbie came over, they happened to see a group of people gathered together, lively and laughing cheerfully.

Both men paused, instinctively looking at Olivia.

"The competition is in a couple of days. Don't you need to rehearse and prepare? Where are you all going?"

Olivia's eyes held a mysterious smile.

"We'll leave rehearsal for tomorrow. Today's a good day, so we're all taking a break and going out to have a great time!"

Simon was slightly stunned, and a smile unconsciously spread in his eyes.

He rarely saw Olivia so vibrant and bright.

Compared to her usual calm and wise demeanor, this version of her was even more captivating.

With a faint smile on his lips, he readily joined the lively group.

While the studio was full of celebration, the hospital room on the other side was as cold and desolate as a prison.

In the pure white hospital room, Hestia looked at her hands wrapped tightly in thick bandages and kept letting out sharp, piercing shrieks.

"Ah! My hands! My hands! Bitches! They're all bitches!"

She kept screaming hysterically. The other patients in the room couldn't stand it and moved to other rooms one after another. Even the medical staff were unwilling to approach her.

When Rufus arrived, this was the scene he saw.

He stood expressionless, leaning against the doorframe, quietly watching Hestia lose control.

Only when she had screamed herself hoarse and noticed his presence did Rufus slowly walk forward.

"I told you long ago not to provoke Olivia. Why wouldn't you listen?"

His voice wasn't loud, his tone flat, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

But Hestia's body trembled violently, her heart instantly gripped by extreme fear, and she instinctively denied it.

"I... I didn't..."

Before she could finish, Rufus grabbed her chin.

Rufus had exceptionally handsome features—a high nose bridge, deep-set eyes, clean and sharp facial lines—every part perfectly refined.

His hands were pale and smooth with excellent texture, but right now these hands gripped Hestia's chin tightly. The force wasn't heavy, yet it made her entire body go cold.

Hestia's body went rigid, shaking like a leaf.

The fear in her heart overwhelmed all the pain in her hands. Her whole body trembled, and her voice carried a heavy tremor.

"Rufus, I didn't mean to. I just... just lost my head for a moment..."

"Just couldn't accept that her brilliance overshadowed yours?"

Rufus's tone was gentle as he finished her sentence for her.

Just as Hestia was about to nod and admit her mistake, the force on her chin suddenly increased.

"Because you couldn't accept it, you threw my warnings out the window. Hestia, you're getting bolder and bolder."

His fingers kept applying pressure, and the intense pain made tears stream down Hestia's face.

"I was wrong, Rufus! I really know I was wrong! Please help me one more time, for the sake of our relationship all these years..."

She cried bitterly, like a gambler clutching at the last straw, desperately pleading.

But Rufus's next words sent her plunging into an endless abyss.

"Relationship? The relationship between you and me has been built on your deception from the very beginning. Do you think I'd still help you with a relationship like that?"

Hestia's crying suddenly stopped.

She jerked her head up, her face full of undisguised fear, still trying to defend herself.

"Rufus, what are you talking about? I've never lied to you!"

"Is that so?"

Rufus laughed softly, but the cold aura around him didn't diminish in the slightest.

Hestia trembled even more violently.

She knew Rufus was angry, but she understood even more clearly that if she admitted to lying, the consequences would only be worse.

Besides, she had searched for years and never found the person Rufus had been looking for. There was no way that person could just appear out of nowhere.

With this thought, Hestia nodded forcefully, trying to put on a pitiful appearance.

But before she could continue her lies, Rufus's fingers suddenly applied force.

A crisp sound of bones shattering rang out. Hestia was instantly in unbearable pain, her mouth completely unable to open.

Rufus withdrew his hand, his eyes cold and indifferent.

"Hestia, I indulged you before because you claimed 'Oblivion's Shore' was your original work. But you shouldn't have used my indulgence to bribe people around me, and you especially shouldn't have repeatedly tried to kill the original creator after learning her identity."

Hestia clutched her painfully shattered jaw, wanting to scream in protest, but her fractured jawbone prevented her from making any sound. She could only shake her head frantically, eyes full of terror.

It wasn't true.

She had no idea who the original creator was.

She frantically denied it in her mind, but her movements suddenly froze, and the fear on her face magnified several times.

Original creator, tried to kill...

Could the person Rufus was talking about be Olivia?

How was that possible!

Hestia frantically denied it in her heart, but Rufus continued speaking in a flat tone.

"It appears you've realized the truth. So be it. You shall meet your end with eyes wide open."

Hestia was so frightened she desperately tried to back away, until her back hit the wall hard, but she still couldn't stop trembling all over.

Rufus glanced at her indifferently and raised his hand in a signal.

Soon, a disheveled man was pushed into the hospital room.

The moment Hestia saw who it was, her pupils contracted sharply.

Rufus's smile deepened, and he spoke coldly.

"I detest betrayal above all else. However, if you can make up for your mistakes, I'm not incapable of forgiving you."

As his words fell, a fruit knife was thrown in front of the man.

The man slowly came to his senses, his gaze locking onto Hestia huddled in the corner. He slowly raised his hand and picked up the fruit knife from the floor...