When Akira went to Elements, she found a frustrated Benji in his office. He was a calm person on most occasions. Usually, he never showed a hint of discomfort when managing disasters in restaurants. Therefore, Akira was a little concerned.

"What happened?" She asked.

Benji looked at Akira with clouded eyes before shaking his head.

"It is nothing that we can't manage. I am just frustrated with the people in Mountain Ridge. How can they claim to be educated and be so closed-minded? They are not using their brains. They are just following things without a care." He asked angrily.

Akira could not make the ends of what Benji meant, so she directly snatched his phone from his hand. The device was open to the MR Circle app.

MR Circle was a small social networking platform used in Mountain Ridge for spreading gossip among the local people. Both the upper and middle class were members, but some verification about their place of residence was required.

The trending post on the home page was titled 'Boycott Elements', and the trending topic was #BoycottElements.

The original poster had crafted a well-worded article about the chef of Elements, Yamazaki Akira. The details explained that her character was poor, and she was not worth becoming a member of the Mountain Ridge community.

The main point was that Akira was accused of lacking the grace and magnanimity of a young lady. She destroyed her cousin's promising future within a week of coming to the city. Furthermore, inside sources said that she was a fraud taking advantage of the Yamazaki family.

All in all, the poster asked people to boycott the grand opening of Elements and petitioned the owner of the restaurant to fire the immoral chef.

Akira scoffed and gave back the phone to Benji.

"Don't waste time reading this drivel. We have work to do." She said before turning away.

"Should we respond to this article? The poster has malicious intentions. What if no one comes to the grand opening?" Benji asked as he followed.

"Since when did we care about the number of people who come to the restaurant? We can't force people to eat. If someone comes, we give them food. If no one comes, we have a relaxing evening." She said.

Benji sighed at this expected response. Akira could eliminate the rumours with a wave of her hand, but she did not like engaging in petty squabbles online. But it was too frustrating for the people working for her because they knew her power.

In Willow Mental Wellness facility, Hanae looked at her phone and scrolled with a strange light in her eyes. She did not make a post online, but she had a lot of followers to go against Akira for her. The only thing she needed to do was sit back and enjoy herself.

But she did not dare do anything directly.

If she got involved in the online mess, she might be put under 'special care' once again.

Her resentment for Akira increased as she thought about the incident from the previous weekend. After Akira's performance, her behaviour caused her to be sedated for a day. Moreover, she had to attend mandatory therapy sessions.

She called her mother to deal with the matter so she could avoid those sessions and exercises. Unfortunately, her mother could not do anything because Chiharu was her listed guardian with the mental hospital.

She also called Chiharu, but the woman was mad at her. She suggested in her usual hypocritical and gentle way that she needed mental help. If she could not learn how to deal with anger, she would not succeed in life.

Hanae resented Chiharu too, but she did not dare to do anything. For now, Chiharu held her lifeline. If she did not recover and return to the upper-class society, she would have to follow the normal route in life.

She had staked too much on the Yamazaki family and her career as a classical pianist. She even delayed joining university so she could join competitions and gain a good reputation in the music industry.

If she did not succeed, she would live an ordinary life.

Hanae closed the MR Circle app and scrolled through her contacts. She dialled a number.

"Hello." The voice was cool.

"Auntie, I am sorry," Hanae said in a small voice.

"Alright, if there is nothing else, I will hang up," Sayaka responded.

Hanae turned on the waterworks as she heard the cold voice.

"Please, Auntie. Don't hang up. I have been trying to build up my courage to call you for a while now and apologise properly. But I was too afraid." Hanae sobbed.

Sayaka sighed. She had practically raised the child, so she could not dismiss her even though she said they were breaking all relations.

"I have been going to therapy." Hanae noticed Sayaka weakening. "I am getting some help. I know I took you for granted because of the unconditional care you gave me. I became possessive, selfish and petty, and I even hurt my cousin because of it."

"Why did you do it?" Sayaka asked.

Hanae hiccupped. "I was just so jealous. We were always a team, me and you. When my mom was not around, you were there protecting me and making sure I was fine. I just realised that I would lose all that. I could not bear it and became a white-eyed wolf."

Hanae cried harder. "I am sorry, Auntie. I am so sorry."

Sayaka could not bear to hear the pitiful cries of her niece. It reminded her of the first time she had cared for her niece after Akira was kidnapped. She was a helpless crybaby in those days, and caring for the child gave her some purpose in life.

"Alright, don't cry anymore. It is good you understand your mistake. Focus on getting better." Sayaka said.

"Don't worry. I will work hard to earn your forgiveness and trust again." Hanae said.

Sayaka was a little touched by the determination. "Alright. When I find a chance, I will come and visit you at the hospital."

"Thank you, Auntie. Thank you for everything." Hanae said.

After the call ended, Hanae wiped her tears, and her pitiful cries turned into calmness. If Sayaka was willing to visit her, there was hope that they could mend their relationship. The therapist was right. Owning up to mistakes was the best way to earn forgiveness.

Her fingers hovered over the MR Circle app for a while. Then, she went to her phone settings and deleted the app decisively. She could not give up on her future for short-term benefits like seeing Akira suffer a little.