Chapter 556:

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“Allie, I don’t care if this was Grandfather’s order. I have just received an official appointment from the CEO to take over the Project Department.” Emmalyn narrowed her eyes, her tone dripping with threat. “So, if you’re smart, you’ll get out of here right now!”

Allie shrugged nonchalantly, her expression relaxed. “You want me to leave? You’ll have to take that up with Grandfather.”

“Sister!” Just then, Luna ran over. She froze for a second, taking in the tense atmosphere. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Allie replied. “Emmalyn says she’s here to take over the Project Department.”

“Take over the Project Department?” Luna sneered. “Her? What right does she have? An adopted daughter? What right does she have to hold such an important position?”

“What did you say?!” The words “adopted daughter” completely enraged Emmalyn. She trembled with fury. “Luna, you dare say that again!”

𝖯𝗼pul𝘢𝗋 ѕ𝘵𝘰𝘳𝗂𝘦𝘀 𝘰𝘯 galո𝗈𝘃e𝗅𝗌.с𝗈𝗆

“I never repeat myself,” Luna said, crossing her arms and looking at her with contempt. “If you have a problem with it, go talk to Grandfather yourself. My sister’s appointment and mine were decided by Grandfather personally. They are not subject to change.”

Emmalyn clenched her fists tightly, feeling utterly humiliated in front of everyone.

“Wait, you said Grandfather gave you ‘two’ appointments?”

“That’s right! My sister is now the Manager of the Project Department, and I am the Deputy Director of the Finance Department.”

Luna’s words left Emmalyn completely stunned, as if she’d been struck by lightning.

The Project Department was the company’s core business unit, and the Finance Department held its economic lifeline. Now, these two people she considered incompetent had taken over such critical positions. Her and her father’s power had been thoroughly hollowed out.

“Aah!”

Suddenly, Paula let out a panicked cry.

“What are you shrieking about?!” Emmalyn snapped, glaring at her.

Paula’s hand trembled as she held out her phone to Emmalyn. “Emmalyn, Hayley’s fighting back. What do we do now?”

Emmalyn glanced at the screen and froze, her eyes widening in disbelief.

“That’s impossible! I have the original source file—there’s no way it could have leaked.”

And yet, there it was, playing out in damning detail: the entire confrontation at the family banquet. The video clearly showed Paula and Karin provoking Hayley. The footage was raw and unedited, overlaid with captions that explained the context. Even without sound, their arrogance was unmistakable. Paula’s and Karin’s sneering faces, their contemptuous postures—it was all on full display.

Emmalyn snatched the phone, frantically scrolling through the comments.

“Whoa! So there’s a twist, huh? Paula and Karin were the ones who started it!”

“Though the video has no audio, I can read lips. Paula and Karin were saying something harsh and vicious—calling Hayley a country bumpkin, a criminal. Even their so-called gift was just another insult.”

“Honestly, if someone came at me like that, I’d be furious too. I completely understand why Hayley snapped.”

Soon, the tide was turning as people realized they’d been manipulated. Fueled by Pioneer Group’s PR team, public opinion fractured into two opposing camps. One side hammered Paula and Karin, accusing them of playing the victim and spreading malicious slander. The other side was convinced the video was a deepfake—an AI-generated hoax cooked up by Hayley to whitewash her own image.

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