Chapter 152: Resurfaced scandal
Sensing Jason’s reluctance to speak,
I changed direction instead.
"Is Director Sophia adjusting well at the branch office?"
Jason stayed quiet for a mont longer, clearly caught off guard.
Then he answered carefully.
"Thank you for your concern, CEO Blackwood. She’s an adult. She’ll manage."he said simply.
After that, the conversation ended quickly.
A few more empty words.
Then he hung up.
I lowered the phone slowly, staring at the darkened screen.
Jason and Sophia were close.
Siblings who had always looked out for each other.
Now Sophia had been removed from headquarters.
No matter how well she perford at the branch office, returning to the center of power within the group would not be easy.
And all of it had started because of .
Jason targeting Alicia was likely tied to resentnt over that transfer.
But sothing about it still felt incomplete.
There was sothing else beneath the surface.
Sothing older.
Sothing connected to the past.
This ti, however, I knew better than to trust appearances alone.
I would not repeat the mistake I made three years ago.
A mistake that had led
into the ss I was standing in now.
I tightened my grip on the phone, then turned and walked back toward the master bedroom.
After days of moving between cities, exhaustion had settled into my bones.
I took a shower, returned to bed, and slipped beneath the covers beside Alicia.
Then, with the sound of her breathing beside —
I finally fell asleep.
Third person POV
At four in the morning, the world was still and silent.
Moonlight slipped through the curtains, casting a faint glow across the room. On the large bed, two figures lay side by side, their breathing slow and steady.
Then—
A phone rang.
Sharp. Sudden. Cutting through the quiet.
Alexander’s eyes opened instantly.
He reached for the bedside lamp, soft light spilling across the room as he sat up. His gaze flicked briefly to Alicia—still asleep—before shifting to his phone.
Jane.
He answered but said nothing.
Only after stepping out of the master bedroom and closing the door quietly behind him did he speak.
"What’s going on?"
He didn’t need to ask twice.
If Jane was calling at this hour, it wasn’t trivial.
"Boss," her voice ca, tight and urgent, "we’ve got a problem..."
anwhile—
The news surrounding Alicia Sinclair had resurfaced.
Rumors about her alleged involvent in Alexander Blackwood’s relationship with Lilian Sumr had circulated for a long ti—but this ti, they ca back stronger.
And louder.
After Lilian’s birthday party, what should have been a celebration turned into another storm.
Online discussions exploded.
So defended Alicia, pointing out the lack of concrete evidence and referencing her composure during the press conference.
But most weren’t convinced.
To them, Alicia was—
A third party.
An opportunist.
Soone who didn’t belong beside Alexander Blackwood.
And this ti—
It wasn’t just speculation.
It was evidence.
Videos surfaced of Alexander and Alicia entering his residence together.
Clips of them shopping side by side.
Photos from the underground parking garage of Blackwood Dominion Enterprises, showing them stepping out of the sa car.
Individually, each could be explained.
Together—
They told a different story.
Too much to ignore.
Too much to deny.
The initial leak ca from a well-known gossip influencer.
Alongside the footage, they posted a long exposé—written from the perspective of an "insider."
The claims spread rapidly:
"Back in college, Alexander and Lilian were perfect together... I still think he has feelings for her,miss Alicia must be using her place in the Blackwood family to get to him."
"Miss Alicia is... quite proud. A director was recently transferred after clashing with her. Makes you wonder..."
"Their relationship isn’t a secret in elite circles. The family must be involved."
"Her father forced his way into the Blackwood family. Everything was planned—even Alicia’s position. Think about it... with their status, why would they accept soone like that unless they were pressured?"
Alexander’s expression darkened as he read.
To outsiders, it sounded convincing.
To him—
It was manipulation.
Half-truths.
Carefully planted insinuations.
The article was precise.
Strategic.
At first glance, harmless.
But beneath it—
Every line pointed at Alicia.
It painted her as the intruder.
The scher.
The one who stole what belonged to Lilian.
