Free Web NovelChapter 114: Chapter 114: Without Power or Influence
###Chapter 114: Powerless and Without Influence
After Cecilia Young explained it to everyone, Nina Wainwright learned that Cecilia had been standing up for her deskmate back then.
Her deskmate was being bullied by some mean girls, so she brought along some upperclassmen she knew to bully them back.
But now that they had dug it up and twisted the truth, Cecilia Young was in the dance studio, red in the face with anger.
"Do you still have your deskmate’s contact info? You could ask her to come out and clarify things," one of the girls suggested.
"Forget it. My deskmate is just a regular person. I’m afraid they’ll target her and start rumors about her, too," Cecilia Young answered, sulking.
"Are there any other witnesses?" Nina Wainwright asked.
Cecilia Young couldn’t remember. After all, it had happened in her second year of high school. In college, she was busy with her studies and dance, and had long since put the matter behind her, with no memory of the minor details.
The group of girls couldn’t help but grow worried.
Ever since they had all grown close, they took each other’s problems to heart. This was especially true now that the one being slandered was their young leader, Cecilia Young.
"Why the long faces? My parents are still around, anyway. Let’s just dance for now. We can’t let these people ruin our mood!" Though Cecilia Young was angry, she hadn’t forgotten their important task.
While everyone was putting in extra hours of practice, Sandra Walsh came to the dance studio with a grave expression and called Cecilia Young out.
Nina Wainwright told everyone to keep practicing, but she couldn’t help but worry.
She didn’t know the extent of the Talbot and Ford families’ influence, but she had some idea about Zachary Hawthorne and Luna Sterling.
The Sterling Family definitely had connections to the rich and powerful. If Zachary Hawthorne got involved, the Young Family would surely be at a disadvantage.
A short while later, Cecilia Young returned.
Nina Wainwright quickly walked over and asked her, "What did the teacher say?"
"She told me to handle this matter. With National Day less than a week away, she doesn’t want the entire troupe’s reputation to be damaged because of me." Cecilia Young looked worried.
"This isn’t your fault," Nina Wainwright said softly. ’They’re just too good at spreading rumors.’
Besides, for something that happened so long ago, Cecilia Young couldn’t very well trouble her old classmates. More importantly, the ones she had provoked were Zachary Hawthorne and his group of rich kids.
The rich kids acted without fear of consequences, but Cecilia Young’s family was in politics, which paradoxically meant she faced more restrictions.
"Of course it’s not my fault! And I’m warning you, don’t you dare go soft on them. Those rich kids are used to being lawless. I’m going to teach them a lesson!" Cecilia Young said, gritting her teeth.
After practice ended and the dance studio was empty, Nina Wainwright called Sandra Walsh.
The moment the call connected, she said, "This whole thing started because of me. It has nothing to do with Cecilia Young. She just saw me being bullied and got into an argument out of anger... Ms. Walsh, you have to believe her."
Sandra Walsh sighed. "I know you’re all good kids, but you’re just dancers. There’s no benefit in offending these good-for-nothing rich kids."
"You just focus on leading them in dance. You’re all heading to the stage for rehearsals the day after tomorrow, and I don’t want you to be distracted by this. As for this matter, I’ll ask around and get to the bottom of it."
Nina Wainwright hummed in acknowledgment.
After hanging up, Nina Wainwright called Catherine Grant. freёwebnovel.com
A moment later, when the call connected, she said hurriedly, "I have something to tell you. Meet at The Moonlight Bar?"
"Sure! I’m actually here right now," Catherine Grant readily agreed.
Nina Wainwright immediately headed to The Moonlight Bar.
The bar was packed and lively that evening. As soon as Nina Wainwright saw Catherine Grant, she walked right over, noticing Adrian Pemberton was there too. "You’re here as well," she said as a greeting.
"I’ve been coming here a lot lately to sample the drinks and learn more about them," Adrian Pemberton said with a smile.
Catherine Grant gave a knowing smile. "He’s been practically living here lately."
Then, remembering Nina Wainwright had come to her about something serious, she quickly added, "Oh, right! What did you need to talk to me about?!"
"It’s something really important." Nina Wainwright recounted what had happened with Cecilia Young, Talia Talbot, and herself at The Golden Palace, and then told Catherine Grant about how Cecilia was being slandered online.
Catherine Grant leaned back in her chair and frowned. "With this kind of thing, even if you issue a clarification, people will still doubt Cecilia Young’s character. I don’t think Talia Talbot and the others are trying to completely ruin her, but getting things to this point is enough for them."
Adrian Pemberton nodded. "Exactly. They won the moment they started slinging mud. So what if you catch the person who started the rumors? Cecilia Young is the daughter of a government official. People with that kind of status are a sensitive topic. Even if a clarification is made, some clickbait accounts will still chase engagement and keep spreading baseless gossip."
"It’s all my fault," Nina Wainwright said, her brow furrowing.
"What does it have to do with you? Talia Talbot and her friends are the ones who keep bullying you. From what I can see, Cecilia Young is a very upright person. I’ll help her look into this," Catherine Grant said immediately.
Adrian Pemberton added, "Count me in."
"Even if a clarification won’t do much good, we still have to do it. For the next few days... I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to spend some time and effort on this." Nina Wainwright looked at them, her voice filled with gratitude.
"Don’t you worry about it. Adrian Pemberton and I will definitely get to the bottom of this for you. You just focus on your dancing. I’m waiting for you to shine!" After speaking, Catherine Grant quickly called the bartender over and ordered a drink for Nina Wainwright.
When the drink arrived, Catherine Grant raised her glass, looked at Nina Wainwright, and said wistfully, "You’ve lost weight."
Nina Wainwright was a little surprised. "Have I? I haven’t noticed."
"Your face looks more defined," Adrian Pemberton said with a smile. "You seem more energetic, and it looks good on you." Then he immediately changed the subject. "Has there been any progress with your house?"
"I’ve been to the bank several times, but they’re still dragging their feet," Nina Wainwright said helplessly.
She was completely engrossed in dancing and didn’t want to spend so much time on this matter.
If they had followed the proper procedures, it would have been settled long ago. They were clearly stonewalling her on purpose.
Catherine Grant knew about this too. Her face immediately turned serious and she said unhappily, "I did some checking. The bank does have dealings with the Talbot, Sterling, Ford, and Hawthorne families. They’re all major clients. The bank doesn’t dare offend them, so they can only bully you, someone powerless and without influence."
Nina Wainwright held her glass, took a sip, and said with a nonchalant expression, "Sooner or later, I’ll make them pay for everything they’ve done."
A worried look crossed Adrian Pemberton’s face. "I’m looking forward to that day too, but I’m also afraid you’ll get into trouble."
Nina Wainwright’s starting point was just too low... How could she, all by herself, shake these great families that had been rooted in the city for so long? And not just one, but four of them.
"I don’t have a choice anymore. Even if there’s only a sliver of hope, I don’t want to give up," Nina Wainwright said.
She had initially been kind to Cecilia Young partly because she knew her family background was out of the ordinary.
She just hadn’t expected that, right as the tour was about to begin, they would dig up Cecilia Young’s past.
An online smear campaign like this was devastating for people like them, who relied on public exposure to build their careers.*****
