Chapter 13: Chapter thirteen: Online scandal
When I looked up, I t his gaze.
Alexander was watching
closely.
Too closely.
His eyes moved over my face as if trying to read every thought I was hiding.
I tightened my grip around the cup.
"It’s only a minor stomach issue," I said evenly. "The doctor said it’s nothing serious."
I made sure my voice remained calm.
Natural.
Steady.
Anything less, and he might start asking questions I wasn’t ready to answer.
He held my gaze for another mont before finally exhaling.
"Good."
A trace of tension left his expression.
"Take care of yourself."
The quiet concern in his voice caught
off guard.
He moved to the sofa beside
and poured himself a cup of warm water.
Then we sat there side by side in silence.
Two people close enough for our shoulders to almost touch.
Two people farther apart than strangers.
Steam rose from our cups.
The television played softly in the background.
Neither of us watched it.
Why did he look so worried?
Did he really care about my health?
For one dangerous second, hope stirred inside .
Then I rembered lunch.
For Grandma’s sake, I look after her a little.
I lowered my eyes and smiled sadly.
Of course.
Even his concern had a reason.
"I’m tired," I said quietly as I stood. "I’m going to bed."
He looked up at
but said nothing.
I turned and walked upstairs.
Yet even with my back to him, I could still feel his gaze following .
And despite myself, I wondered what he was thinking.
The next morning, the sharp ringing of my phone dragged
out of sleep.
I fumbled across the nightstand and answered groggily.
"Hello?"
"Director Alicia, have you checked the trending topics?"
Vicki’s voice was tight with panic.
I sat up imdiately.
"No. What happened?"
"The photos of CEO Blackwood and Miss Sumr exploded overnight. It’s turning into a major scandal."
Sleep vanished instantly.
"I’ll check now. Thanks, Vicki."
I ended the call, grabbed my iPad, and logged into Twitter.
My heartbeat quickened as the page loaded.
Headlines flooded the screen.
Another photo of Alexander and Lilian had surfaced.
This one was worse.
He was guiding her into a car, one hand firmly at her waist, his body angled protectively toward hers.
Their closeness was undeniable.
But it wasn’t the photo causing chaos.
It was the story forming around it.
People weren’t calling it romance.
They were calling it sponsorship.
A sugar daddy arrangent.
Favoritism.
Soone had already connected Lilian’s sudden appointnt as ??clat Beauty’s new ambassador and began stitching everything together.
CEO supports ex-girlfriend.
Uses company resources.
Helps revive her career.
The comnts multiplied by the second.
I called Vicki back imdiately.
"Contact Lilian’s team now," I said sharply. "Do not release any statent yet. Wait until I arrive."
"Yes, ma’am."
I got dressed in record ti and drove straight to the office.
Vicki was already waiting in the lobby.
As we entered the elevator, I asked,
"Did you reach Lilian’s team? What did they say?"
She hesitated.
"The CEO transferred the case to CCPR."
My brows furrowed.
The company’s crisis public relations team.
Before I could ask more, the elevator doors opened.
Sophia stood outside, arms folded, a smug smile already in place.
The mont she saw , her eyes glittered.
"Oh, Director Alicia. You’re finally here."
I stepped past her.
She walked beside
anyway.
"Did you see Boss and Miss Sumr yesterday? And the trending topics this morning?"
I kept walking.
"So people try so hard to get close to him," she continued sweetly, "but he already said he isn’t close to certain individuals."
Her smile sharpened.
"If it were , I’d be too embarrassed to show my face."
Vicki looked furious.
I ignored Sophia completely and continued toward my office.
Then she called after .
"Don’t you want to know how the boss plans to handle the scandal?"
My steps slowed.
I hated that they did.
Her voice ca lightly behind .
"He’s going to leak a headline saying he and Miss Sumr were forr lovers."
I stopped.
The hallway went still.
Sophia smiled in satisfaction.
"Hope you understand what that ans."
Then she walked away in her heels, victorious.
My face turned cold.
I should have expected it.
When the first photo hadn’t been removed, the decision had already been made.
Back in my office, I reopened the trending page.
The narrative had shifted completely.
Old campus photos of Alexander and Lilian were being dug up.
Past posts.
Witness accounts.
Stories of how deeply in love they once were.
For Lilian—who had just returned from overseas to restart her career—it was priceless publicity.
And the timing was too perfect.
Lily Avery had originally been selected as ??clat Beauty’s ambassador.
Then suddenly, the campaign was handed to Lilian.
Now the public had a ready-made explanation.
An ex-boyfriend helping the woman he once loved.
Maybe loving her still.
And if that was the story being carefully fed to the world...
Then everything else would soon be sacrificed to support it.
Including .
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