Shawn snapped out of his thoughts and nodded.

"Okay."

“Excellent, we should get moving."

The same day Ariana and Tom were rescued, the kidnapping case became the hottest topic on the internet.

Police soon issued a statement confirming that the strong evidence they had against the mastermind of the kidnapping led to a Mr. Manny, who had been arrested.

At the same time, the police also addressed the previous case of drug consumption in the bar. They released some details of their investigation along with photos from the scene that showed someone forcibly placing drugs in Tom's hands. Subsequently, the PR team of the show issued some more clarifications, emphasizing that Tom had been framed.

These new revelations sparked intense discussions online.

“Since the police say it's a setup, then Tom should be innocent, right?" someone commented.

“Apparently, we have been cursing an innocent man this whole time.

What happened to those influencers and critics who were blasting Tom recently? Why are they so silent now that these new pieces of information have been released?"

"Ariana and Tom were kidnapped. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that they have been framed because they offended someone!"

"Who is this Mr. Manny, by the way? Could he be the one that's been around in the show?"

“I think it's very likely. Remember how he got disqualified because of his false accusations of Ariana?"

Some astute internet users had managed to dig up old photos of Carl on social media. In these photos, he was at the bar which was now shut. There were even photos of him with the bar owner and they appeared to be on good terms.

"It looks like it's really him. The person he's talking to in the photos seems to be the owner of the bar. I've seen him a few times."

"The bar owner? But why does it seem like the bar owner is very polite to him?"

While the comments on the internet were becoming more and more intense, the talent show's production team issued another statement, this time regarding Rollingrock Media's withdrawal from the competition.

This news fueled discussions online and more netizens joined the discussion.

“Although the official statement does not explicitly give a name, there is no doubt that the mastermind behind the kidnapping is indeed Carl."

"Oh my! This is so terrifying. To think he had the nerve to order a kidnapping.."