Chapter 86
"Bastard!"
Alexander couldn't hold back his rage anymore. He launched a roundhouse kick straight into the man's chest.
The man flew backward and slammed hard into the bathroom wall with a dull thud, then crumpled to the floor, his face ghostly pale, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
But Alexander's fury hadn't cooled. He walked over, bent down, and grabbed the man by the collar, hauling him up off the floor, his other hand raised high.
"Alexander!"
Charlotte's expression shifted. She stepped forward immediately and grabbed his wrist with both hands.
"Don't do this here. He's not worth dirtying your hands over."
"Besides, he's a witness right now. If you beat him to death, or leave him crippled, it could cause us unnecessary trouble."
Feeling her grip on his wrist, Alexander turned to look at her. The red in his eyes hadn't faded, and his chest was heaving hard.
"He deserves to die!"
He ground out the words through clenched teeth, the hatred in his eyes raw and chilling.
"I know he deserves to die. But the law gets to decide his punishment."
Charlotte held on tight and spoke in a calm, soothing voice. "And besides, we still have to settle things with Chloe."
"You have to play the long game to catch the big fish, right?"
Alexander must have been gripping too hard, because the man's eyes were already rolling back in his head.
After glaring at him for a long moment, Alexander gave his arm a sharp fling and threw the man back onto the floor. Slowly, his anger began to settle.
"You're right."
Charlotte let out a breath. "Have your people take him away. Find somewhere safe to keep him. We'll need him to testify against Chloe when the time comes."
"Got it."
Alexander nodded and pulled out his phone to call his assistant, Asher.
"Bring a few guys to room 1201 at St. Regis Private Hospital. There's some trash in the bathroom that needs to be cleaned up. Make sure no one sees."
"On your way out, take the nurse on duty with you too. Hold her for questioning."
After hanging up, Alexander turned to Charlotte, his expression serious, his eyes heavy with concern.
"I'll get to the bottom of this."
"The fact that Chloe got her hands on that drug tells me there are probably other people behind her."
Charlotte pressed her lips together and looked down. "I know. Those people will do anything for money."
"I'll keep track of every score. I'll deal with them one by one."
In less than ten minutes, Asher arrived with several broad-shouldered bodyguards dressed in black.
They moved quickly and efficiently, taking both people away. They even wiped the floor clean, leaving no trace behind.
Meanwhile, online, an article titled "The Rivalry Between Two Sisters: Genius Designer Queen Receives a Hospital Visit — Chloe's True Colors Exposed" was blowing up fast.
Gilbert knew how to write. The piece never directly accused Chloe of anything wrong. Instead, he laid out everything she had done in a straightforward, documentary style.
He even included several candid photos taken at the scene.
In the photos, Chloe's eyes were shifty, and everything about her screamed guilt and unease.
The article spread like wildfire the moment it went up.
On top of that, several entertainment accounts with millions of followers started dropping even bigger bombshells — Chloe had allegedly plagiarized Queen at a previous design competition.
【Wait, this Chloe is the same person who got caught stealing designs before?! Oh my god, I had no idea they were actually sisters!】
【This is genuinely terrifying when you think about it. Look at what the article says — Chloe just pushed the door open and walked right in, no respect for her sister's privacy at all. If something had actually happened, and those photos got out, Charlotte would have been completely ruined.】
【That's so twisted!】
The backlash snowballed fast. Within just two hours, "Chloe plagiarism" and "Queen and Chloe sisters feud" were both trending in the top ten.
A flood of angry comments poured onto Chloe's social media accounts, completely overwhelming them.
The brands that had previously shown interest in working with her wasted no time. After seeing what was happening online, they all put out statements cutting ties with Chloe immediately.
At that moment, Chloe was locked inside her apartment, too afraid to step outside.
She stared at the stream of insults and attacks on her phone, shaking with rage.
"You bitch... you absolute bitch! Charlotte, you bitch!"
She hurled her phone at the wall with a loud crack. The screen shattered and the pieces scattered across the floor.
Chloe's face was deathly pale, almost ghoulish. Her eyes were wide open, burning with pure hatred.
Honestly, she had no idea where things had gone wrong.
Everything had been planned so carefully. So why had it all turned out completely different from what she expected?
The more she thought about it, the more her eyes filled with red. She bit down hard on her lip until it bled.
While Chloe was spinning in circles trying to make sense of it all, the apartment doorbell rang urgently.
She snapped out of it and assumed it was Henry or the company's PR team. She ran to the door and opened it.
But standing outside was Benjamin — his face dark, his whole body radiating anger.
"Benjamin!"
Chloe's eyes lit up with relief. She lunged toward him like he was a lifeline.
"You're finally here!"
"Benjamin, everything online is a lie. Charlotte set me up!"
"Please help me figure out what to do. Please, you have to help me!"
But in the next moment, Benjamin stepped back with a look of disgust, pulling away from her.
"Chloe, are you done making a mess of everything?"
Chloe froze. She stared at him, her eyes going wide in disbelief.
"Benjamin, you don't believe me?"
"How could I possibly do something like that? I have no idea what even happened. Charlotte made all of it up!"
"And I'm your fiancée. You have to help me."
Hearing her use their relationship to guilt him, Benjamin's face went even colder. A mocking smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Fiancée? You think I'd dare keep a fiancée like you?"
"Chloe, I think calling off the engagement is the right move. Before you drag my reputation down with you."
Chloe's pupils shrank. Her voice trembled.
"You want to call off the engagement?"