Chapter 34

"I’m sorry to keep you waiting." The door behind me suddenly opened.

Zephyr entered the meeting room, brushing his hair back as he walked in with Reece. His expression was cold and nonchalant, as usual.

However, the moment I turned my head toward him, his demeanor shifted, and he offered me a warm smile.

The sudden change startled everyone in the room, except me.

"Don’t worry about it, Mr. Lloyd." Diego stood up to greet him. "I know how hard it must be for you to make time in your busy schedule."

I tilted my head in confusion. Diego’s words implicitly suggested that he had been the one to ask Zephyr for this meeting.

But about what?

The uncertainty somehow made me feel uneasy.

Reece and Zephyr then sat across from me. The atmosphere was too heavy, so I couldn’t help but ask, "What’s this about?"

Diego leaned forward. "Samantha, you have no idea how thrilled I am to have chosen you as the main actress for my project," he began, "But we need to address an issue, your reputation in the media isn’t in the best place right now."

I knew they would eventually bring this up. I sighed. "This is about my ex-husband, isn’t it?"

Diego and the others looked at me in surprise. They hadn’t known I was divorced. As far as they were aware, my marriage was simply in trouble, but they hadn’t realized it had already ended.

But it was only natural for them to think that way since I hadn’t publicly addressed the matter.

I suspected that if Zephyr hadn’t assured them the issue wouldn’t affect my future career, they might not have taken the risk of choosing me.

My bad reputation could harm the film’s success. If the controversy continued to circulate in public, the movie might suffer a downfall as audiences might avoid seeing my face on the big screen.

Reece stepped in to address the situation. "Yes, Mrs. Cole, this is about Mr. Fell’s tarnished image in the media," he said, glancing at the others in the room. He then emphasized firmly, "To be clear, Mrs. Cole has no involvement whatsoever in her ex-husband’s current scandal."

Reece gave a brief but clear explanation of my past with Rowan to others. As the details unfolded, everyone was in shock, with jaws dropping and eyes widening in disbelief.

"Dear lord, Samantha, I’m so sorry. I had no idea," Diego said, his voice filled with genuine regret.

I offered a faint smile. "It’s alright, Mr. West. I haven’t exactly been open about it. It’s in the past now, and I’m trying to move forward."

Diego glanced around at the others, his expression still stunned. "But with the movie’s theme mirroring ... that part of your life, I can’t imagine how hard it must be for you to take this on."

I took a deep breath. "Yes, it’s not easy. But the important part about acting is telling stories, even the hard ones. Besides, I think this role might help me turn my pain into something meaningful."

"Honestly, I was hesitant to cast you in this role," Matthew admitted. "But after learning the truth, I became even more convinced that you’re the perfect choice to play Elara in this film."

Zephyr, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. "Like you, Mr. White, I believe many people will support her once they know the truth." He turned his gaze directly to me. "That’s why I want to hold a press conference to clear your name and distance you from your ex-husband’s scandals."

Reece nodded. "We can also use that chance to promote her comeback movie." He asked, "What do you think, Mrs. Cole?"

I nervously pinched my fingers, my nails pressing into my skin as anxiety bubbled within me. The thought of facing a room full of reporters and journalists felt overwhelming.

I didn’t feel ready to confront so many people so soon, but it seemed like I had no other choice.

The fate of the movie was now in my hands. If my reputation continued to deteriorate, the producers might decide to cut me from the project to protect public sentiment.

Especially since Rowan was the public enemy number one right now.

"What do you think, Samantha?" Zephyr repeated Reece’s question. "Do you want to do that?"

I nodded immediately. "I want to."

"That’s settled, then." Reece suggested, "Since the movie hasn’t entered production yet, I recommend holding the press conference as soon as possible."

"Let’s do it tomorrow," I said suddenly.

My words shocked everyone, especially Zephyr. "Don’t you think it’s too fast? You might need time to prepare yourself."

"No," I replied. "Like Mr. Lawson said, the faster we solve this problem, the better." I continued, "Besides, if the public’s reaction isn’t good toward me, then you can cut me from this project, so it won’t affect the success of the film."

I could have been selfish and fought to keep my position. However, when I remembered the hard work of little Tiana, I couldn’t bring myself to put that little girl in the middle of a chaotic situation.

Just by acting alongside her for a short time, I could already tell that Tiana was a talented actress. That was why I wanted her to receive recognition from a lot of people.

If The Shattered Bond received too much criticism, then all our hard work would go to waste, and I didn’t want that to happen.

Zephyr could see that I had made up my mind, so he didn’t want to argue.

"If you think that’s the best way, then I’ll support it." Zephyr said to Reece. "Please, prepare for the press conference, Mr. Lawson."

Reece nodded. "I’ll do my best, Mr. Lloyd, Mrs. Cole."

As the meeting ended, I left the room with Zephyr. The hallways seemed quieter than usual as we walked together, our footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.

"Are you sure about this?" Zephyr asked, his voice softer now. As the CEO of the company, he wanted me to hold the press conference immediately, but as my mate, he didn’t want me to suffer.

I took a deep breath and nodded. "I have to do this. I can’t let my past ruin the future we’re trying to build here."

Zephyr smiled faintly, giving me a reassuring pat on the back. "I know people can’t hate you, Samantha."

I looked up at him. "I hope so.”