Chapter 23

Max’s POV

I woke up to the kind of chaos that would give most CEOs a heart attack. My phone was buzzing, notifications stacking up faster than I could clear them. Half-asleep, I swiped at the screen and immediately regretted it.

The headline that stared back at me felt like a punch to the gut.

"SIENNA BROOKS POSTS HER OWN NUDE PHOTOS: WHAT IS SHE HIDING?"

I sat up, scrolling furiously. Article after article. Picture after picture. The headlines were relentless. The comments were worse.

What the hell was this?

It didn’t take me long to figure out what had happened. Those weren’t real photos—any idiot could see they were edited. And there was no way Sienna had posted them herself. Someone had set her up.

My jaw clenched as I tossed the phone onto the bed. I didn’t need to guess who was behind this. Hester’s fingerprints were all over it.

Before I could think further, my phone buzzed again. This time, it was Ben.

“Max,” he said the moment I picked up. “Do you have any idea how bad this is?”

“Good morning to you too, Ben,” I said dryly.

“Don’t ‘good morning’ me,” he snapped. “This is a PR nightmare. The media is eating this up, and if you don’t handle it, your wedding’s going to look like a joke. A complete sham.”

I rubbed my temples. “Calm down. I’ll handle it.”

“You better,” he said. “And fast. The longer this sits, the worse it’s going to get.”

“Set up an interview,” I said. “Somewhere big. Let’s put this to bed.”

“Already ahead of you,” Ben replied. “Major station, primetime slot. You’ll need to fly out tomorrow morning.”

“Send me the details,” I said, ending the call.

I tossed the phone onto the bedside table, leaning back against the headboard. This wasn’t how I wanted to spend my day, but damage control was part of the job.

Later that morning, as I sat in my office, scrolling through emails and planning my next move, Sienna burst in.

“Max!” she snapped, slamming the door behind her.

I didn’t even look up. “You know, most people knock.”

“Did you see the news?” she demanded, marching up to my desk.

“Of course I saw it,” I said, my tone deliberately bored. “It’s hard to miss.”

“And you’re just sitting here?” she said, her voice rising. “Doing nothing?”

“What do you want me to do, Sienna?” I asked, finally glancing at her.

“Something!” she exclaimed. “Those pictures are fake, and I didn’t post them. You know I didn’t post them.”

“Do I?” I said, leaning back in my chair with a smirk.

Her jaw dropped. “You think I’d do this to myself?”

I shrugged. “Stranger things have happened.”

“Max!” she shouted, her face red with frustration.

I couldn’t help but enjoy how flustered she was. “Relax,” I said lazily. “It’s not the end of the world.”

“For you, maybe,” she shot back. “But my reputation is being destroyed!”

“Your reputation was already in the gutter,” I said with a faint smile.

She glared at me, her hands balling into fists. “You’re insufferable.”

“Glad we’re on the same page,” I said, turning back to my laptop. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have actual work to do.”

I didn’t need her thinking I had any feelings towards her. We were merely business partners, and I did a good job at mocking her for the rest of our conversation. Her frustration was palpable as she stormed out of the office, muttering something under her breath.

The next morning, as I was preparing to leave for the airport, I heard shouting coming from the foyer.

“Hester,” I muttered, already annoyed.

Sure enough, when I stepped out of my room, there she was, pacing back and forth and waving her phone like a weapon.

“Max!” she shouted the moment she saw me. “We need to talk!”

I descended the stairs slowly, taking my time. “Do we?”

“Don’t play coy,” she snapped, shoving the phone in my face. On the screen was the apology that had gone viral overnight.

"I want to sincerely apologize for the false pictures of Sienna Brooks..."

I smirked. “That’s quite the heartfelt apology, Hester. Very touching.”

Her eyes blazed with fury. “I didn’t write this, Max! Someone hacked my account!”

“Did they?” I said, feigning surprise. “How unfortunate.”

Her hands clenched into fists. “You think this is funny?”

“A little,” I admitted.

“Do you know how much damage this has done to my reputation?” she hissed.

I tilted my head. “Not as much as you’ve done to Sienna’s.”

She opened her mouth to retort, but I held up a hand. “Save it, Hester. I don’t have time for your tantrums. I’m leaving.”

Her face twisted with anger. “This isn’t over, Max.”

“It never is,” I said with a shrug, walking past her and out the door.

As the car pulled out of the driveway, I couldn’t shake the irritation bubbling beneath the surface. Hester was becoming more trouble than she was worth, and I was quickly losing patience.

But before I could dwell on it, my phone buzzed again.

“Harry,” I said, answering the call.

“Sir,” he said, his tone cautious. “About Hester... I think you should know—”

“I already know,” I interrupted. “Keep an eye on her while I’m gone. Don’t let her cause more problems.”

“Yes, sir,” Harry replied.

I ended the call and leaned back in my seat, staring out the window as the city blurred past.

Later that evening, as I reviewed my talking points for the interview, Sienna cornered me again.

“What now?” I asked, not bothering to hide my annoyance.

“Don’t ‘what now’ me,” she snapped. “Hester is out of control, and you’re just letting her do whatever she wants.”

“I’m handling it,” I said coolly.

“Oh, like you’re handling the scandal?” she shot back.

I smirked. “Exactly.”

She glared at me, her arms crossed. “You’re impossible.”

“And yet, here we are,” I said with a shrug.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn’t leave. Instead, she stared at me, her eyes burning with defiance.

“If you can’t keep her in check, I will,” she said finally.

I chuckled, shaking my head. “Good luck with that, sweetheart.”

She turned on her heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Between Sienna’s stubbornness and Hester’s scheming, this house was turning into a circus.

For now though, I had a scandal to clear. That was what mattered.