Uncontrolled Public Opinion

In one of the Aphrodite Agency offices, the members of the public relations team sat around a large table. They were all busy discussing this incident and looking for a solution to calm the netizens.

Harold sat at the end of the table. His eyes were fixed on the comments he scrolled down his cellphone screen. The man acted as if he didn't listen to the public relations team discussion, but he kept racking his brains to find a way to save Lilia's reputation.

However, as if to mock their efforts, the situation on the internet got more and more out of control as time went on.

Netizens, especially William's fans, terrorized Lilia's agency website and social media accounts. They accused Lilia of being the one who caused the accident and wrote all sorts of cruel and insulting comments to her.

The backlash even reached the police department's website. They demanded a thorough investigation into the case. The police eventually responded by sending several police officers to Aphrodite Agency.

The policemen came to ask Lilia to come with them to the police station. They wanted to ask for information from her about this case.

"What did you say?! Who's coming?!" Harold's voice rose menacingly when the building receptionist called him.

All the members of the public relations team who were in the room jumped in shock at Harold's scream. Lilia's personal assistant, a young woman named Merry, was standing trembling in the corner of the room. This was the first time she had seen Harold that angry.

Harold hung up the phone before massaging his forehead. He sighed heavily, "Merry, call Lilia here."

"B-Okay!" Merry nodded and immediately went to find Lilia.

He found the model he was looking for fast asleep in the break room, completely unaware that public opinion was blowing out of control.

Ten minutes later, Lilia appeared at Harold's office. Her face was flushed and she looked more refreshed after a quick nap.

"Is there any problem?" Lilia asked while holding back her yawning.

The manager did not answer immediately. Harold, who usually spoke bluntly, now looked confused about her words.

"Is the problem really big?" Lilia asked again, her face turned serious.

Harold sighed, "The police are here. You are asked to come to the police station for questioning. I know you didn't do anything, but they insisted." He decided to answer as frankly as possible.

Harold didn't want Lilia to go to the police station because that would only make people even more suspicious of her. However, if Lilia really refused to leave, the police would be suspicious. After all, Lilia couldn't escape this situation.

Half an hour later, Lilia arrived at the police station. The car driven by Harold was escorted by two police cars, as if they were the perpetrators who were caught by the police. Just as Harold was worried, the news immediately spread across the internet and made matters worse.

Lilia's fans try to defend their idol, but that actually triggered another internet dispute with netizens. The bunch of opinions about the matter; good and bad; flooded social media's timelines.

*****

Lilia's arrival at the police station was greeted by dozens of reporters who were waiting with their cameras ready and their eyes were shining. They crowded into the gate, making Lilia reluctant to get out of the car.

"Don't worry, the police and I will take care of them." Harold assured Lilia.

He and Lilia's assistant got out of the car and opened the door for her. While the police were busy chasing the reporters, they escorted the model to the entrance to the building. Despite being blocked by Harold, Merry, and the police, the reporters were still trying to charge at Lilia while shouting their questions.

Lilia had never seen those reporters act as persistent and unyielding as she currently witnessed. Of course, she had no idea that this case had already attracted so much attention. Just a piece of the latest information could bring these reporters multiple benefits. No wonder they charged at Lilia like moths drawn to lamp.

Lilia was escorted by a policeman to the interrogation room. The policemen and staff who passed her often gave her curious looks.

This was understandable because Lilia's appearance did not match the tense and stiff atmosphere of the police station. She came wearing a pastel blouse and a knee-length skirt sewn with white flowers. Her feminine appearance easily caught everyone's attention.

Not long after Lilia waited inside the interrogation room, a policeman who looked like a senior and his well-built partner stepped in. Both carried thick folders containing files related to this case.

"Miss Lilia Pangestu, my name is Inspector Marcus." The senior policeman greeted Lilia with a friendly smile, "This is my colleague, Detective Kevin. We'll just ask you a few questions. It's part of a routine procedure, so you don't have to worry."

"OK." Lilia nodded.

Seeing Lilia's calm and cooperative attitude made Inspector Marcus let out a sigh of relief.

The man felt that this incident was exaggerated. Even though this was just an ordinary traffic accident, it excited the virtual world because the victim was the manager of a famous artist. The public's attention to this case was so great that superiors in the police repeatedly stressed that the two of them would investigate the case further. Usually, this kind of petty case wouldn't be left to a senior cop like him.

"Miss Lilia, where did you go yesterday? Who did you meet?"

Lilia answered those general questions honestly.

"And did you get into physical or emotional conflict when you met Miss Sara?"

"I did not." Lilia answered firmly.

After asking a few more questions, Inspector Marcus finally asked about the Volkswagen car Lilia was in after separating from Sara.