Chapter 15 Exposing Tiana’s Scheming
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“Everyone is here, and it’s about time. Isabelle, even though you weren’t late, you didn’t complete your task,” Indigo announced, his tone sharp as he addressed Isabelle.
He clearly wasn’t going to let her off easily and was determined to hold her accountable.
Isabelle, however, remained unfazed. She glanced at Indigo. “What about now? Should I still prepare breakfast for everyone?”
“There’s no need. Everyone’s already eaten, so even if you prepared something, it would be pointless,” Indigo said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Here’s an idea–since Tiana helped cover for you and provided breakfast, you now owe her a favor. Tiana can have you complete a task to pay her back.”
Isabelle raised an eyebrow. It was obvious that Indigo was deliberately stirring the pot, trying to create tension between her and Tiana. No matter what task Tiana assigned, Isabelle would likely refuse, leading to inevitable drama.
“But I didn’t ask her to buy breakfast for everyone,” Isabelle retorted coolly. “That was her choice. What does it have to do with me? Did I even get a portion of that breakfast?”
Her words made Tiana’s expression falter.
Tiana had indeed hoped to win some favor by stepping in. Knowing Isabelle might be late, she had preemptively bought breakfast for everyone, thinking it would not only please the crew but also earn her praise from the audience. The comparison with Isabelle would naturally make her look better.
But Isabelle had just called her out in front of everyone, exposing her intentions. Now, what would the others think of me? Would the audience see me as too manipulative?
Worse, Tiana suddenly realized she hadn’t included Isabelle in the breakfast distribution.
She cursed her assistant silently. Why hadn’t they reminded me of such a crucial detail? Now Isabelle had caught me in a misstep.
Tiana quickly recovered, her face softening as she apologized, “I’m sorry, Isabelle. I thought you wouldn’t like the breakfast here. After all, mom said you grew up pampered in the Powell Family. Mom mentioned you had delicate tastes, so I didn’t think to include you. If you want, I can go out and get you something now.”
Isabelle glanced at her. “You just called me pampered, yet now you want to buy me food? What if I don’t like what you bring? Won’t the audience end up blaming me again? No, thank you. I think I’ll just go hungry.”
In truth, Isabelle wasn’t hungry at all–she had made Lennon grab breakfast during the traffic jam.
Tiana hesitated before offering, “How about I make you a pancake? I’m pretty good at those.”
Taylor couldn’t stay silent anymore. “Tiana, you’re the real Powell Family noble. Why are you bending over backward for her? Isabelle is nothing but a fake, so why does she still act like a spoiled princess?”
Isabelle’s gaze shifted to Taylor, her tone sharp. “Taylor, wasn’t it? What does this have to do with you? Are you so free that you need to butt in, or did one breakfast buy your loyalty?”
The jab made the other guests hesitate to chime in, wary of appearing overly partial to Tiana.
“Hey, show some respect!” Taylor snapped, furious. She looked ready to square off with Isabelle.
“You’re so ungrateful,” Taylor added. “Tiana was just being considerate. She worried you’d get stuck in traffic and that we’d all go without breakfast, so she went out of her way to buy food for everyone. So what if she didn’t include you? Do you have to nitpick?”
Isabelle couldn’t be bothered to argue further with someone like Taylor.
“I’m not nitpicking. I’m just pointing out that her gesture wasn’t about me but about herself. And now Indigo wants to pin a favor on me, forcing me into a debt I never owed.”
Her bluntness left everyone speechless, unsure how to respond.
Ashen, the ever–diplomatic one, broke the silence with a light laugh. “Well, Isabelle does have a point. If Tiana assigns her a task, how about we all pitch in to help? After all, we all benefited from the breakfast.”
Chapter 15 Exposing Tiana’s Scheming
“Yes, if Tiana needs something done, we can all assist,” Finley quickly added.
Levi, being young and eager to please, nodded enthusiastically. “Count me in too.”
+8 Pearls
Isabelle smirked, watching the scene unfold. By dragging everyone into the mix, she had effectively turned the tables.
Taylor, however, looked visibly uncomfortable. Unlike the others, she didn’t want to help with any task. But now that everyone else had agreed, refusing would make her stand out–and not in a good way.
“I’ll help too,” Taylor muttered begrudgingly.
Tiana’s smile stiffened. She had planned to highlight her own efforts, not create a group project.
“No, there’s no need for that,” Tiana said quickly. “I bought breakfast for everyone because I wanted to share a part of my life with you all. Growing up in Downtown Village, I’ve always loved the food here. I just thought it’d be nice for everyone to experience it.”
She turned to Isabelle, her voice softening. “Isabelle, no matter how you see this, I want you to know I never meant to take advantage of the situation.”
Indigo seized the moment to jump in. “Regardless of Tiana’s intentions, Isabelle, this counts as her helping you with your task. According to the rules, you still owe her one. However, to keep things fair, we’ll adjust it so you’re assisting Tiana with a task instead of doing one for her entirely. Does that sound acceptable?”
Out of the camera’s view, Indigo shot Isabelle a look, silently urging her to let it go.
Feeling the pressure of everyone’s gaze, Isabelle finally smiled. “Of course, that works. I even appreciate Tiana’s thoughtfulness in helping me out with this task. Without her, I wouldn’t have been able to get breakfast ready in time–my ten pampered fingers certainly wouldn’t know where to start.”
The live chat was buzzing.
“I knew it. Isabelle always stirs things up wherever she goes.”
“She’s so sharp–tongued, but I kind of love it.”
“Isabelle may be gorgeous, but her personality is awful. Tiana did something nice, and she accuses her of scheming?”
“Honestly, Isabelle might have a point. Did you see Tiana’s expression when she got called out?”
Meanwhile, the assistant director was glued to the viewership stats, which had skyrocketed since Isabelle’s arrival. He was thrilled. Isabelle was a magnet for drama, and drama meant views.
With the matter settled, Indigo moved on. “Alright, let’s get to today’s game. Each of you will draw a card to find an NPC. Once you locate your NPC, you’ll receive a task. Only those who complete their tasks will earn the budget for lunch. If you fail, you’ll have to go hungry.”
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