The temperature inside the elevator dropped a few degrees for the first model. The blood in her head drained, leaving shallow skin and bones. Her instincts told her that it had been a trap. Mikael never cared about her opinions.
He simply wanted to humiliate her.
"Ho-How-How dare you a bully soone weaker than you!" She cried, her voice rougher than before. Tears threatened to pool in her eyes. She held breath in order to suppress them. "You deliberately misled to say such things!"
Mikael raised one eyebrow slowly. Its sharp tip could slice her skin. "Oh? Would you take back what you said then? Are you to admit that the only reason you said them was to impress ?"
Jordan pressed a fist against his lips. That was such a good blow! Either one placed the young woman in a bad light. It was a matter between which one made her less bad but even then, the damage had been done.
He tried not to look at the second model.
She might catch his stare and end the recording.
"Besides, if I did truly bully you... at least, I gave you a chance to defend yourself," Mikael continued. The sharp edge skewered into his tone of voice. "I'm not doing it behind your back. Nor did I do it based it on what others said about you, putting words in your mouth and claiming your actions for you. I based it entirely on what you have shown and said to ."
The elevator dinged and opened its doors.
He half-turned towards it. "Also, if I catch you doing this again to my peers again, I won't be as forgiving. Consider this as a warning to you and anyone who dares."
Then, he walked away.
Jordan scrambled to follow him. He didn't want to be around to see the aftermath and deal with it. Mikael used long strides, wanting to get as much distance as possible. The pulse in his neck drumd rapidly. If he had stayed a second longer, he might have done sothing more extre.
The plan to release a statent calmly burned in flas.
"Mikael! Mikael!" Jordan panted after catching up. "What the hell was that? Can you warn a dude? How did you even know they'd record? Were you that confident?"
He couldn't have pictured a better scene. The one who took the initiative had been the model. Her words had provoked Mikael to take action. Not to ntion how his friend explained why he said the things he saiddeliberately trying to guess the other party's motives.
Majority of the bla fell on the model.
Mikael halted in his steps. He gave his friend an incredulous look. "What?"
Jordan also stopped. As he tried to normalize his breathing, he wagged a finger at Mikael. A tight knit creased in his eyebrows. His head shook gradually. "Wait a minute you didn't know they were recording you?"
"They were?"
"Oh, for heaven's sake" Jordan fished out his phone and checked social dia. He had seen those girls before but didn't mind them much. It didn't take long before soone else reposted the video. It seed to have been a live stream.
"Here," he said, handing Mikael the phone. "Check it out for yourself."
Mikael watched as his recorded self lash out. The video was blurry because of the weak signal in the lift but it still worked. He could still set that it was him in the video as well as his voice talking through the speaker.
"Nice. I thought the other person might stop streaming if I made a move. Glad it worked out in our favor," Jordan remarked. If he wasn't mistaken, the account belonged to the first model. It would be better if she also shared those statents online. Based on her personality, he was almost 100% positive that she did.
"I never thought I'd see this day," he whistled, taking his phone back. He laced his hands together and stretched his arms overhead. "You actually defended Evangeline Reed and consider her as part of your circle of friends. Is the world going to end tomorrow?"
Mikael rolled his eyes and resud walking. "I've also defended others in the past."
"Yeah, but not soone you initially disliked," his manager placed bluntly. Jordan raised his hands in surrender when he flickered a glare his way. "Which you openly admitted so I am just quoting you."
"It's not exactly what I had in mind but it did its job," Mikael said, exhaling sharply through his nose. The conference room was right ahead. "The tide should be turning now."
True to his word, another storm whirled on the internet. The clip from the stream had been shared thousands of tis and reached far more people than the initial articles. The hungry wolves had been waiting.
Since Evangeline hardly satisfied them, they pounced in the other direction and followed the scent of sweet juicy atdevoured it with what it has to offer.
Reactions and comnts rained social dia.
.
``iha Natsu: See? Everyone blew things out of proportion. The words ca from Mikael himself. The dia had reported fake news yet again and people joined the parade without a second thought. If you're a true Mika fan, you'd he is a gentleman and was just helping out his colleague!``
``Juli Aoto: I swear. People just eat up whatever without thinking. They could literally eat poison and bla it on another person instead of recognizing that it was their own fault for not checking first.``
``Random user: Soone explain the flowers and gifts then!``
``iha Natsu: Uh, Evangeline is also a celebrity. It's totally possible that it ca from a fan or from her boyfriend. Decide which one is much more believable.``
``Random na generator: They were getting cozy! You don't just do that with a colleague!``
``Nice Userna: They were having a photoshoot. Wth. Mikael has been in more compromising positions with other models before. Get a brain transplant.``
.
"Are you sure its okay to be here?" Richard asked for the nth ti. "Doesn't Evangeline need your company? Shouldn't you be supporting her? Are you worried about her at all?"
Ambryan scowled at the grass. His hands tightened their grip. A gentle breeze brushed the back of his neck. Peace and quiet surrounded him for miles. None of the fiasco reached his ears. It was a normal day in his yearly routine.
Then, he swung his club and hit the golf ball.
He rested the gold club on his shoulder while his free hand slid into his pant pocket. He and Richard watched as the ball landed on a hill. It rolled for a few more inches until it reached the spot beside the hole.
"Well, you're in top shape." Richard sighed, adjusting his hat and taking his turn. "I guess that answers my questions."
Ambryan kept his expression impassive. "She didn't want to interfere."
Richard paused mid-swing. He placed a hand on his hip, letting the club touch the ground. The other businessn present continued towards the next course and left them behind. They would all gather for evening als anyway.
"Why not? Aren't they attacking your relationship?" He frowned. This was a test on their bond as a couple. How could he be here golfing instead of being with his girlfriend? This should be the ti they increased their displays of affection.
"Not according to her." Ambryan's gaze landed on the golf ball still on the tee. "Most of the backlash was directed towards her."
Richard went back into position, getting the ssage. "Isn't that just because she so happened to have photos with Mikael Davis?"
Ambryan swung the club until both of his hands held it from both ends. His skin creaked against the stick as he dug his nails into his palms. "She insisted on doing it by herself. She was their main target as she pointed out over and over again. If it had been , it would have interrupted Eros' operations instead."
The gold ball flew into the air and headed for the hill.
He breathed out a sigh. "Regardless, I'm just respecting her wishes. She wants us to stay low-key like before."
Both n walked towards the hill. It was a short distance away. Most of the legwork involved climbing it. It wasn't steep but it was quite long. The workers from the country club followed behind them, carrying their golf bags.
Ambryan positioned the club next to the golf ball. The hole was only a foot away. It was close but it was still possible to miss it if he aid in the wrong direction.
"When are you going to see each other again?" Richard couldn't help but ask. "I an, it must be frustrating to not do anything. It's totally unlike you to sit back and stay still. This whole thing could escalate even more with your absenc"
The ball soared over the hill and landed on even soil.
Richard gulped at the sight.
Holding his breath, Ambryan closed his eyes. He skipped over this invitation many tis in the past. The only reason he ca was because it pulled him away from reality. The bags under his violet eyes showcased his current state of mind.
It was far from the expression he wore.
His phone began to ring.
Ambryan took it out of his pocket and answered it, not bothering to check the caller ID. His voice ca out in a curt and brisk manner. "What is it?"
"Sir Hathaway. There's new developnt."
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