Second Chances

Chapter 53 

Emma struggled to break free from Liam’s arms. She weakly reached out and grabbed Liam’s shoulder, causing him to wince slightly. 

Emma remembered the man who had rescued her in the helicopter had a similar injury. 

Just then, her phone suddenly buzzed with a message. (Emma, I’m so sorryl] 

Liam’s face clouded over at the interruption. 

Emma frowned as she asked: (What’s wrong? 

You’re being attacked online!] was the anxious reply. 

Emma met Liam’s gaze and opened her phone. Twitter was awash with negative comments about her. 

“Why is this woman trying to cozy up to Mr. Rivera, just because she has a front–row ticket? Disgusting!! one commented. 

“She is so ugly! Mr. Rivera can’t be with her!” another continued. 

“I know her. Her name is Emma. From that international school in Troln City. She’s trying to use Mr. Rivera’s fame to climb the social ladder.” Negative reviews are filling up the entire webpage. 

The comments continued, and Emma scrolled through more hurtful remarks. It appeared some of Sean’s fans mistakenly thought she was romantically involved with him. 

“Maybe I should just hack into the Twitter system. I’ve had enough of this drama,” Emma said casually. 

Liam remained silent. 

“Just kidding,” Emma added with a wry smile. She was capable enough but saw no need for retaliation. 

Then, Emma stumbled upon a photo of herself that had been grotesquely edited to make her look unattractive. “Who would do this to me? It’s horrible.” In the doctored photo, her features were exaggerated, her face bloated, and her body distorted to appear much larger. This explained why she was being mocked online. 

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of this,” Liam said, reaching for Emma’s phone. But Emma noticed another notification. “Look, someone is standing up for me.” 

Amidst the flood of insults, someone had posted a genuine photo of Emma taken by a classmate at Vark College. She hadn’t seen it before, but the photographer had captured her true beauty. 

The individual who stood up for Emma quickly became the target of vicious online attacks. Internet trolls bombarded him with harsh 

criticism. 

Liam was suspicious of the person defending Emma. He clicked on the profile, which was nearly empty, and simply named June. “Who could 

this be?” 

“I’m not sure, maybe a classmate,” Emma replied, her eyes still on her phone. Meanwhile, Liam had someone look into the identity of this mysterious supporter. 

Elsewhere, Sean was blazed as he watched Emma being slandered online. He was so upset that he immediately composed a tweet in her defense. [She is the most important person to me. Anyone attacking bar can back off. 

His manager, upon seeing the tweet, was alarmed. “Mr. Rivera, that’s too harshl” 

13 

Sean’s expression darkened. “Why? We shouldn’t let them bully Emmal” Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

“No, it’s just that… this might make fans think she’s your girlfriend, which could make things worse for her.” His manager explained. 

Paused for a while, Sean signed and asked. “Then how should I phrase it?” 

After a thoughtful discussion, the manager helped Sean draft a more careful message. 

Soon after, Emma noticed a new tweet from Sean trending. It read: [We are not romantically involved, but she is a cherished part of my family, more important than anyone, She’s still at college and deserves to study without harassment. Please respect that and support me. Thank you for your understanding!] 

With Sean’s impactful statement, the tide of public opinion quickly turned. 

“She’s related to Mr. Riveral We’ve been attacking the wrong person!” one apologized. 

“The unflattering photos online are fake. Have you seen the ones @June posted? Both Mr. Rivera and His family member are good–looking” another commented. 

“Could she possibly be his sister? I’m shocked!” Some are curious about Emma’s identity. 

As Sean defended Emma, Liam was busy safeguarding her personal information, effectively managing the crisis. 

Positive chatter about Emma began to spread on the internet. 

“She’s a student at Vark College and I know her. She’s an excellent student. She’s even more beautiful in person than in June’s photos. The hatred online is unjustified. How can people be so cruel?” This comment received the most likes. 

There are replies below. “She came second in the Vark Invitational Mathematics Examination, right behind the nationally acclaimed tech prodigy, Vere. Rumor has it she preferred the second prize. (LOL)” 

With support from June and Sean, Liam watched Emma’s reputation recover but felt a growing concern. 

The storm online had calmed, but Vark College was buzzing with excitement. Now that everyone knew Sean was Emma’s uncle, they treated Emma with newfound respect and even asked for her autograph. 

Suddenly, Emma’s phone rang. She excused herself to take the call 

Returning composed, she approached Liam. “The police just informed me. Aria has been murdered.” 

Liam raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. 

Emma continued, “It was brutal–multiple stab wounds, signs of kidnapping, and she had been starved before her death.” 

“Are the police involving you in the investigation?” Liam asked calmly 

“No, they’ve already identified the suspect–Sebastian.” Emma answered. 

Emma looked up at Liam, his features sharp and commanding. She stepped closer, wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her head against him, feeling a sense of security. At that moment, she imagined a future where they both grew old together. 

Despite not knowing if Aria’s death was connected to Llam, Emma didn’t want him entangled in her troubles. She resolved to handle her 

adversaries on her own. 

Llam noticed a shift in Emma’s mood and gently stroked her head. “It seems I haven’t done enough if you still have room for other thoughts. 

08:29 Mon, 8 Jul F 

Three days later, Emma found herself alone at Aria’s funeral. 

Sebastian had once paid a large sum to bail out Aria, but his disturbing behavior eventually led him to her murder. 

Despite the influence of the Gomez family, they could do nothing to escape the consequences of murder. 

When Yolanda discovered Emma at her lowest, Emma’s refusal to cooperate meant that Sebastian would face jail time. 

With Sebastian now behind bars, the ties between Emma and the Gomez family were irrevocably cut. 

Emma felt little sorrow over Aria’s death. In a previous life, Aria had been responsible for her painful death by fire–a memory that haunted Emma relentlessly. 

In this life, though Emma hadn’t been the one to end Aria’s life, her actions had set the stage for her indirect revenge. 

Today, attending the funeral, she needed to see for herself the closure of her past torment. 

As she was lost in her reflections, the car pulled up to the cemetery.