From His Puppy to His Brother’s Diamond Chapter 06
Claire’s POV
After the forum, Ethan and Lily crawled back to New York like beaten dogs. I figured I’d never have to deal with those two again. Turns out I underestimated how low people can go.
Junior year, first semester. My design for City of Angels Light wins the International Young Architects Award. The kind of recognition that puts you on the map overnight. My name starts circulating in architecture circles across the country.
Then the night before the ceremony, a post blows up across Reddit, Twitter, and every college forum in existence. “Exposing the Genius Girl: Bullying, Backroom Deals, and Sleeping Her Way to the Top.”
Some anonymous account claiming to be a victim posts this whole sob story about how I used my family’s money to torment her in high school, pushed her to the edge of suicide. A couple of blurry photos thrown in for good measure, heavy implications that the only reason I won anything is because I’m sleeping with Dominic Whitmore.
Bots flood in. The narrative spreads like wildfire. In twelve hours I go from rising star to the girl everyone loves to hate.
I scroll through the comments and almost laugh. The writing style, the victim act, it’s so obviously Lily I could pick it out blindfolded.
Ethan’s in on it too. The post includes screenshots
from my Common App, trying to paint me as some manipulative psycho who plays with people’s feelings for sport.
“Claire, you okay?” My roommate watches me with worried eyes. “Want me to talk to someone in the department? Get them to put out a statement?”
“No.” I close my laptop. My voice comes out cold. “They wanna play games? Fine. Let’s give them a show.” dial Dominic.
He picks up on the first ring.
“You saw it?”
“Yeah.”
Don’t worry about it. I’ll have everything taken down in ten minutes.”
No. Don’t delete anything yet.” I keep my voice steady. “Taking it down just makes us look guilty. They want to spread lies? Let’s show them what happens when you come after me with receipts.”
Silence on the other end. Then a low laugh. “Alright.
What do you need?”
I tell him.
“My legal team and PR department are on standby.
Whatever you need.”
The next night, City of Angels Light ceremony goes live, broadcast nationwide.
Because of the post, over a million people tune in. The chat fills with insults and accusations.
I walk onto that stage in a sharp white dress. Cameras flash from every direction.
take the trophy. Step up to the mic.
“I want to thank the judges for this recognition.” I look out at the crowd, then straight into the camera. “Before
ore I give my speech, I need three minutes of your time. Some interesting stories have been going around about me online. Let’s clear that up.”
The room erupts. The live chat explodes.
snap my fingers. The giant LED screen behind me lights up.
The first piece of evidence appears. A crystal–clear audio recording. It shows Ethan in his studio, bragging to his friends about how he manipulated my college applications, how easy it was to control me.
“So about those allegations that I’m the manipulative one. Here’s the truth. You decide who was playing games.”
The screen switches. High–definition security footage appears. Lily in the girls‘ bathroom, bossing around group of girls while they shove another student’s bag into a toilet. Then Lily slaps her across the face.
“As for the bullying accusations, sorry to disappoint. I was too busy with my designs to waste time on that garbage. But the person who wrote that post? Lily Morgan? She’s the real bully. This footage has been submitted to the police.”
The comments flip instantly. A wall of “holy shit” and “she played herself.”
The third screen shows a stack of official documents.
Audit reports, project evaluations, board meeting minutes.
“And finally, the suggestion that I slept my way here.” smile slightly, glance down at the front row where Dominic sits. “Mr. Whitmore is an investor in this project. But these audits show every dollar he put in went through full board approval. My design passed blind review. Unanimous vote.”
I pause. Let it land.
“I don’t need anyone to put me on top. I’m already there.”
Dead silence. Then the room explodes in applause.
Online, the bot accounts vanish. The comments turn into apologies and praise.
In New York, Ethan and Lily stare at their screens. All the color drains from their faces.
They thought they could destroy me with public opinion. What they don’t know is that Dominic’s security team tracked their IP in under thirty minutes. Found every piece of evidence of Lily’s bullying history. Built an airtight case.
And his lawyers have already filed. Defamation. Damage to commercial reputation. The works.
“We’re done.” Ethan slumps in his chair, phone blowing up with hate messages. His eyes look hollow.
Lily collapses on the floor, sobbing.
They have no idea this is just the beginning.