Chapter 94
"What's going on? Just say it! You know you don't need to stand on ceremony with me!" Natalie pressed urgently.
Olivia revealed that Nathaniel had invited her to speak at Westfield University. She then mentioned knowing Natalie's brother Daniel had graduated from there and wondered if he'd heard anything about the upcoming event.
Since she couldn't verbally communicate, Olivia expressed concern through gestures that something might go wrong during her participation in the panel discussion.
Before Olivia could fully explain her worries, Natalie immediately understood and grasped her hand reassuringly.
"Don't stress about it. I've got your back. Westfield's anniversary is familiar territory for me. Daniel and I can both attend with you," Natalie promised, her confident tone easing Olivia's nerves.
For reasons she couldn't quite pinpoint, Olivia had been plagued by unease about this event, a nagging fear that disaster loomed.
Tragically, Olivia's premonitions proved accurate when shocking news greeted her the following morning.
Waking before her usual time, Olivia checked her phone while still wrapped in blankets. Scrolling through news alerts, her own name jumped out at her.
An attention-seeking influencer had leaked the guest list for Westfield University's anniversary, specifically highlighting Olivia's name and emphasizing her speech impairment.
The inflammatory caption read: "A mute giving a lecture? Has Westfield University lost its mind?"
Though Olivia had braced for criticism, the speed and cruelty of the online attack still shocked her.
The comment section showed genuine confusion from most readers. Westfield University maintained rigorous standards and had never invited unqualified speakers before.
Even a famous actress had been rejected for a lecture spot after character flaws surfaced, despite her massive popularity.
Therefore, few questioned Westfield's judgment in selecting Olivia. Most assumed the blogger was simply stirring controversy for clicks.
But soon, a flood of suspicious accounts drowned out the reasonable comments.
These trolls viciously attacked Olivia, claiming she'd only achieved success through her husband and family connections. They accused her of using Liam for fame and secretly leveraging the Blackwood name. Far from the understanding wife aware of Liam's affairs, they painted Olivia as a cunning manipulator whose public image was just an act.
After his morning executive meeting, Liam learned about the situation from his team. "Why wasn't this handled immediately?" he demanded, his expression darkening as he grasped the severity of the smear campaign.
"It's complicated, sir," the PR director explained awkwardly. "Before we could act, another party had already addressed the situation."
"Who?" Liam snapped.
"The Whitmore Holdings group," the PR director admitted, lowering his head. "They moved faster than we did."
Liam's silence filled the room with palpable tension.
The PR director kept his gaze down. He'd followed company protocol precisely. Who could have predicted Whitmore Holdings' lightning-fast response?
During her commute to work, Olivia's forehead creased with worry. She had a scheduled session at Gregory's studio today and feared how the online storm might affect her colleagues.
While Gregory's fearlessness was legendary in their circle, internet trolls didn't know that.
The thought of Gregory facing backlash because of her filled Olivia with guilt.
Upon arriving at the studio, however, Olivia was relieved to find the malicious posts had vanished. Whoever had erased the damaging content so thoroughly must wield serious influence. She wondered if Nathaniel was responsible.
Olivia resolved to apologize to Gregory immediately - this mess had started because of her after all.
As Olivia entered, Marcus and several concerned coworkers immediately approached. "Olivia, are you okay?"
"We all saw what happened online, but don't let it get to you."
"Clearly someone's trying to sabotage you, which just proves how talented you are. Only petty, jealous people would stoop so low. Keep your head up!"
Marcus had a knack for delivering perfect comforting words.
Though touched, Olivia still felt compelled to apologize for the studio's reputation being dragged into the mess.
"Why are you apologizing? You didn't spread those lies!" Marcus raised an eyebrow, genuinely puzzled by Olivia's remorse.
Blushing, Olivia explained through gestures that by targeting her, the attackers had indirectly gone after Gregory too.
"Olivia, maybe you should consider talking to a professional," Marcus said seriously. "You always blame yourself for everything, and that's not healthy, you know?"
Olivia froze, struck by realization. Throughout her marriage, she'd believed Liam's unhappiness was her fault. But Marcus' words sparked new clarity. Maybe she wasn't as responsible as she'd always thought.
"Olivia, you've got a visitor," a voice called from the doorway as Olivia processed this revelation.
Turning, Olivia saw Nathaniel enter the studio.
"I owe you an apology, Olivia," Nathaniel said remorsefully. "I mishandled things, and you got dragged through the mud just for accepting Westfield's invitation."
Marcus quipped teasingly, "Ah, another guilt-ridden soul."
Olivia approached Nathaniel with a reassuring smile, gesturing her appreciation for how quickly he'd contained the situation after the blogger's attack.
"What?" Nathaniel looked genuinely confused. "But I didn't handle it. I thought your studio took care of everything!"
Olivia's eyes widened in surprise - if not Nathaniel, then who? Resolving the crisis so swiftly required serious influence. Could Liam have been involved?