C5 The Scheming Doll Face!

"How did you find out about 'The Deal'?"

"Think you can land the lead role in 'The Deal'?"

"Don't make me laugh. Even Cassius couldn't pull that off."

The man with the striking white hair was none other than Hollis, the current heartthrob of the entertainment industry and the second son of the Hicks family. A close friend and ardent admirer of Cassius, Hollis chose the glitz of showbiz over the family empire.

In his past life, Hollis's breakout role in "Teenagers" garnered rave reviews. Director Eugene, captivated by his performance, handpicked Hollis for the lead in 'The Deal,' a role that ultimately earned him the Best Actor award.

So, what Diantha was orchestrating was essentially setting the stage for a future favor.

After a brief pause, Diantha replied, "I can secure the casting rights for you, but you'll need to agree to a condition of mine."

"Where are you getting these connections?"

"Do you want the casting rights or not?"

"Of course, it's a film by Director Eugene! But let's get one thing straight—if your condition is for me to drop out of 'Teenagers,' forget it. I won't undermine Cassius."

"Relax. If I wanted to hit Cassius where it hurts, I'd do it to his face."

Hollis, lounging in the dressing room, couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about Diantha's message. Was she always like this?

He had only encountered Diantha a handful of times, but her relentless pursuit and lack of shame in chasing Cassius had left a lasting impression. It was as if she was bewitched, her affection for Cassius almost touching.

Since marrying Cassius, Diantha seemed to settle down, no longer shadowing him or frequenting the social scene. Meanwhile, Hollis was at the peak of his career, immersed in filming and attending fewer events, which meant crossing paths with Diantha became rare. Still, rumors about her persisted, and though Hollis knew better than to take gossip at face value, the constant chatter inevitably shaped his perception of her.

These rumors did Diantha no favors, and Hollis wondered why Cassius didn't step in to clear the air.

Lost in thought, Hollis received another message from Diantha: "Let's talk in person after I'm out of the hospital in two weeks."

"Alright," Hollis responded after a moment's consideration.

Diantha set her phone aside, relieved that things were still in the early stages. She and Cassius had only been married a year, and the incident with Anthea moving into the Edwards household due to a frightening encounter with overzealous fans and paparazzi was still fresh. Diantha hadn't yet begun her campaign against Anthea, and the rumors hadn't spiraled out of control.

People from her past were still willing to engage with her, unlike the final years of her previous life when everyone pitied Anthea and saw Diantha as a deranged villain, shunning her completely.

Back then, even her own brother had condemned her, "Anthea is such a good person. Why do you treat her this way? I refuse to acknowledge a sister as cruel as you. Don't contact me again!"

Now, given a second chance at life, Diantha was determined to seize it and not repeat past mistakes.

"Did something good happen? You seem joyful," Nancy remarked, her eyes sparkling as she finished setting up Diantha's IV.

Diantha smiled back, "Yes, I'm glad to see someone online has finally seen through Anthea's façade."

"That's great! I'll keep you updated on any developments. Just focus on resting, and remember, no more than an hour on your phone each day."

Diantha nodded in agreement, and Nancy wheeled away the cart.

Two weeks later, Diantha was cleared to go home. Nancy, teary-eyed, reluctantly said goodbye, and they exchanged contact information.

Diantha waited in the discharge lounge for Heyden, who was late. She wasn't worried; she had experienced this before. In her previous life, she had waited for Heyden until noon, never daring to disturb Cassius at work. She had messaged Heyden with no reply, only to find out from a news video that Cassius had reassigned Heyden to protect Anthea from a surge of negative publicity, completely forgetting to pick up his wife from the hospital.

Eventually, Eliasz, a fan of both Cassius and Anthea and the young heir to the Sullivan family, arrived to collect her, claiming it was Cassius's directive. Trusting him, she got into the car, only to be abandoned halfway through the journey in a desolate area as a misguided act of vengeance for Anthea, leaving Diantha stranded and betrayed.

Stranded in the desolate outskirts with no cell signal, she felt utterly hopeless. To make matters worse, she encountered a gang of thugs in what should have been an uninhabited area. She tried to flee but was caught and pinned to the ground. The horrors that unfolded in that forest would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Later, after those brutes had their way, they callously left her exposed and helpless by the roadside. A passerby rescued her, and she survived, but the trauma she endured was irreversible. She sought out Eliasz for an explanation, only to be met with his dismissive claim that she had asked to get out of the car. Others accused her of concocting a ploy to garner Cassius' attention, suggesting she got what she deserved. Those trolls online twisted the narrative, viciously portraying her as a manipulative femme fatale. Diantha was left defenseless against the slander, her anger and frustration boiling over into a resigned silence.

With the wisdom of her previous life, Diantha intentionally postponed her discharge from the hospital. After a leisurely lunch, she strolled to the waiting room and casually browsed her phone. Upon hearing a familiar "Sister Diantha," she looked up, unsurprised to see Eliasz standing there.

Eliasz's appearance was misleading, to say the least. With his short, golden-brown hair and endearing baby face, always adorned with a cheerful grin, he hardly seemed like someone to be cautious of.

Eliasz, the youngest of the Sullivan siblings, was not only a close friend and admirer of Cassius but also Anthea's most devoted fan. And because of Anthea, he harbored a particular disdain for Diantha.

In her first life, Diantha had been naive to the dangers posed by someone like Eliasz, who could mask his contempt with a friendly facade. But after surviving the apocalypse, she had learned to recognize the true threat behind such disingenuous warmth.

Despite Eliasz's enthusiastic greeting, Diantha merely nodded coolly and observed him in silence.

"You're quite aloof today, Sister Diantha," Eliasz remarked, unfazed by her lack of response. He toyed with the car keys in his hand and continued with a grin, "Brother Cassius knew you were being discharged today. Since he and Brother Mo couldn't make it, he specifically asked me to come and take you home."