Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Elian could tell right away this helmet wasn’t available on the market. It wasn’t just rare; it hadn’t even been released yet. The inventor clearly hadir t commercialized it.
And Elian was a businessman. A sharp one. The moment he sensed a gap in the market, he saw nothing but opportunity. As Devin and Bobby were getting ready to leave, Elian stepped forward with a smile and said, “Devin, I’m quite intrigued by Ms. Motley you mentioned. Would you mind introducing us?”
Devin understood perfectly–Geneva was clearly building this helmet for more than just personal use.
He wanted to support her, but the Burke family, despite their noble reputation, didn’t have the kind of financial muscle to fund something like this, Elian, however, was a different story.
A business mogul who’d built his empire overseas, with powerful connections and an excellent reputation–he was the kind of investor Geneva needed. Devin decided he might as well play the role of matchmaker.
So he nodded, and the group headed off to find Geneva.
But Geneva, at that very moment, was on her way to pick up Melanie.
The past few days had been a blur of research and testing. It was only now, during a rare moment of quiet, that she saw the news article Adele had published.
S
Just like in the Original Host’s previous life, Adele had written it from the perspective of a grieving mother–a victim’s family member–lashing out at Geneva with biting words and performative guilt.
Yes, somewhere in the article she mentioned her own failures as a mother, but that so–called reflection was nothing more than a brief pretense, a shallow nod to responsibility. The rest of the article was a full–blown attack.
First, she accused Geneva of failing to raise her daughter properly–claiming Melanie had deliberately pushed a child into the water out of cruelty.
Second, she painted Geneva as heartless and indifferent, saying she stood by and watched rather than trying to save the boy.
Third, she declared Geneva had shown no remorse afterward, but instead encouraged Melanie to lie and avoid responsibility.
And to drive the dagger in deeper, Adele closed the article with a glowing tribute to her deceased son–how brilliant and kind he’d been, how many awards he’d won, how, had he lived, he would have grown into a responsible, exceptional young man.
In contrast, she sneered that Geneva’s daughter was a slow–witted underachiever, a waste of educational resources.
She never said it outright, but the message was clear. ‘My smart son deserved to live. Your stupid daughter didn’t.‘
It wasn’t journalism. It was a public execution in print, dripping with judgment, completely stripped of objectivity.
Geneva stared at the article, stunned for a moment by the sheer audacity of Adele’s logic.
These days, people were so quick to jump to conclusions–so eager to parrot whatever narrative mainstream media spoon–fed them. If the headlines condemned Geneva, then she must be guilty. And beneath the article, an army of self–appointed keyboard crusaders had already descended, full of righteous fury, tearing her apart like wolves scenting blood.
But Geneva had been ready for this.
That’s how the world worked–if you didn’t stand from the vantage point of God and save the weaker party, then others would rush to high ground, condemning you without hesitation to make themselves look virtuous.
occupy
oral
The ugly truth? If the Original Host had saved Adele’s son first, those same people might have turned around and called her heartless for not saving her own daughter.
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Chapter 47
It didn’t matter what Geneva chose to do there would always be someone ready to criticize her. So long as it wasn’t their family burning they has endless time and fury to throw at someone else.
They forgot that bravery and compassion shouldn’t be weaponized.
And if one day the truth reversed, if the full story came to light, these same keyboard warriors would be the first to backpedal, blaming the media for misleading them, never once reflecting on their own lack of judgment.
Geneva sighed. She was a mother for the first time in her life, and she hadn’t protected Melanie as well as she should have. If the plot was unfolding as it had in the Original Host’s timeline, then right now Melanie was already being bullied.
The memory hit her like a punch to the chest–that quiet, obedient girl leaping from a rooftop in despair. Just imagining it made Geneva feel like she couldn’t breathe.
The hatred the Original Host carried… it wasn’t just emotional. It was physical, woven into the bones of this body, lodged in every fiber of her soul–and Geneva felt all of it.
If she wanted full control of this life, she had to change their fate. She had to save both the girl and the woman.
That afternoon, after P.E. class, Melanie returned to the classroom. The gossip was already swirling.
Her classmates were still talking about that story–her mom’s scandal.
Melanie tried to defend her mother, tried to explain that Geneva wasn’t like that.
AD