And worst of all—
It implied that he still loved Lilian.
That alone was enough.
Public outrage ignited instantly.
The attacks began.
Relentless. Brutal. One-sided.
Alicia beca the target.
Alexander—
Faded into the background.
As the story spread, more accounts joined in, amplifying the narrative.
Within hours, their nas climbed to the top of trending topics.
Ordinarily, it wouldn’t have gone this far.
Alicia was a private individual.
Alexander wasn’t part of the entertainnt industry.
But Lilian’s involvent changed everything.
With a celebrity in the center—
The story exploded.
And in every version—
Lilian was the victim.
Public sympathy leaned toward her.
Distrust of the wealthy fueled the rest.
Anyone who defended Alicia or Alexander was dismissed as biased.
Or bought.
The backlash didn’t stay online.
It spread.
And soon—
Even Blackwood Dominion Enterprises’ stock began to fall.
Alexander scrolled through his
phone and dialed a number.
A few seconds later, the call connected.
A man’s deep voice ca through.
"CEO Blackwood, how can I assist you?"
Alexander’s tone was cold.
"Why haven’t you reported back on what I assigned you?"
"I already handled it," the man replied. "I sent everything to your WhatsApp. Didn’t you receive it?"
Alexander paused.
Since leaving for New York, he hadn’t checked his personal ssages much.
Without another word, he ended the call and opened WhatsApp.
The file was there.
A docunt—detailed, precise.
Nas. Locations. Background information.
Everything needed to identify the person.
His gaze darkened.
Without hesitation, he forwarded the file to Jane.
"Send this to the police. Have them arrest him imdiately."
If these rumors were being pushed deliberately, then this could very well connect to the attack on Alicia during their wedding anniversary.
Finding the source—
ant finding the truth.
He didn’t stop there.
Alexander dialed the number again.
This ti, his voice carried a sharper edge.
"You’ve seen what’s trending."
A brief pause.
"You have one day."
"Find out who’s behind those Twitter accounts."
For too long, he had allowed the dia to test his limits.
That ended now.
The man on the other end remained calm, almost amused.
"Understood, CEO Blackwood. You’ll have an update by tomorrow."
Alexander ended the call.
Silence returned.
He glanced back at the trending page.
Under Jane’s handling, the situation had already begun to stabilize. The numbers were slowing. The spread was being contained.
But that wasn’t enough.
Not this ti.
He turned off his phone.
Then walked back into the master bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him.
Alexander’s POV
"You’re not leaving?"
At the sound of the door, Alicia opened her eyes and looked at . She had just woken up, her voice still hoarse with sleep.
Seeing she was awake, I walked over to the bed, a faint frown settling on my face.
"Leaving? Where would I go?"
In the dim light, Alicia said nothing.
She simply looked at .
Our gazes t—and in that instant, I understood.
She must have thought I was speaking to Lilian.
That I’d been called away again.
But this ti... there was no visible anger.
No hurt.
Just quiet.
Was she getting used to it?
Or worse—
Did she simply stop caring?
The thought made sothing tighten in my chest.
I pushed the blanket aside and climbed into bed, my voice lower this ti.
"It was Jane."
A brief pause.
"Sothing at the company?"
Her tone was calm. Too calm.
"Nothing serious," I replied. "Go back to sleep."
I reached for her, pulling her into my arms, holding her a little closer than usual—as if that alone could erase whatever distance had crept in.
Alicia didn’t ask anything else.
She closed her eyes.
And just like that, she slipped back into sleep.
By morning, the situation online had already been brought under control.
The trending topics were suppressed before peak activity hours.
To most people—
It was as if nothing had happened.
But not everyone.
So had seen it.
Watched it rise—
Then disappear.
And even though the noise had been silenced, traces remained.
Fragnts.
Questions.
Doubts.
I had stopped the spread.
Now, all that was left was ti.
Soon, people would forget.
And Alicia’s life would return to normal.
...Or so I thought.
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