The truth was exactly what Preston had suspected. Ronald had done it on purpose.
He'd even seen those viral parody videos online and still wasn't satisfied. He spent a wad of cash on promoting them.
Money wasn't a problem for him anymore.
Whatever amount Preston spent trying to bury the hype, Ronald matched it or doubled down to keep the buzz alive.
The situation was already weird enough to grab attention. The topic kept appearing and disappearing across platforms, which only made people more curious.
With all that attention, even Tracy, who hadn't been online much lately, caught wind of it.
She didn't know the full story, but she immediately knew it was Ronald's handiwork.
When she saw Ronald emerging from the kitchen with a freshly cooked meal, she couldn't contain her curiosity. "How did you pull all this off?"
Even though they lived in a bigger house now and could afford hired help, Ronald still loved cooking for Tracy every day.
Tracy enjoyed it too. She always finished everything when he cooked.
To both of them, it was a simple, heartwarming routine that brought them joy.
Ronald set the plate down and untied his apron before sitting across from her. He shot Tracy a mischievous look. "Want to take a guess first?"
He knew that even though Tracy had opened up about what happened at the Angelic Etiquette Academy, she hadn't completely healed from the pain.
Getting her involved in Preston's downfall might help ease some of that hurt.
Tracy could tell what Ronald was trying to do. She played along and thought for a moment. "That guy who splashed the fake blood was part of your setup, right? To make Preston look like an idiot?"
Ronald raised an eyebrow with a smug expression. "Pretty brilliant move, right?"
Tracy had to give him credit for that.
There were countless ways to embarrass someone, but dousing a guy who thought he was better than everyone else with fake blood in public was definitely unique.
Even better, who would think to destroy a man's reputation by calling him a homewrecker?
Not many people could come up with that angle.
But it seemed so obviously staged. How could it really damage Preston in any meaningful way?
Ronald noticed her confusion and grinned. "Preston and I grew up together. As someone the Wests kept around as Preston's stepping stone, no one knows him better than I do.

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