Chapter 148 Pure Malice
Alistair grinned down at Caroline, whom he held protectively in his
arms. “You know what they say, art imitates life, right? This little soap opera tonight is way more entertaining than anything you’d pay good money to see in a theater.”
Caroline leaned into him. “Totally. Though, gotta say, the lead
actress seems a few clowns short of a circus.”
They weren’t whispering. Their voices carried just enough for
everyone within earshot to catch every word.
At that, Freya’s quiet sniffles escalated into full–blown, dramatic
sobs. She stood there, a sodden, shivering mess, a kind
stranger’s oversized jacket draped over her delicate frame, which trembled pathetically. She looked like a fragile white flower being mercilessly battered by a raging storm, the absolute picture of pitiable vulnerability.
Instantly, some guy puffed out his chest, clearly appointing himself the champion of justice. “Hey, you two, knock it off! That’s way out of line! The cops are on their way, you know. My advice? Confess now, and maybe they’ll go easy on you. Keep acting like this, and you’ll be doing some serious hard time, making license
plates!”
Alistair actually chuckled, his words dripping with a not–so–subtle
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Chapter 148 Pure Malice
double meaning. “Making license plates, huh? Sounds like it could be very interesting. Right, Freya?”
9 min left
Freya sniffled again. “I don’t believe we’ve ever met before, have we? I honestly don’t know why you’re targeting me like this, but I really don’t want to see you two throw your lives away and go down the wrong path. So, how about this? If you just apologize to me, right here, in front of everyone, and admit that you were wrong, I’ll put in a good word for you with the police officers. Maybe they’ll cut you some slack, give you a lighter sentence.”
Alistair let out a short, sharp scoff. “Oh, no need for that. Say whatever you want to them. But just remember. Adults have to take responsibility for the things they say.”
“The hell with this! That’s it. I can’t take any more of this crap! You’re actually gonna threaten her, right here, in front of all of us?”
“This is outrageous! These are the kinds of scumbags who are ruining our society! They need to be taught a serious lesson, punished to the full extent of the law!”
The crowd erupted, everyone chiming in, a chorus of condemnation aimed squarely at Alistair and Caroline.
But surrounded by a ring of hostile faces, Caroline just snuggled deeper into Alistair’s embrace, looking completely unfazed. She even playfully started tracing a little heart shape on his chest with
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Chapter 148 Pure Malice
her forefinger.
9 min left
ને
This little kerfuffle? Pfft. My husband can totally handle this on his
own.
I’ll just play the part of the innocent, sheltered damsel and hide in his big, strong arms.
The local beat cops arrived surprisingly quickly.
Before the victim could even get a word out, the self–appointed posse of justice warriors started eagerly pointing fingers at Alistair and spewing accusations.
The officer looked like his head was about to split open from all the shouting. He held up a hand, motioning for quiet, then turned to Freya and asked her to describe what had happened.
After Freya had finished her tearful, dramatic tale, the officer turned to Alistair. “Well? Is what she said true?” Alistair wasn’t about to admit to something he hadn’t done. “She fell entirely on her own. My wife and I were a good six feet away from her at the time. It had absolutely nothing to do with us.”
Freya immediately got all worked up. “I’m not a clumsy toddler! How could I just randomly trip and fall into a fountain for no reason? You’re the one who’s lying!”
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Chapter 148 Pure Malice
9 min left
The onlookers all nodded vigorously and chimed in with their
agreement.,
And every single one of them swore that they were eyewitnesses. Alistair and his wife had pushed Freya into the fountain!
And their motive?
Duh! They’re obviously psycho, twisted, obsessed anti–fans! Deranged haters don’t need a motive!
Alistair caught the look Freya shot him. She wasn’t even bothering
to hide the smug, triumphant glint in her eyes.
He just let out a small, dismissive smirk.
Seriously, though, why did Freya, who seemed to be walking
perfectly fine one second, suddenly take a spectacular nosedive into the fountain pool the next?
Well, because she’s a schemer, that’s why.
And lucky for me, I happen to have the Schemer’s Bane…
But here’s the really weird part. I have absolutely no beef with Freya. I literally only learned who she even was earlier today. And then, bam, here I am, meeting her in person tonight under these totally bizarre, almost surreal circumstances.
