Chapter 86

When lsaac announced his marriage online, it had already sent shockwaves through high society, setting off

a flurry of excited chatter among the elite.

So the moment Slater made his own post, the conversations exploded without missing a beat

"Wow, can you believe this?"

'ls this actually happening, or did someone mess up the details?

'I'm so stunned by this announcement, l almost dropped my phone!'

"ls something in the air today? lsaac just posted about his wedding, Kaia's innocent act got blown apart, andthe truth came out that Verena puled off a miracle for Barrie's leg. it's like every secret dropped at once!"

"Hold up, you're saying Verena really fixed Barrie's leg?"

"For ages, everyone claimed nothing could be done for Barrie's condition. Who knew Verena had this kindof talent?"

"Hang on, let's not overlook what's right in front of us. Take another look at that photo-is that reallyVerena? ls this the 'just alright' girl Kaia talked about? lf that's 'alright, sign me up!"

"Anyone calling Verena 'alright' clearly needs their eyes checked. Kaia must not have been payingattention."

'Now it all makes sense. No matter what rumors people spread about Verena, saac never budged. lf i foundsomeone with her looks and ability, i'd want to marry her, too!"

'So if that's how things are, then Kaia's been misleading us the whole time. Someone who can cure Barriecan't be just a small-town practitioner. On top of that, Verena is obviously gorgeous, and Kaia tried to makeus think otherwise. And honestly, who believes Verena never went to college? i'm not buying that story at

all "Imagine a sister starting rumors about her own family. It's wild how you can think you know someone and be so wrong!"

"Damn! I just remembered something huge!"

The comment sections exploded with replies, filled with question marks and demands for more information.

"Come on, out with it! Don't leave us guessing!"

The message came through instantly. "Didn't Kaia claim in the group chat that Verena was pretending to be a Pine Hill University graduate, calling her a liar? Now, with everything coming to light, it really makes you wonder who's telling the truth. If Verena managed to cure Barrie, maybe she did graduate from Pine Hill."

People jumped in, agreeing right away. "Honestly, you might have figured it out!"

Scrolling through Slater's post and the flood of incoming comments, Kaia felt her mood sour instantly.

By choosing to share it online, Slater had dragged her into the spotlight and left her to face the fallout like a criminal paraded before a crowd.

Every secret she'd tried to keep was now exposed in front of everyone, and Kaia, whose pride relied so much on her reputation,could barely stomach it.

Slater's decision to air the truth so brazenly left her in disbelief, her dignity stomped on in public.

Her grip on the phone tightened until her knuckles paled, resentment flaring in her eyes despite the color draining from her cheeks.

A sudden string of notification chimes interrupted her thoughts as so-called friends reached out.

Each message she read stung a little more, reminding her how quickly these people clung to whoever seemed powerful at the moment.

"Did you see what Slater posted? Is it true or not?"

"You weren't jealous enough to start rumnors about Verena, were you?"

"Why haven't you said anything about Slater's announcement, Kaia?" Kaia clenched her teeth so tightly the grinding noise cut through the silence like a warning.

The ones who once rushed to praise her, clinging to thin friendships and chasing approval when they believed she had saved Barrie, had now changed their tune the second things went wrong. Not one of them stayed loyal. They were nothing but hypocrites dressed up as friends.

Anger surged through Kaia as her grip tightened around her phone, her entire body shaking. The fury boiled over, and she snapped, "You wretches!"

Without a second thought, she shut off the screen and threw the phone to the floor with as much force as she could muster.