Public Execution

"No wonder her dad exiled her."

"That loser would do ANYTHING for money?"

"If I see her face one more time, I'm suing the sun."

"Even her forehead looks weird."

Atlantis was in full roast mode.

All the employed and unemployed people had turned their phones into rage machines. Hate comments, conspiracy theories, and badly photoshopped memes of Selene Sinclair being exorcised a 'Saintly' Bianca with a holy spoon.

And then—

The city hiccuped.

Like a glitch in a simulation.

Exactly three seconds ago, Selene Sinclair logged into her social media account after seven years. And now? She was live streaming…. On the roof of Sapphire Hotel… 

The woman who was supposed to be hiding had just confirmed her location!

The chat was dead for a moment.

And then one brave, very confused soul typed:

…she looks beautiful?

He immediately deleted it and cleared his browser history. But it was too late. The Charisma Buff had landed.

Ding!

[Charisma Buff: Active]

[Iron Widow Class: Passive Skill Engaged]

[Public Sentiment: Skeptical → Conflicted]

Selene tilted her head slightly.

"I'm not Selene tonight." She said softly. "Just the secretary of someone… who doesn't like all this noise." The chat revived in bursts.

"Someone powerful," Selene added. "Someone who hates slander. And is willing to pay."

"Errr…. But did you try killing Bianca or not?"

"Wait—are you actually doubting that?!"

"WAIT?! IS SHE ACCEPTING REYNOLD IS HER SUGAR DADDY???"

Selene grimaced.

"Secretary. People. I have a job. Do you seriously think someone in this city would want ME around them? My boss is from somewhere very far."

The chat paused.

And then, it hesitantly continued.

"FR. I would rather pay her to stay away from me."

"She doesn't look too bad."

"At least she knows everyone hates her."

Selene let out a deep sigh.

Ding!

[Charism Buff - 10 seconds remaining!!]

"I am innocent," Selene continued calmly. "And I have a little task for you. Find evidence proving my innocence. Uncover every lie that has been spread against me. In return? My boss will give 10,000 dollars to every valid evidence."

And then, with a mischievous smile, Selene ended the stream.

"...yo, is she serious?"

"10k dollars??? Isn't the Sincalir heiress supposed to be crazy broke!!!"

"Wait!! What was that on her wrist?"

Three seconds later, a clip of the live stream would go viral.

And one frame in particular would cause the most chaos. Because right before Selene ended the stream, people had glimpsed a golden bracelet around her wrist. 

The Stormheart Bracelet.

Same artifact was sold at auction for 9 billion dollars just a few days ago!!

Worse, it was the symbol of the now-missing Montvale Monarchy.

"Selene Sinclair can NEVER afford that bracelet!!!"

"Could this be a gift from her boss?"

"Danm… what if that man is from the montvale monarchy…"

Selene slumped against the cloudy bed with a sigh.

In one hand, she was holding a wine glass filled with iced express. In her other hand, she was holding the rabbit's legs while trying to keep him from climbing on her again.

Meanwhile, the internet was in chaos.

No one entirely believed her words.

But many, far too many people, were unable to consider that she might be lying. They were strangely too focused on Selene. Everything about her seemed right. If only for a few seconds.

And though skeptically, they would soon start digging to the bottom of the situation. 

Ding!

[Title Gained: Public Chaos Starter]

[Viewer Count: 420 million → 890 million → 2.1 billion… and rising!]

[+259,500 added to your Chaos Wallet!]

Somewhere in Atlantis, a teenager squealed.

"DAD, I'M GOING TO EXPOSE A CONSPIRACY FOR CASH!!"

The live stream ended.

But the ripple it sent across Atlantis didn't.

For a moment, the screen stayed frozen on Selene's faint smile — tired, quiet, too calm for someone supposedly conspiring with billionaires and committing white-collar crimes in her sleep.

The comments exploded. Conspiracies flew.

