Reborn as the Villainess

Carter stood beside Gregory and got sprayed with spit while Gregory coughed up water. Carter couldn't help wrinkling his nose in disgust. "What's got you so riled up? Why are you so excited?"

Despite his words, Carter still patted Gregory's back instinctively, making sure Gregory was okay while still throwing in a warning. "Let me remind you. You're a celebrity. You could get photographed or seen at any moment. You can't just browse any random, questionable websites, got it?"

"No, no..." Gregory coughed furiously, trying to get the water out of his windpipe. His eyes were glued to the phone screen without blinking. He couldn't believe what he saw and zoomed in on the image.

After enlarging it, Gregory's condition worsened. His face turned ashen. He rubbed his eyes frantically, closing and reopening them several times, disbelief written all over his face. No way...no way, this can't be real..."Exclusive content from NôvelDrama.Org.

Seeing Gregory like this, Carter started to panic. He had known Gregory for a long time but had never seen him lose his composure like this. Growing anxious, he asked, "What's going on? Just tell me, and we'll figure it out together. Isn't that what the company and I are here for?"

Gregory, trembling, shoved his phone towards Carter, his voice shaky. "Carter, look at this for me. Is that woman wearing a bracelet on her wrist?"

Carter stared at the phone's surveillance footage, his eyes widening in shock. "Where the heck did you get set footage from?"

Gregory howled and jumped. He grabbed Carter by the collar and shook him. "We don't have time for this. Stop looking at the footage and look at the bracelet."

Carter, dizzy from being shaken, quickly pushed Gregory's hands away. "Let go. How am I supposed to look when you're shaking me like that?"

"Quit stalling. Just look." Gregory released Carter's collar, shoved the phone in front of Carter's face, bit his lip, and anxiously waited for Carter's answer.

Carter lowered his head to look at the footage on Gregory's phone. He had no idea where Gregory had managed to get such clear surveillance. The entire set was visible; even the movements of a fly were captured.

The bracelet Gregory mentioned was on the wrist of an actress named Eleanor. Today, she wore long sleeves, and when she brushed her hair back, the sleeve slipped, briefly revealing the bracelet.

"It's clear as day, isn't it? It's just a bracelet," Carter replied.

Gregory pressed on. "Then tell me, what does it look like? What kind of pattern is on it? What color is it?" Carter frowned and shot Gregory a puzzled look. "Can't you see it yourself? Your eyes are fine, aren't they?" "Just look, would you? I'm so scared I can't see straight." Gregory's voice trembled, and he genuinely seemed terrified.

Carter frowned, not understanding why Gregory was suddenly so frightened. But Gregory looked pale and shaken, his anxiety impossible to ignore, so Carter sighed and humored him. "The bracelet is silver-brown, and there's something engraved on it. Wait, no... It's not a pattern. It looks more like...writing. Maybe a foreign language."

"It's over..." Gregory muttered, collapsing onto the sofa. At this point, his face could no longer be described as pale. He swallowed hard, cold dread creeping through his veins and settling deep into his bones.

Gregory thought, 'A silver-brown bracelet... I hadn't seen wrong. That really is the new sect leader. But wait, something doesn't add up. I distinctly remembered seeing the new sect leader in front of Aloria High School, and this woman looked nothing like her. This one is much better-looking than the last. Could it be that the bracelet has chosert a new owner?

'But that doesn't make sense either. For the bracelet to change hands, the previous sect leader has to be dead, and that's not an easy process. It certainly couldn't have happened so quickly. What on earth is going on? No, no, no-why am I even worrying about how the bracelet chooses its owner? There are bigger problems at hand. Like staying alive.

Carter watched as Gregory's face shifted from pale to sweating, then to furiously knocking his head, clearly in distress. He quickly stopped him. "Gregory, what's going on? You're freaking ne out here."

Gregory's lips quivered, sweat beading on his forehead, as he whispered weakly, "Carter, I'm done for. I think I'm going to die."

Carter was stunned. "What? Don't scare me like that. Are you feeling sick? Do you have some kind of illness? I'll call an ambulance right now."

Carter sprang to his feet, frantically pulling out his phone to call the ambulance. 'No wonder Gregory has been acting so strangely. He must be seriously ill. Given how terrified he looks, it has to be something severe-maybe even terminal. The more he pondered, the more plausible it seemed. 'Oh no, my golden goose for the future.

Still clinging to a shred of sanity, Gregory weakly grabbed Carter's arm. "Carter, no need for an ambulance. I'm not dying from illness. I'm about to be beaten to death."

Carter was confused. "Huh? Beaten to death? Who's going to beat you up out of nowhere?"

Gregory slumped back onto the couch in defeat, staring at the ceiling like a dead fish. He thought, 'I calculated every move, but somehow, I still fell into the new sect leader's trap. Is fate really out to get me?

'How many people have ever crossed the sect leader and lived to tell the tale? Especially that is an S-level bounty... I'm doomed. I haven't even finished Samuel yet, flown high with Ross and the gang, or tasted the sweet glory of topping the entertainment industry. And now I'm about to bite the dust? It's so unfair.'

Seeing Gregory lying there like a half-dead man, Carter frowned, growing more anxious by the second. He stomped in frustration. "Stop dragging this out. Just tell me, who did you offend? If it's that bad, I'll go apologize for you."

Gregory turned his head to look at Carter. "Apologize? Do you think that'll work?"

"Uh..." Carter thought for a moment. "Well, you won't know until you try. With guys, an apology might not always cut it, but with girls, if you apologize, they'll probably forgive you." He thought, 'With Gregory's good looks, how many girls could stay mad at him?' Gregory's eyes lit up at Carter's words. He shot upright from the sofa, his gaze sparkling with newfound hope. "Are you serious? If I apologize, the girl will forgive me?"

Carter nodded. "Yeah, shouldn't be a problem."

Gregory snapped his fingers. "Alright, then I'll go apologize."

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