Chapter 53 She Is Trying To Destroy Us
Finished
“Our business is getting crushed. No one wants to work with us anymore. We can’t even tell if it’s fallout from the show or if someone’s working against us behind the scenes, Felix said, lowering his voice.
Chloe, meanwhile, wasn’t actually unconscious. She was faking it, lying still on the bed. But when she heard what Felix said, her heart skipped a beat.
Her eyes snapped open, disbelief flickering across her face. “Wait, what are you saying? Didn’t the company land a bunch of S–class scripts this year? Wasn’t I almost locked in as the female lead for one of them?”
She had a bad feeling–one that only grew stronger. She’d only been gone for three days, but somehow, everything had unraveled.
She refused to believe it.
“You-“Felix opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted by Chloe’s phone vibrating.
She answered it quickly. As she listened, her face turned pale with confusion. “Wait… what do you mean the film crew kicked me out? Are they not signing the contract anymore? I was planning to head straight to the set after wrapping the show. I turned down a ton of gigs just for that. Hello? Hey!”
Right after the call ended, she got a notification–her contract had been rejected. Her hands trembled, and her phone slipped. from her grip, crashing to the floor.
Suddenly, she jumped out of bed barefoot and ran straight to Marilyn’s room. What she saw stopped her in her tracks–her mother was lying in bed, wrapped up like a mummy, her face barely visible.
“Mom?” Chloe gasped. She had been shocked enough when Benjamin said he broke a leg. But seeing Marilyn in person was way worse.
“It had to be Gabrielle. No doubt about it! She can predict the weather, even the wind–this is all her doing! Ever since she took my place in that wedding, our whole family’s been cursed! She’s doing this on purpose. She’s trying to destroy us! She poisoned me, poisoned Benjamin, and she almost got us thrown in jail!” Chloe broke down, tears streaming down her face.
Marilyn held her close, her heart aching.
“Felix, Ben, go find Gabrielle!” Marilyn barked, eyes never leaving the iPad screen in front of her. She had only just watched the livestream of their return and realized how close Chloe and Benjamin had come to being arrested.
“Okay, Felix replied, reaching for his phone, but he couldn’t get through.
Everyone took turns dialing. Eventually, they all exchanged glances, disbelief written across their faces. “Wait… are we blocked?” someone finally said.
Right then, Zachary stepped in from the hallway, clearly exhausted. He tossed his car keys onto the coffee table and dropped onto the couch.
Zach, how’s the company?” Marilyn asked, her voice filled with worry.
Zachary looked at Chloe and then turned to Benjamin. In a flash, he stood and slapped Benjamin hard across the face. “Who told you it was okay to bring up the insurance policy on live TV? Now the whole internet thinks we were trying to kill
Gabrielle
That show was live, and now our company’s blacklisted. All our artists lost their gigs. Every collaboration fell apart. Even the cops are investigating us!” Zachary’s voice cracked with frustration.
The Seavers family had been thriving. Who would’ve thought a few days would bring them to the edge of ruin?
“What? That can’t be…” Marilyn sat up too quickly and winced in pain, her eyes narrowing as she turned toward Zachary. “Zach, don’t they know about the connection between the Seavers and Zechman families?”
“Right! What about the Zechman family? Gabrielle married into them! If we can get their support, then maybe…” she trailed. off, a glimmer of hope in her voice.
11:44 PM
Chapter 53 She Is Trying To Destroy Us
Finished
when she left. Even joining that show was because Zach pushed her into it. After all this, you really think she’s going to help us out?” he said coldly.
The room fell into dead silence.
Everyone’s expression turned grim. Chloe was the most unwilling to accept it.
Everything I worked for–does it mean so little note!
“I tried calling the Zechman family, Zachary muttered, “They hung up the second they heard my voice. Didn’t even let me speak”
Marilyn looked stunned. She had tried too, and been hung up on as well. Her heart sank, piece by piece. In a rush, she pulled out her phone and sent Gabrielle a message. The screen blinked with a red exclamation mark. She stared at it in disbelief, whispering. That little brat blocked me.”
“No matter what, she’s still a daughter of the Seavers family. Even if we cut ties, she’s still family! Marilyn snapped, her voice shaking.
Zach. let’s go to the Zechman residence. Felix’s eyes gleamed with malice as he grabbed his keys and stormed out before anyone could stop him.
At the Zechman residence, Gabrielle caught a taxi back to the estate. As soon as she stepped inside, a housekeeper greeted her with a bow. “Welcome back, Mrs. Zechman.”
She gave a small nod, not used to the respectful tone.
The moment the taxi was heard arriving, Charles waddled out. “Welcome back, Mrs. Zechman. Let me help you,” he said, eyes lighting up as he reached for her luggage.
He’d watched the entire show live, and Gabrielle had completely shattered his old impression of her. She wasn’t just smart- she could hunt wild boars, take down venomous snakes, and even survive a cliff jump. Not to mention, Jonathan hadn’t shown any signs of illness the past few days. His health had been terrible before–coughing up blood and barely holding on. These past days were nerve–wracking for everyone. But just as Gabrielle predicted, things held steady. When Arthur got wind of the news, he was so overjoyed that he broke a bone. He would’ve shown up personally if he hadn’t been injured.
“How’s he doing?” Gabrielle asked, glancing upstairs.
Charles expression softened, clearly relieved. Looking at her now, she and Jonathan gave off a similar vibe–straightforward and firm. “Mr. Zechman’s out on business. I’ll give him a call,” he said, taking her bags and heading up the stairs.
Gabrielle hummed in response and stepped into the room. It had been tidied regularly–everything in place. She set her backpack down and pulled out two snake gallbladders, both sealed with sigil papers.
“Bring me those medicinal herbs from before,” she said softly.
When Charles spotted the snake gall–fresh from the livestream–his eyes sparkled with excitement. “Yes, yes, I’ll get them. right away” he said, rubbing his hands together like a kid about to open a present.