"She's bluffing. Classic misdirection."

"Okay but she looked like she just wanted a nap and peace."

Then came the crack.

A random grainy video popped up on a local news forum. Just a shaky phone cam recording from outside a hospital, time-stamped from two days ago.

Bianca Sinclair stepped out of a black sedan. Not a scratch on her. Designer bag, high heels, unbothered expression.

Right behind her?

Adrian Hale.

Looking more annoyed than concerned.

A nurse's voice crackled faintly in the background.

"The girl's covered in blood. But her ex-fiance? He seems not at all concerned!! I also saw Selene come here with an old woman who looked like she was dying."

It wasn't much. But the post's caption was enough to set fire:

"So who exactly got hurt here? #SeleneDeservesBetter"

Within minutes, a hospital intern posted in the comments:

"I saw it too. The grandmother was the injured one. I think she wasn't even breathing. Miss Bianca looked completely fine… I bet someone twisted the scenario. Who even started the murder-attempt rumours?"

Then came another.

"Lady Bianca was looking fine!!! Those murder-attempt rumours are just some dumb conspiracy!!!"

That was all it took.

A private account quietly offered a $10,000 reward for any verifiable witness testimony. Only those who revealed new information received the reward.

And very soon, a new thread appeared.

"Update: Just got 10k wired from someone called 'Mr. Bubbles???' The quest is actually true!!!"

Someone else replied.

"Same here. I got 10k gift card for Birch & Silk Sleepwear. This… counts? Ig?"

Soon, more hospital staff posted statements — calm, factual, quietly damning. Nothing dramatic, just… precise. Consistent.

But the online space didn't turn on Bianca.

No.

They turned on Delano.

"How could he confuse that situation? The warden was the one who made this mess!!"

"Did he just assume Selene was wrong?? No report, no warrant???"

"So Bianca was also misinformed?? She wouldn't let that happen knowingly…"

By the end of the hour, the city had created its new villain.

Delano.

And not just for mishandling Selene's arrest.

But for embarrassing Bianca Sinclair.

One post hit the nail square:

"Delano's incompetence caused Lady Bianca public pain. FIRE. HIM."

Selene watched it all unfold like a quiet storm outside the window.

Ding!

[+100 Karma Points]

[+2,345 added to your Chaos Wallet!]

[Mystery Item Unlocked – See Inventory]

[Reputation Status: Neutralized]

[Target of Hate: Reassigned – Delano]

Selene raised a brow.

"Reassigned?" she whispered.

The system responded smoothly.

[Lady Bianca's public image is intact. Your reputation is now classified as 'under reconsideration.' Majority consensus blames Delano Felk for narrative distortion.]

[Public sentiment assumes Bianca Sinclair did not intend for these outcomes.]

Selene stared at the screen.

It made sense. Of course it did.

People didn't just love Bianca. They adored the idea of her.

She was elegance. Grace. The fairytale that made people feel hopeful. And Selene? She was the chaos. So when the truth came out?

They didn't cancel Bianca.

They pitied her.

Framed her as another victim of bad advice. Misinformation. A PR nightmare, not a real scandal.

Selene's smile didn't falter.

"Figures."

She didn't need them to hate Bianca.

She just needed them to question the story.

And they had.

Then—

[Mystery Reward: 1x Public Redemption Token – Auto-Stored.]

"What does that one do?" she asked.

The system's response was laced with mirth.

[The next time you're publicly caught red-handed… no one will believe it.]

Selene blinked.

"…Weirdly comforting."

Outside, Atlantis buzzed with chaos.

Reporters stormed Delano's building. His lawyer trended #6 on drama forums. Political memes exploded. But Bianca?

Bianca was back in the shadows, untouched.

Exactly where she preferred to be.

Selene leaned back, her rabbit hopping onto the bed again.

She stroked its ears thoughtfully.

"Phase one down," she whispered. "Next?"