The Broke, Mute Boy I Saved Was a Bored Billionaire Chapter 10

The Broke, Mute Boy I Saved Was a Bored Billionaire Chapter 10

The Strouds wanted the Rothwells to stop before the damage became irreversible.

Knowing Bastien hated Veda, they publicly cut ties with her and released a video of her insulting him, hoping it would buy them some mercy.

In the recording, Veda rolled her eyes at the camera.

“Who does Bastien Rothwell think he is? He seriously believes I wanted him?”

“The Masquerade Challenge was supposed to be a game. We picked some cheap older woman and let him mess with her.”

“Then he actually caught feelings. God, his taste is pathetic.”

“And don’t start acting like he’s some tragic romantic hero.”

“He was so focused on getting her into bed that he never bothered finding out anything about her.”

“She had terminal cancer. She knew she didn’t have long, so she found some younger guy to have a little fun with before she died.”

“Whenever we drew challenges, I rigged the picks so Bastien always got the dangerous ones. Bungee jumping, skydiving, anything extreme.”

“But the woman just wouldn’t die. She survived every time, so I finally finished the job myself at the ski resort.”

“And that idiot Bastien was ready to turn against me over some

—

worthless piece of trash. He must’ve lost his mind.”

By the time the video ended, a smile had settled on my lips.

The Strouds had probably figured out that I was the one who gave Dr. Rothwell the evidence against them.

They must have hated me.

But as long as Bastien considered me precious, they would not risk coming after me directly.

Veda was different.

She could not touch Bastien, so she would come for me instead.

The Strouds were hoping to eliminate two problems at once.

That suited me perfectly.

I had been waiting for Veda to make her move, and she did not keep me waiting long.

One week later, Dr. Rothwell brought me to the Rivenhurst Arts Foundation Benefit, displaying me as living proof of her medical breakthrough.

The moment we entered the ballroom, business associates surrounded her.

I was left alone.

Not long afterward, a server “accidentally” spilled red wine down my skirt.

She offered to take me to a dressing room so I could change, and I

—

agreed.

The moment we stepped inside, she locked the door behind me.

Veda emerged from the corner, hatred twisting her face.

“You think you’ve won because the Rothwells took you in?”

She glared at me.

“Bastien and I grew up together. We’ve known each other for more than ten years. Who the hell are you to take him from me?”

“People like you should know where they belong. You should’ve crawled back into whatever hole you came from.”

I let her rage.

I wanted to see what she had planned.

About five minutes later, footsteps sounded outside the door.

Veda’s expression changed.

Then she smiled.

She grabbed a vase and smashed it against her own forehead.

Blood immediately poured down her face.

I stared at her. “Can’t you come up with anything new?”

Veda laughed. “I fooled Bastien once. I can fool everyone else just as easily.”

“You’re about to find out what it feels like when the whole internet

—

comes for you.”

Then she screamed.

“Help!”

“Ms. Halden, please stop hitting me!”

The door burst open.

Camera flashes exploded across the room.

Reporters crowded the entrance, while several people held up phones and streamed live. They had clearly been waiting nearby.

Beyond them, Dr. Rothwell stood apart from the chaos, watching without any intention of stepping in.

Our eyes met.

The faint satisfaction in hers told me everything I needed to know.

I gave her a small smile.

Confusion crossed her face, and her brows drew together.

I looked away and let the cameras capture every angle they wanted.

Within minutes, #RothwellHeiressAttacksSocialite shot to the top of the trending page.

Paid accounts flooded the conversation before anyone knew what had happened. Veda became the innocent victim.

I became the calculating mistress who had faked her death to trap Bastien.

—

The abuse came instantly.

People asked why I had not died in the snow.

Some even circulated fabricated medical records claiming I had never had cancer at all.

Then Veda released a statement saying she understood my jealousy and had decided not to press charges.

The performance earned her even more sympathy.

Not long afterward, Dr. Rothwell issued her own statement distancing herself from me.

I was not surprised.

Her trial had already been declared a success. She no longer needed me as her public-relations prop.

More importantly, she was smart enough to realize I could no longer be controlled.

In less than half a day, I went from a survivor people admired to the most hated woman online.

It seemed as though the entire world had turned against me.

Bastien was the only one frantically demanding security footage.

But Veda had chosen the dressing room because she knew there were no cameras inside.

The situation appeared impossible to prove.

I was not worried.

—

Bastien was.

He burst into my room at the Larkspur Hotel after midnight and grabbed my arm, panic written across his face.

“People online are threatening to come here. You need to leave with me now.”

I calmly pulled his fingers from my arm. “Why should I hide?”

“Tressa, stop fighting me on this.” His voice was strained. “Trust me. I’ll protect you.”

I smiled and turned the tablet toward him.

“Thank you, but I don’t need your protection.”

The screen showed Veda striking herself with the vase.

The footage was crystal clear. Every word, every expression, every second of the setup had been recorded.

Bastien stared at it, his mouth falling open.

“You…”

“I knew she would come after me,” I said evenly. “Did you really think I wouldn’t prepare?”

It took him several seconds to find his voice.

“You let her take it online on purpose?”

“Why?”

I gave him a long look.

—

“I needed a reason to put her in front of the entire world.”

“I couldn’t afford to manufacture a scandal.”

My smile deepened.

“So I let her do it for me.”

Bastien’s breath caught as he stared at me in disbelief.

I did not care what he thought.

Right in front of him, I pressed Send.