Star Actress 223

Chapter 223 

“I noticed you barely touched the food I made for you. You must still be hungry. I think 

you’ll really like these dishes.” 

Daniel was invited inside, and he naturally set the food containers on the table. 

Emily felt a warm sensation in her chest. 

“Thank you; these are all my favorites. You’re so thoughtful!” 

How did he know exactly which dishes she liked if he hadn’t been paying attention? 

As Emily ate and fiddled with her phone, Daniel casually asked, “Who called you earlier? 

Was it urgent? I hope inviting you to the Smith Villa today didn’t mess up your plans.” 

His question was skillfully phrased, and Emily trusted him completely. 

She didn’t sense anything wrong with his inquiry. 

“It wasn’t anything major, just Knox telling me about some online rumors the Johnson 

family is stirring up. I can handle it; it doesn’t affect me much.” 

Hearing it was the Johnson family causing trouble again, Daniel decided to check in on 

the situation later and have York handle it if necessary. 

After finishing her conversation with Daniel, Emily focused on her phone. 

She intended to contact Terry to use his hacking skills to track down the people the 

Johnson family had bribed to smear her online and guide public opinion. 

Unexpectedly, Byron and Sophia were already on it. 

Byron even messaged her to boast. 

Byron: [Ms. Johnson, you don’t need to worry about the online stuff. I fought back and revealed the truth. The Johnson family is shameless. They think deleting the 

announcement about cutting ties with you will make people forget? I took screenshots 

and posted them.] 

Sophia wasn’t to be outdone. 

Sophia: [Ms. Johnson, I also argued with those people online. Many of them seem to be paid trolls. I called them out as Johnson family members, and the netizens quickly caught 

on.] 

Emily noticed they had a decent following. 

Since they had already started clearing her name, she decided to let them handle this 

task. 

Emily: [Good job. Use this opportunity to promote our Horizon Innovations Group. Here’s 

what you should do next…] 

She gave each of them specific tasks. 

Sophia was to release the IP addresses and conversations between the Johnson family and 

the people they hired to smear Emily, exposing their threats. 

Byron was to post the screenshots of the Johnson family’s statement cutting ties with her 

and explain their actions towards her. 

Of course, they would end their posts by encouraging people to follow Horizon 

Innovations Group. 

Soon, the Johnson Group’s stock would plummet. 

Emily planned to buy Johnson Group shares at that point, combining the 20% stake the 

Johnson family would have to give her with the shares she already owned, making the 

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Chapter 223 

Johnson Group hers. 

The Johnson family wanted to threaten her, but she would threaten them back. 

She posted a message online: I’m someone the Johnson family kicked out. You claim I’m incompetent, yet you expect me to save Hayden? I heard the kidnappers are asking for $100 million. You claim to value family; surely you’d pay that for Hayden. Money can be earned back, but a life lost is gone forever.] 

Netizens, seeing Emily’s message and Byron and Sophia’s posts, felt they had been deceived by the Johnson family. 

They expressed their discontent. 

[The Johnson family is shameless. They won’t spend money to save someone but force Emily to do it. Do they want her to go to Zephyria and never return?] 

[Do they think we’re idiots? Using us like this, how many times have they pulled this stunt? Unbelievable!] 

[I support Emily. She has evidence. The Johnson family cut ties with her, and now that they need her, they talk about family?] 

Most people began to side with Emily. 

Naturally, the Johnson Group would feel the impact. 

Board members were quick to call Eli, implying that the Johnson family’s actions 

shouldn’t affect the company. If it did, they might consider replacing the CEO. 

Eli hadn’t expected every attempt to harm Emily to backfire. 

“Dammit, dammit!” 

Eli almost smashed his phone in anger. 

3/5 

Bianca’s eyes flashed with malice. 

How was Emily so lucky to have people like Byron and Sophia support her and produce 

evidence? Daniel must be behind this. 

She was unwilling to let it go. 

“Dad, calm down. Maybe Byron is so obedient to Emily because there’s something between 

them. If Daniel knew, would she still be so arrogant?” 

She was so focused on scheming against Emily that she forgot Hayden’s safety was the 

priority. 

Eli, having just been scolded by the board, was in a foul mood. He was angry at Emily but 

also at Bianca, as it was all her idea. 

This time, he was smarter. He glared coldly at Bianca. “Isn’t this mess your idea? Now you 

come up with another stupid plan. Have you forgotten we need Emily to save Hayden? Are 

you using us to get at Emily?” 

Bianca’s eyes flickered with panic, which Eli noticed. 

He snorted in anger. 

“From now on, keep quiet. We need to rescue Hayden, or the ongoing public opinion will 

further harm the Johnson Group.” 

With netizens suspecting they didn’t want to save Hayden, they were under pressure. 

If they didn’t save Hayden, they’d be deemed heartless. 

Eli took several deep breaths and called Aiden. “Pull the online posts and announce we’re 

doing everything to save Hayden. Also, bring the stock transfer contract. I’m going to see 

Emily!” 

Chapter 223 

In a brief board meeting, everyone agreed to transfer the 20% stake. 

They had no objection. 

This meant that once the transfer was done, Eli’s shares would still be the most, but not by much. If someone allied with Emily, they could lose control of the Johnson Group. 

Bianca, despite her resentment, swallowed her words. 

When Emily received Eli’s call again, she smirked. 

She let the phone ring, not in a hurry to answer. 

Eli grew anxious as the call went unanswered. 

What did Emily mean by this? 

Had she not seen the call, or was she ignoring it? 

His heart sank further.