The big screen flickered again.
The second half of that compromising video now plastered the entire screen.
In the footage, Leo and Charlotte were out cold. A man and an accomplice dressed in hotel staff uniforms were seen callously posing them in various suggestive positions like they were lifeless dolls.
The truth was out.
The collective disgust erupted into shock, then hardened into a towering rage directed solely at Emily.
"Liar!"
"Get off the stage! Kick her out of the industry!"
"Jesus! That's sick! What kind of monster frames her own teammate?"
Emily sat slumped on the floor, her hair was a total wreck, her makeup a tear-streaked mess. It was over. Her "Pure Saint" persona had been ground into fine dust.
"No... it was her... she's a hacker... she had someone forge it..." Emily was still grasping at straws, making one last desperate stand.
Charlotte looked down at the girl who refused to face reality, giving a mental sneer. This footage didn't come from any of the perpetrators; she had cashed in her Otome points with the 520 system for it. Everything in it was real. While the previous evidence had already closed the loop, it wasn't enough.
She wanted to give the original Charlotte her dignity back—with ironclad proof that even the most dedicated haters couldn't deny.
She gripped the mic, knelt down, and stared straight into Emily's venomous eyes.
"Emily," Charlotte smiled, a look that was pure ice.. "My IT skills are, admittedly, just a little bit better than your acting—and your brains."
"And don't bother waiting for your aunt to bail you out. Right now... she's probably already in an interrogation room at the White-Collar Crimes Unit, waiting for you to join her in a cell."
She pulled out her phone, the screen displaying a breaking news headline: Harrington Family Filed for Bankruptcy
Emily's pupils dilated as she lost focus. That was the final nail in the coffin.
"No! It's impossible! It can't be!! AHHH!!" Emily spiraled into a total breakdown, screaming as she tried to lung at Charlotte, only to be dragged off the stage by security guards who had been standing by.
Charlotte stood up, brushed off some non-existent dust, and walked to the very center of the stage.
The spotlights found her. She raised the microphone and surveyed the crowd, looking every bit like a queen rising from the ashes.
"Now... can we start the voting?"
"WHOOOOOO!"
The crowd went absolutely feral. They surged to their feet, their screams turning into a guttural roar!
"Charlotte!!"
"Queen!!"
"Center! Center! Center!!"
With a staggering 99% of the vote, Charlotte secured a landslide victory as the overall champion of Starlight Girls. As the host announced, "Our champion will debut at the Center position," a prompt from 520 chimed in her mind.
[Ding! Ultimate Mission: Debut at Center—Complete!]
Charlotte looked up at the gold confetti raining down like a blizzard. She knew she had won.
Backstage
Charlotte was cornered the moment she stepped off stage.
Jax was the first to charge in, his face flushed red like an over-excited puppy. "Hey! Charlotte!" he barked, his voice cracking slightly. "You're the Center now! Don't you dare smile at anyone else! You got that?!"
Evan pushed through the crowd. The gloom that usually haunted him had vanished, replaced by a brilliant light in his cool eyes. "Charlotte." He raised his camera. "From now on, my lens belongs to you alone."
Caleb stood behind them, wearing a gentle smile as he held out a contract. "My next film, The Awakening. I'm waiting for my muse. As for the salary... consider it a blank check."
Three men, three confessions, and not a single one willing to back down. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Just then, a coat smelling of cedar and cold air was firmly draped over Charlotte's shoulders. Leo walked up, his hand naturally finding its place around her waist. He shot a warning glare at Caleb, Jax, and Evan.
"Charlotte," Leo murmured, leaning down to kiss her forehead. His voice was a possessive claim intended for everyone to hear. "You're the only Center in my world."
[Ding! Caleb's Affection: 100%!] [Ding! Jax's Affection: 100%!] [Ding! Leo's Affection: 100%!] [Ding! Evan's Affection: 100%!] [Congratulations, Host! All targets successfully captured!]
Fast-forward one year. A luxury sedan swept up the driveway of a hilltop villa. A woman wearing a black baseball cap carefully helped an elderly lady out of the vehicle.
"Charlotte, Nan, you're back!" Jax reached out to take the luggage, greeting grandma with a sweet politeness that was a far cry from his usual bratty self. "I've already made the bed for you. You just got out of the hospital, so you need plenty of rest."
"Rest is fine, but you need to eat first." Caleb walked over with a bowl of soup, nudging Jax aside. "Nan, I made some mushroom soup. Let me know if it's to your liking."
Evan appeared carrying a pot of rare orchids. "Nan, I adjusted the lighting in the garden. It's perfect for your flowers now."
Charlotte watched the three of them subtly jockeying for favor and let out a helpless laugh.
Over the past year, she hadn't chosen a single partner, opting instead to keep this delicate balance. Though they couldn't stand the sight of each other, they had all chosen to compromise for her sake—even if they still bickered every time they met.
It was exactly like this moment, but she felt like someone was missing. "Where's Leo?"
As if on cue, the three men—who had been a disorganized mess a second ago—instantly formed a united front.
"No idea." "Probably busy making his next billion." "Typical workaholic. No sense of family."
"Trying to stir the pot again?" Leo walked in from the gate, leading a Golden Retriever puppy on a leash. He shot a lethal look at the other three.
"Tch!"
Seeing the trio go silent, Leo stepped forward and handed the puppy to the grandmother. "Nan, this pup has been in training for a month. He's very well-behaved. He can keep you company when Charlotte is busy."
"I've arranged a surprise for tonight. Let's head to the garden first." Leo naturally took Charlotte's hand and led her toward the backyard, ignoring the resentful glares boring into his back.
That evening, the villa garden was transformed into a starlit concert. A world-renowned orchestra was performing while the three other men bickered over who got to grill the first skewer of meat.
Charlotte listened to the classical music drifting through the air and smiled. "Inviting a famous orchestra to play at a private BBQ... only you could come up with that."
Leo pulled Charlotte into his arms, watching the chaos with a mix of exasperation and indulgence. "What can I say? With this many rivals, I have to put in the effort to keep you."
Ever since she had returned that check to him, he had stopped trying to control her life, choosing instead to be her most immovable fortress.
Charlotte leaned into Leo's chest, watching her grandmother's healthy, happy face and the noisy group of men who loved her. She had used her new identity to heal every regret the original Charlotte ever had.
[Ding! Side Mission: Cure Grandma's lung cancer—Complete!] [World One: "The Girl Group Member Framed by Scandals"... Cleared!] [Ready to travel to World Two?]
Charlotte took a sip of her champagne and watched the fireworks bloom in the night sky. She flashed a confident, expectant smile.
"Yes."
[Matching next High-Risk World...] [World Two: "The Female Alpha Werewolf Who Failed the Coup"... Loading!]
(End of World One Main Story)