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Chapter 148 Pure Malice
9 min loft
Alistair’s mind instantly flashed back to Julian’s cryptic, almost conspiratorial comment at lunchtime. “She has a boyfriend.”
And just by sheer, unbelievable coincidence, her boyfriend turned
out to be the mega–superstar Leo!
And just this afternoon, he and Caroline had metaphorically mopped the floor with Leo!
The pure malice Freya had been radiating when she first came at us… So, yeah. This whole charade? She is definitely doing this for
Leo.
With so many people to volunteer as witnesses for Freya, she was clearly convinced she had this whole situation locked down.
She wanted Alistair and Caroline to record a groveling apology video and post it online for the whole world to see.
The demand might have sounded magnanimous, almost forgiving. But in reality, it was incredibly malicious.
She was at the peak of her popularity right now, with a massive, rabidly devoted fanbase.
If this story blew up, her fans would absolutely crucify Alistair online. They’d tear him to shreds, one nasty, vitriolic comment at a
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Chapter 148 Pure Malice
time.
9 min left
And if there were a few unhinged, extremist types who might decide to take things offline?
She was actively trying to completely destroy them, to ruin their
lives.
Not only did the onlookers completely fail to see her vicious intent,
but they were also all tut–tutting, muttering about how she was too soft–hearted and too forgiving.
Alistair just shrugged and offered an unconcerned smile, a look that clearly said, “You done with your little performance? Good.
Because now it’s our turn.”
He cleared his throat. “Officer, she is blatantly fabricating lies, slandering me and my wife, and inciting these people to launch a campaign of verbal harassment and personal attacks against us. This entire incident has caused significant–emotional distress and
considerable damage to our reputations.”
Freya didn’t even have to open her mouth. Someone from the crowd immediately started sputtering, “That’s a load of absolute crap! The unmitigated gall of this guy! Officer, don’t you listen to a word he says! They were clearly just jealous of Ms. Peterson’s popularity, so they assaulted her…”
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Chapter 148 Pure Malice
9 min loft
Alistair interrupted him, his voice sharp, “And you personally witnessed us physically assaulting her? You saw it with your own two eyes?”
The guy, desperate for the cop to believe his story, puffed out his chest and insisted, “Yeah! Damn right, I did! I saw the whole thing!”
Freya shot the man a look overflowing with gratitude, her eyes welling up with crocodile tears.
Alistair slowly scanned the crowd, his gaze lingering on the faces of the self–proclaimed champions of justice. “And what about the
rest of you? You all saw it too? Just a friendly little tip. You might want to think very carefully before you answer that.”
Maybe it was his arrogance, his utter lack of repentance, that finally pushed them over the edge because the crowd roared
back in near–perfect unison, “Yeah! We all saw it! Every last one of
us!”
Just then, Caroline, who had been hiding so demurely in Alistair’s
embrace, slowly looked up. Her expression was cool and
detached as she said, “When you speak to my lawyer, please be
sure to include that exact statement.”
Except for the most heavily wooded, secluded spots, the park
was actually pretty well lit.
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Chapter 148 Pure Malice
After Caroline spoke those words, the atmosphere became
noticeably quieter.
9 min left
The yellowish glow of the park lamps fell on her face, illuminating her flawless features and delicate, perfect face. Her cool, understated elegance instantly eclipsed Freya. Even with her celebrity shine, Freya suddenly looked ordinary, like just another
face in the crowd.
Freya’s expression, for some reason, darkened even further. A strange look flickered in her eyes as she stared at Caroline, a look that was practically dripping with venom.
This was also the first time Caroline had deigned to actually look directly at Freya, her gaze sharp and slightly narrowed.
Alistair sensed the subtle shift in Caroline’s demeanor. He followed her gaze, giving Freya another quick, dismissive once–over. He still didn’t see anything particularly special about
this loud, attention–grabbing woman.
“Officer! Officer, over here! I have evidence! I have proof that
these two people are completely innocent!”
Someone, it turned out to be one of Caroline’s discreet
bodyguards, came rushing over, holding out a smartphone with a video already cued up.
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Flash Marriage to a Stu
