Chapter 49: The Smear Campaign Goes Live

The confrontation inside Aurelia Gems had ended, but Vanessa's retaliation was only beginning. Within an hour, Pulse was flooded with coordinated hashtags.

#Aurelia-Gems-owner-SiennaBennett

#Sienna-attacked-Vanessa

#Sienna-pushed-Vanessa

#Sienna-insulted-foster-mother

Each tag distorted the scene inside the store. Sienna's demand that Vanessa pay for the shattered display became proof of greed. Her order that security remove the intruders became an attack on her family. Even Sophia's aggression disappeared from the version spreading online. The campaign worked quickly. Spectators who had never entered the store repeated the accusations as fact.

[She has finally been exposed. How can she still be so arrogant?]

[Without Helena Bennett, she would have died years ago. How dare she treat her mother that way?]

Others demanded that Sienna explain her connection to Aurelia Gems and Harrison Vale. Vanessa and Sophia offered no evidence, but the approaching press conference gave the rumors fresh momentum. Reporters began treating the accusations as established truth, and viewers waited eagerly to watch Sienna's reputation collapse in public. By three o'clock, the trap appeared complete. Vanessa's supporters were certain the press conference would finish what the online smear campaign had started.