Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 475

At the Smith Family’s side of things—

Sandra Taylor was in full-blown panic mode.

She never could’ve dreamed Camila Davis’s birthday party would take such a wild turn.

She’d been ready to sit back and enjoy the show, already picturing the whole mess trending everywhere online.

The scandal was blowing up all over social media.

But instead of things going the way she’d scripted in her head, things completely backfired.

She’d tried accusing Eric Morris of rubbing shoulders with all the bigwigs for shady reasons, but he’d turned around and made a huge charity donation, right there in front of everyone.

Sandra was so furious, she hurled her phone across the room.

After the rage passed, fear crept in.

She’d thought the plan was foolproof. It never occurred to her to worry about what would happen if it failed.

Now she’d ticked off half the people in the ballroom. Once the party ended, they’d never let her off the hook.

What really freaked her out, though, was the journalist—their livestream had been shut down.

She hadn’t contacted him directly, but if the police started digging, what if they traced it all back to her?

Sandra hastily ordered her contacts to get in touch with Bruce.

But the reply came back, “We can’t reach him…”

“What do you mean you can’t reach him?!”

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Meanwhile, in Veridia.

Bruce started panicking the second the live feed went down.

He’d been clinging to a shred of hope—he’d worked in journalism long enough to know that things could flip at any moment. Maybe the story would change again before the night was over.

Sure, his livestream was dead, but there were plenty of other social accounts he could use.

He hurried to log in—but every single one of his accounts had been locked. He couldn’t post a thing, couldn’t even get in.

Even the hashtags and rumors he’d started were vanishing from the internet at lightning speed.

That’s when he knew he was in real trouble.

He realized he needed to disappear—fast.

No time to pack. He just grabbed his wallet, passport, and a couple of essential cards, then made for the door.

He’d barely turned the handle when he came face-to-face with the police.

“Uh… Officers, is there a problem?” Bruce tried to keep his cool.

The cop, stone-faced, flashed his badge. “Bruce, your livestream included baseless slander, defamation, and caused serious public harm. We’re placing you under arrest for investigation.”

He kept coming back to one name: Dennis Williams. Probably only someone like him could manage something like this.

The realization left Walter uneasy.

He’d always taken a slow-burn approach with Camila since she came back—waiting for her to heal, to move on from Jordan Smith, to be ready for something new. Then he’d tell her how he really felt.

But now, out of nowhere, there was someone else quietly working their way into her life, leaving no room for anyone else.

Suddenly, waiting didn’t seem like a good idea anymore.

He had to do something.

Camila, oblivious to Walter’s inner turmoil, slipped back into the ballroom to find Mr. Morris and her parents.

They were surrounded by Mr. Harris and a handful of other influential guests—people with real clout.

Everyone was discussing what had happened.

“I checked with the folks at the top—they’re not planning to pursue this any further,” one guest said.

“Worst-case, someone writes a report. The police have already arrested the journalist who started the rumors. Don’t worry—we’ll make sure he faces the consequences.”

“Mr. Morris, you don’t have to worry about a thing. Let us handle it.”

“Alright, let’s just enjoy the rest of the party. When it’s over, we’ll sit down and finalize the details for the charity project!”

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