No Strings Attached

Chapter 315

Heidi peered into the mirror, the reflection almost mimicking Clara's features, and a sly grin crept across her face. "If I slip into this dress and dab on makeup to make me look more like Clara, I can't see how Ian, with his head spinning from one too many, won't mistake me for her."

The thought of spending the night with him and derailing his pursuit of Clara was too delicious, and she chuckled at her own cunning.

She began to peel off her soiled clothes, reaching for the new gown, when suddenly the room plunged into darkness. Her heart clenched with fear. Back home when she’s grounded, ghost stories had terrified her, and now she couldn't even sleep without a nightlight.

Just as she was about to call out for help, the lights flicked back on. But the relief was short-lived. As she stood there in her lingerie, the darkness swallowed her again. A chilling wail filled the room, eerily reminiscent of that night at the graveyard.

Someone was messing with her. Heidi was sure of it. She mustered her courage and hurried to get dressed and out, but then, a ghostly figure appeared at the window. Headless, drenched in blood, it lunged at her, screaming, "I’ll kill you"

Panic-stricken, Heidi's fear from that night flooded back. She let out a piercing scream and bolted from the room, half-dressed, yelling at the top of her lungs, "There's a ghost! Somebody catch it!"

What slipped her mind was the livestream she had set up earlier for the evening's concert, with several influencers broadcasting live. Their phones were now capturing her every move.

The livestream erupted in excitement.

[Whoa, is this the free content I'm getting without a subscription? Heidi is going all out to clear her name, flaunting it in a bikini!]

[Is this really clearing her name, or is she just making things worse?]

[So the rumors are true. Heidi's scandalous behavior is confirmed. Who dresses like that at a family gathering? Who's she trying to seduce?]

The chat was ablaze with comments, and the onlookers at the event were casting strange glances her way as if she were the evening's entertainment.

Only then did Heidi realize the inappropriateness of her attire, but the images of the headless ghost pursuing her were all she could focus on. She threw herself into her grandmother Marian's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Grandma, someone dressed up as a ghost to scare me. It must be Clara and Sasha. You have to stand up for me!" Her tears flowed freely as she struggled to catch her breath.

Marian quickly wrapped her in a blanket and said, "If you've done nothing wrong, you've got nothing to fear. You're so young, yet all your thoughts go to plotting against others. How could May have a daughter like you? Someone take her away. We can't have this scandal here."

Heidi looked up at her grandmother with pleading eyes. "Grandma, why would you believe strangers over me? Are you really honoring my mother's memory this way? She wouldn't rest in peace seeing you do this to me." Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

She knew her grandmother's soft spot was her mother, and mentioning her was usually a surefire way to sway her.

Just then, a cold, stern voice came from behind her. "My mother never had a daughter like you!" Edwin's words cut through the air like ice.