Farewell to Love: The CEO's Desperate Chase novel Chapter 286

Christian looked at Wyatt standing before him, and suddenly, he smiled.

Wyatt had no idea what to make of it.

“Wyatt, you know something?” Christian said, his tone unusually calm for someone known for his temper. “You and the boss overrated me, but you underestimated Serena.”

Wyatt burst out laughing, as if Christian had just told the world’s funniest joke.

“Christian, what are you even talking about?” Wyatt thought back to everything they’d done over the past few days.

After the fourth livestream, he and Vivienne had a major falling-out. But soon after, Vivienne showed her sincerity—and more importantly, her skill at capitalizing on the charity fraud story about Serena. That was how she won Wyatt back, and he agreed to let her handle the Donovan family situation.

“Still trying to make a last-ditch effort?” Wyatt’s mind raced. “If it hadn’t been for Tyler’s compensation and George stepping in as a fanboy at the family estate, you would’ve had no choice but to let Serena quit.”

“These past few days, with me and the boss watching your every move, there’s no way you could have tampered with that auction guest list to clear Serena’s name. Even if you tried to donate after the fact, we had ways to make sure your reputation came out even worse.”

Wyatt glared at Christian, but Christian just watched him with that half-amused, half-mysterious smile.

A strange uneasiness crept over Wyatt.

Christian hadn’t spelled anything out, but Wyatt’s nerves were on edge.

He racked his brain, glancing from the woman on stage—motionless like a marble statue—back to Christian.

“Serena’s reputation is shot online,” Wyatt muttered, almost to himself. “Forget the rumors about sleeping her way to the top—if the charity fraud is proven, she’ll never recover.”

“I know your people tried to run damage control these past few days, but it didn’t work. The backlash is too strong.”

…

Backstage, the atmosphere was tense as everyone watched the woman’s performance unfold on stage.

No one had forgotten how Beatty had threatened Serena here earlier.

Everyone involved in the show—contestants, guests, even the host—had at least some musical training. The only exception, or so everyone thought, was Vivienne. Though, to be fair, most people assumed she was knowledgeable too.

But now, watching Serena’s performance, glances darted around the room; some people even snuck peeks at Beatty.

Beatty sat ramrod straight, jaw clenched, feigning confidence. The online hate was overwhelming; even if the performance was flawless, what did it matter? Serena was still facing total cancellation.

Still, no matter how assured Beatty tried to appear, deep down, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of relief that Serena was trapped in the charity fraud scandal—with no way out.