Common Sense Hijack System-Chapter 69

Layla took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Her eyes were teary, but there was a growing strength from within, pushing her to speak.

"I," she started with a trembling voice, "never asked for this kind of life. Everyone at school sees me as trash, all because of one big lie spread by someone I thought was a friend."

Karl and Valencia listened attentively. Valencia crossed her arms, her eyes sharp as usual, but this time there was a hint of hidden sympathy behind her smile.

"When I was still in high school," Layla continued, "I was just a regular girl. I wasn’t smart, wasn’t outstanding, but I had dreams. I wanted to be a journalist. I liked writing, and I liked telling other people’s stories. But all of that was destroyed because of one vile rumor."

She paused for a moment, bowing her head, as if trying to gather strength to continue.

"They said I slept with my teacher. And even my own uncle."

Karl looked shocked, while Valencia just raised an eyebrow, seemingly trying to digest this information.

"At first, I didn’t believe the rumor would spread. I didn’t even know where it came from. But before I knew it, the whole school was talking about it. They said I spent time in the teacher’s room not to study, but for... other things. And my uncle? Just because he often picked me up from school, they assumed I had an illicit relationship with him."

Layla laughed bitterly, her eyes starting to turn red. "None of it was true! But who would believe me? My teacher even got fired because of those accusations, and my uncle... my uncle committed suicide because he couldn’t handle the stress of being falsely accused, he was a good man, he just loved me as his family. Our family was torn apart. My parents were ashamed, they even kicked me out of the house because they thought I really did it."

Karl clenched his fists, trying to contain the anger building up in him. "Who spread that rumor?" he asked quietly.

Layla looked at him, tears starting to flow down her cheeks. "My own friend. Or, at least I thought she was my friend. Her name is Zoey. She was jealous of me, said I always got the attention she wanted. She wanted to destroy me, and she did. By spreading that lie, she took everything from me."

Karl was suddenly stunned. "Zoey?" he asked, his voice full of disbelief.

Layla looked at Karl in surprise. "You know her?"

Karl nodded slowly, anger starting to spark in his eyes. "So.. So you’re the one Zoey falsely accused?"

Layla frowned, and Karl quickly explained. "I, with my past abilities, made a woman named Zoey reveal three of her darkest secrets, and one of them was falsely accusing her friend of having an illicit relationship."

Layla was just silent, shocked by the coincidence.

Valencia smiled thinly, but the smile was meaningful. "And I’m sure Zoey didn’t do it alone, right? No way a teenage could dare to spread such rumors alone."

Layla nodded slowly. "Yes, she’s with an influencer named Angeline, she’s my classmate’s elder sister, she started talking about it on her social media and got attention."

"Wait," Karl frowned. "Why is Zoey working at the Convenience Store? Why isn’t she also becoming an influencer?" Karl was puzzled.

Layla took a deep breath before answering, her voice almost a whisper. "Zoey... she did try to be an influencer like Angeline once. But something happened. Angeline also brought her down."

Karl and Valencia exchanged looks, their expressions full of questions. "You mean Angeline attacked Zoey? Even though they were working together?" Valencia asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Layla nodded. "It can’t be said attacked, but after the rumor about me exploded, Angeline used the situation to build her popularity. She created dramatic content, pretending to be a victim ’revealing’ the dark side of teenage life. It all caught a lot of attention. But after she got the spotlight, she didn’t need Zoey anymore. In fact, she unfollowed Zoey’s social media account. She just discarded Zoey just like that."

Karl sighed heavily, trying to digest all that information. "So Angeline used Zoey, then discarded her just like that?"

"More than that," said Layla, her tone full of pain. "Angeline erased Zoey from social media completely. She made Zoey lose everything she wanted. Maybe that’s why Zoey finally ended up working in a convenience store, far away from all the spotlight."

Valencia leaned back in her chair, her eyebrows raised. "This is starting to sound like a much more complex manipulation chain. Angeline is clearly not just an ordinary influencer. She knows how to manipulate people for her own benefit."

Karl nodded in agreement. "And if she could destroy Zoey, maybe we’re also playing with fire right now."

Layla looked hesitant for a moment before speaking. "I... I don’t know if this is important, but Zoey once told me that Angeline has a ’big supporter.’ Someone behind the scenes helping her create stories, build the reputation, and... destroy others."

Valencia smiled thinly, her eyes shining with intrigue. "Big supporter, huh? Maybe it’s time for us to dig deeper into Angeline and who’s behind her success."

Karl clenched his fists, determination in his eyes. "And I know who can give us answers - Zoey."

Layla looked surprised. "Zoey? But she won’t want to talk to me... or you."

"She doesn’t have a choice," Karl said firmly. "Besides, before I was kidnapped, Zoey was in my grasp, she even sucked my dick before!" Karl said confidently.

Layla and Valencia were shocked.

Valencia suddenly chuckled, although there was a hint of sardonic in her voice. "Okay, Karl. That’s an... interesting detail." She folded her hands across her chest, looking at Karl with a mocking expression. "But how exactly is that relevant to this situation?"

Karl just shrugged, his face serious. "Relevant or not, the point is I know Zoey. I know her weaknesses. If she won’t talk, I can make her talk. We don’t have time for emotional games right now." ƒгeewebnovёl.com

Layla looked at Karl with a mix of shock, confusion, and slight disgust. "That... that’s not right, Karl. She may be wrong, but she’s also a victim. If we want her to help us, we have to approach her differently, she’s not evil, she’s just stupid, her mind is easily influenced by others since forever."

"So what do you suggest I do?" Karl stared at Layla sharply. "Apologize for all this mess? Sweet talk? People like Zoey only understand the language of pressure."

Valencia waved her hand, trying to stop the debate. "Enough, you two. We don’t know what’s really going on with Zoey now. If she’s also a victim of Angeline’s manipulation, she could be a strong ally. But if not, we’ll know when we meet her."

Layla nodded, trying to calm herself. "I can try talking to her. I know it’s hard, but maybe she still feels guilty about what she did to me."

Karl snorted, but finally gave in. "Fine, let’s do it your way first. But if it fails..." He let his sentence hang, hinting that he would use a tougher approach, like shoving his dick into Zoey’s face again.

As the atmosphere began to quiet down, Valencia looked at the monitor. Her face lit up, "Karl.. Your life is about to get even more complicated, look at this!" demanded Valencia.

Karl stood behind Valencia’s chair and looked at the computer monitor, his eyes widening. A familiar face to him appeared in a video.

"Mom?"