Chapter 337 PAYBACK TIME 3
1001words
"You have no idea what it takes to get where I am," Anna said, her voice dropping again to that dangerous, almost chilling calm. "You have no idea the sacrifices, the work, the battles I've fought to build this. And you certainly have no right to stand there and question my integrity when you've done nothing but claw your way through others to feel better about yourself."
Ava's face paled, her usual smugness evaporating. She had underestimated Anna, and now she was feeling the full force of what that mistake would cost her.
Anna took a step forward, her eyes never leaving Ava's. "I've ignored people like you my entire life," she said, her voice unwavering. "I've let your words fly because I believed the truth would always reveal itself. But today, you've crossed a line. You've stood here and acted as if you know me, as if you have the right to judge me, to spread lies about my life."
Her gaze darkened. "You don't."
Anna took a breath, calming herself, but the coldness in her eyes remained. "You've made a mistake tonight, Ava. And I'm not just going to let this go."
And Ava had just woken the storm.
Without uttering a single word, Anna turned to the security team. A subtle nod was all it took. They knew exactly what to do. Two large men in black suits moved swiftly toward Ava, who stood frozen, the arrogance draining from her face. In an instant, she was grabbed by the arm, her protests silenced as she was forcibly dragged toward the exit. The two other girls who had sided with her, the ones who dared to question Anna's authority, were similarly escorted out, their faces pale with fear and confusion.
The room remained silent, every model staring in stunned disbelief as Ava's shrieks faded down the hallway. Anna didn't flinch, didn't even bother looking in their direction. It was a scene that spoke louder than any words she could have uttered. *This* was how a boss handled things. *This* was how Anna, the woman who had been underestimated for so long, asserted her dominance.
Today, she had shown everyone who she really was.
Ashley, standing in the far corner, could hardly believe what she had just witnessed. Even she, one of Anna's closest confidantes, had never seen this side of her. Anna had always been calm, composed, letting the rumors and the lies slide off her like water. But now, that patience had run dry. Today, Anna had decided to show the world exactly what she was capable of.
The models shifted uncomfortably, exchanging uneasy glances, each one knowing they had just witnessed the fall of Ava—and none of them wanted to be next.
Anna pulled out her phone, her fingers moving swiftly across the screen. She sent a brief message to Lola, her most trusted assistant. Within moments, everything was set in motion. The video footage of Ava being thrown out of Eclipse was captured, edited, and uploaded online. It spread like wildfire, circulating across every social media platform in Summerlane.
The reaction was immediate.
The internet was ablaze with laughter and mockery. People shared the video with amused comments, the models that were in the building pointing out how foolish Ava had been to challenge someone like Anna Sui. But it was all seen as speculations.
Some mocked her arrogance, others her humiliating exit. No one knew the full story, but that didn't matter. Being kicked out of Eclipse—*the* premier entertainment company in the country—was a death sentence for any model's career.
Rumors began to swirl almost instantly. People speculated on what had led to Ava's fall from grace, and the gossip spread like wildfire. Some whispered that she had crossed the line, that she had offended someone far more powerful than she realized. Others claimed she had been caught in some scandal, but no one could quite pin down the truth. All that mattered was that Ava was now branded with a mark of disgrace, and in the cutthroat world of entertainment, that was enough to ruin her.
As the video gained traction, other companies took notice. Lola, working behind the scenes, had already sent quiet warnings to every major entertainment agency in Summerlane. Anna didn't need to say it outright—Ava was blacklisted. No reputable company would dare take her in now.
Meanwhile, Ava's life crumbled in real time. The accusations she had once hurled at Anna were now turned against her. People began to speculate that she had been the one involved in some scandal, that her attitude had gotten her in trouble with the wrong people. The lies she had spread about Anna now hung over her own head, twisting into rumors that further tarnished her reputation.
Ava felt the heat in ways she had never imagined. Calls for auditions went unanswered, doors that had once been wide open were now slammed in her face. She was persona non grata in Summerlane's entertainment scene. Everything she had worked for, her carefully curated reputation, her dreams of stardom, all gone in the blink of an eye.
And it was all because of Anna.
Anna, the woman Ava had called a nobody, had ruined her life with a single, decisive action. The same Anna she had insulted, ridiculed, and dismissed as insignificant had turned out to be far more powerful than she could have ever imagined. And yet, even in the aftermath, Anna remained humble, her generosity and grace still shining through, even as she demonstrated that she was not someone to be trifled with.
The models who had witnessed everything now understood. This was not just a lesson for Ava. It was a warning to them all: you don't mess with the wrong people.
And Anna Sui, as they all now knew, was the *right* person to be afraid of...
