Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown novel Chapter 271

Rosa pressed a trembling hand to her cheek, her voice sharp with anger and wounded pride. “Miss Sullivan, what on earth do you think you’re doing?”

Serena’s gaze was icy. “You were the one who spread those rumors online about me cheating, weren’t you?”

A jolt of panic shot through Rosa, but she quickly recovered, clinging to bravado. “Miss Sullivan, don’t you dare accuse me of something so outrageous. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Funny, isn’t it? After the show aired, Cynthia Lynwood and I were both bombarded with hate online. But you? You got nothing but praise.”

“That still doesn’t prove a thing. Don’t forget, Cynthia Lynwood’s reputation has been cleared, too. People online are singing her praises now as well.”

A mocking smile tugged at Serena’s lips. “So what, you want me to believe Cynthia was the mastermind? I have to admit, it’s a pretty clever plan.”

Rosa’s face registered shock, but she quickly masked it with practiced indifference. “I have no idea what you mean.”

Serena leaned in, her tone steely. “You knew about the tension between me and Cynthia, so you made sure to rope her in. That way, I’d immediately suspect she was behind all of this. You calculated every angle—except one. If Cynthia really wanted to smear me online, she’s got Aaron in her corner. She could have bought top trending spots in a heartbeat. Why bother hiring bots to drum up buzz all night long, just barely pushing the story up the ranks?”

The blood drained from Rosa’s face.

After a moment, she gave a bitter laugh. “Fine, maybe it was me. So what? What are you going to do about it?”

Serena shrugged, cool and composed. “Right now, there’s no law against people like you—those who fan the flames of online abuse. But…” She took out her phone and waved it casually in front of Rosa.

Catching sight of the voice recording app, Rosa went ghostly pale.

“Take a guess,” Serena said softly. “What do you think Aaron will do when he finds out you orchestrated an online attack against Cynthia Lynwood? If you don’t know how much he favors her, just ask anyone in Alderburg.”

Rosa’s knees gave out, and she collapsed heavily onto the floor.

Serena looked at her, genuinely puzzled.

But Cynthia just scoffed. “You really think your little tricks are going to work? In the end, Aaron always comes back to me. Four years, Serena. You’ve chased him for four years and never won him over. Maybe it’s time to wake up and let go—for both our sakes.”

Serena laughed, amused by Cynthia’s bravado. “Maybe you should say that to Aaron.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Cynthia’s expression darkened. “Are you implying Aaron’s chasing after you? Serena, have you no shame?”

Serena shot back coolly, “If having no shame means not being a murderer, I’ll take it.”

Cynthia paled visibly.

She bit down hard on her lip, then muttered coldly, “I told you—I didn’t know anything about the kidney transplant. That was all Matthew Grayson’s doing. If you want revenge, take it up with him. Stop using me as your scapegoat!”