Chapter 261 Warning Helen

Chapter 261 Warning Helen

She hurried upstairs and froze at the sight of the chaos strewn across the floor and Helen's ashen face. Her brow furrowed sharply.

"What happened?" Lucienne stepped inside, her voice stern.

Vernon didn't hold back. He handed Lucienne his phone, showing her both the online firestorm and the IP tracking report.

Lucienne took the phone and scanned the screen quickly. Her expression darkened visibly.

She didn't explode immediately. Instead, she turned to Vernon, her tone controlled. "Go handle PR. Calm the fans down. Don't let this blow up any further. I'll deal with this."

Vernon shot Helen one last icy glance before turning on his heel and striding out.

Lucienne stared down at Helen on the floor but said nothing. She turned and walked out of the bedroom.

She hadn't taken Vernon's word at face value. Instead, she called the network security director at Collins Group's North American headquarters and ordered a secondary audit of the estate's local network.

Fifteen minutes later, a far more detailed report landed in Lucienne's inbox.

The evidence was ironclad. Not only did the IP and device match, but the virtual email Helen used to register the anonymous account was the same backup address she'd once used to subscribe to fashion magazines.

Lucienne sat in her leather chair in the study, staring at the report. A chill crept through her chest.

She'd spent twenty years raising Helen like her own daughter, never letting her want for anything.

And yet, the girl she'd raised had turned out to be vicious enough to destroy Audrey's reputation in front of tens of millions of fans—all out of jealousy.

Lucienne closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Twenty years of mother-daughter bonds made it impossible for her to be as ruthless as Ethan. She decided to give Helen one last chance.

"Bring Lady Helen to the sunroom," Lucienne instructed a servant outside.

In the second-floor sunroom, early autumn sunlight streamed through the glass dome, but it couldn't lift the oppressive atmosphere inside.

Helen walked in trembling, her eyes swollen and red, her hands twisting nervously at the hem of her shirt.

"Mom…" The moment she opened her mouth, tears started falling.

"Stop crying." Lucienne cut her off, her tone calm but laced with undeniable authority. "I had everything rechecked. The evidence is conclusive. There's no point in denying it."

Helen's legs gave out. She dropped to her knees in front of Lucienne, clutching at her legs as she sobbed. "Mom, I was wrong! I know I was wrong! I was just so scared… Audrey's so perfect, and Ethan and Vernon are always circling around her. I was afraid you'd all stop caring about me. I just—I lost my mind for a second. Mom, please, forgive me this once, okay?"

Lucienne looked down at the girl crying at her feet, a flash of pain and exhaustion crossing her eyes.

"Helen, I held you in my arms and raised you from the time you were little. The Collins family gave you the best education—not so you could waste it on petty schemes like this." Lucienne reached down and pulled her to her feet, looking her straight in the eye. "Audrey suffered for twenty years out there. Everything she has, she earned herself. Being jealous of her only makes you look pathetic."

Helen kept her head down, biting her lower lip hard to keep the hatred in her eyes from showing.

"This is the last time." Lucienne's voice sharpened, carrying a final warning. "Go apologize to Audrey. Sincerely. If there's ever a next time, I'll personally book you a ticket and send you out of the Collins family. Do you understand?"

Helen's whole body trembled. She nodded quickly, her voice choked. "I understand. I'll go apologize to Audrey right now."

That evening, Helen knocked on Audrey's door.

When it opened, Audrey stood there in a black silk robe, her expression cool and distant. She didn't even step aside to let Helen in.

"Audrey." Helen's eyes reddened as she bowed deeply—a full ninety degrees—her voice thick with remorse. "What I did online was wrong. Jealousy got the better of me. I'm sorry. I promise it'll never happen again. Please forgive me."

Audrey leaned against the doorframe, watching the performance with cold eyes. She knew Helen's type all too well. A leopard doesn't change its spots.

This submission was nothing more than a response to Lucienne's pressure.

"Are you done?" Audrey's tone was flat. "If you're done, get lost."

With that, Audrey shut the door in her face, cutting Helen off completely.

Staring at the closed door, Helen's expression of regret vanished in an instant.

What replaced it was pure, twisted malice. She glared at the door, her nails digging into her palms until they drew blood.

Audrey, if you won't take what's offered, don't blame me for what comes next.

Helen turned and hurried back to her own bedroom, where Linda was already waiting.

"Is everything arranged?" Helen lowered her voice, her eyes cold.

Linda nodded and leaned in to report quietly. "Lady Helen, don't worry. I've already contacted a fixer in LA's Chinatown. The American Music Awards venue is the Peacock Theater. A lot of the stage setup is outsourced, and they've bought off the crew handling the mechanical lift platform."

A cruel glint flashed in Linda's eyes. "As long as Audrey's sitting at that piano when it rises to the top of the stage, the heavy support truss directly above will 'malfunction' due to 'loose bolts.' When hundreds of pounds of lighting rigging come crashing down, even if she doesn't die, she'll never play piano again. And everyone will think it was just a stage accident."

Helen listened, and finally, a satisfied, cold smile curved her lips.

She could already picture Audrey bleeding out on stage.

"Make it clean. Don't leave any traces," Helen ordered coldly.

Time flew by. Before long, it was the end of the following month.

Los Angeles. Peacock Theater.

The annual American Music Awards ceremony was being held in grand style.

Outside the theater, a red carpet stretched for hundreds of meters, and countless flashbulbs lit up the night sky like daylight.

Inside, thirty thousand seats were packed, and cameras for the global live broadcast were already in position.

Backstage in the VIP dressing room, the atmosphere was a stark contrast to the buzz outside.

Vernon wore a custom midnight-blue haute couture performance suit designed by SY's lead designer, with diamond accents glittering across his chest. Under the lights, he looked radiant.

But right now, he had none of the composure of a top-tier superstar. His hands were shoved in his pockets as he paced anxiously around the dressing room.

This was the most important opening performance of his career, but he wasn't worried about himself. He was worried about Audrey, who sat calmly on the sofa.

Audrey had changed into a black velvet haute couture gown. The cut was minimalist but perfectly tailored to her slender, elegant frame.

Her face was covered by an exquisitely delicate black veil that hid most of her features in shadow, leaving only a pair of calm, unreadable eyes visible.