Reclaiming Her Heart

Aria's bitterness hit an all-time high after she got disfigured. She only felt good when she saw Selena and Betty suffering.

That duet with Selena that night? It was the start of her downfall.

Later, Aria found out what S.M Corporation was up to and cooked up a plan: take down all their talented actors! Either ruin them or make sure they never face a camera again. This was Aria's game plan, and she didn't care about the consequences. Just like tonight, there was no proof, so no jail time for her.

Cops were everywhere, but she and Nathan hadn't done anything illegal. Worst case, they'd get questioned.

But for Selena and Betty, it was a different story.

Aria's face twisted into a satisfied grin, but with scars covering half of it, she looked downright scary.

In the end, everyone got hauled to the police station.

Aria kept throwing out snarky comments, but Selena and Betty stayed quiet.

Nathan wanted her to zip it, but Aria shot back, "Nathan, you promised Mom you'd look after me."

Nathan felt like the whole night was a bad dream he couldn't wake up from.

He saw Betty sitting in the corner and wanted to go over.

But Betty just clung to Selena's hand like her life depended on it.

Soon, everyone finished giving their statements, and Aria was the first to leave.

Aria glanced at Selena and said boldly, "This is just the start. Austin, Sophia, Ronald, within a month, they're all dead."

Selena looked up, her face blank, and locked eyes with Aria.

Aria thought she was fearless, but Selena's stare made her shiver.

Realizing this, Aria felt humiliated.

Aria wanted to live; only by living could she enjoy everything. Plus, Nathan was about to become the White family's heir. Even with her scars, she still had a shot at marrying into the Smith family. Aria had to find a way to get rid of her scars completely.

Nathan also finished his statement but didn't leave. "I want to bail out Betty."

Hearing this, Selena found it laughable. "Nathan, do you really think there's still a chance between you and Betty? If Betty killed everyone in the White family, would you still like her?" Nathan said, "She wouldn't do such a thing."

He didn't answer whether he'd still like her, just acknowledged Betty's kindness.

But it was laughable; kind people never had a good ending.

Selena found it funny, and Betty laughed out loud.

Betty even wanted to gouge out her eyes. How could she have liked Nathan? How could she have been fooled by him?

Thinking about it now made Betty feel sick, a kind of helpless sickness. It was the most desperate feeling ever.

In the days that followed, Selena stuck by Betty's side, helping her handle her parents' funeral.

On the day they buried Hubert and Donna, Nathan showed up too.

In those few days, he finally seemed to get what this all meant to Betty.

"Betty, I'm sorry," he said, smoking, his messy hair getting even messier in the wind.

Betty didn't say a word to him and just got into Selena's car.

She hadn't spoken a single word in days.

Selena gripped the steering wheel, having already set up a room for Betty in the employee dormitory. She was taking her there, and soon others would move in too.

The property management there was handpicked by Selena, and there were tons of bodyguards. Even though it was just a small, necessary apartment, the security was better than some high-end neighborhoods. Selena carried two suitcases up to Betty's floor.

Betty busied herself unpacking and organizing her stuff.

Selena worried about her mental state, "I'll give you a month off."

Betty shook her head, "The crew is coming soon. I'll stick around to finish this movie."

Selena asked, "And after that?"

Betty had no family left. What were her plans for the future?

Betty's hand froze as she looked at a sweater in the suitcase. She chuckled, "Just keep moving forward, isn't that what life is about?"

What else could Betty do but keep going?

Betty's tears fell on the sweater. She took a deep breath and said, "I will still become famous, still make a lot of money. I promised my mom I would win Best Actress."

Selena didn't know what to say, so she just patted Betty's shoulder.

Betty said, "Ms. Fair, I also promised you I would work hard. If it weren't for the promises to my parents and to you, I wouldn't know what to do next. At least now I have a goal." Otherwise, Betty feared she might just use a knife to end it all.

Selena stayed for half an hour. As she was about to leave, Betty suddenly called out to her, "Ms. Fair, as long as I don't do anything illegal, I won't cause trouble for the company, right?" Selena nodded, "Yes."

Betty asked, "Then I can choose my own path, right?"

Selena said, "Yes."

Betty smiled, "Scandals can also make me famous, right?"

Selena didn't nod immediately but watched as Betty took out a cigarette and slowly lit it.

Betty's smoking was awkward, the smoke she exhaled was incomplete, and she even choked a bit.

Selena had experienced this kind of despair and remained silent.