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Cassie frowned, tugging lightly at the hem of her dress. Why does he look like he’s about to walk into battle instead of dinner with his family? “Are you going to tell me why you’ve been wearing that face since this morning?” she asked, breaking the silence. Her voice was light, teasing, but underneath, it carried genuine curiosity. Nikolai turned his head slightly, his eyes flicking to hers before moving back to what he was doing. “It’s nothing.” Cassie arched a brow. “Nothing? Nik, you’ve been brooding since your mother called, and after you came back from work. Don’t tell me it’s nothing. You’re acting like you’re about to get ambushed.” He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he exhaled slowly and adjusted his tie, buying himself time. “Like I said, Mom said she wanted us at dinner tonight. That’s all.” Cassie tilted her head. “That’s all? Then why are you looking like you’re about to be cross-examined in a murder trial?” Nikolai’s lips twitched, but he didn’t smile. His sile
In his little secret apartment, the phones wouldn’t stop ringing. Raymond sat slumped in his study, an untouched glass of whiskey sweating on the desk. He hadn’t answered a single call all morning, but when the shrill tone came again, he finally snapped and picked it up. It was his mother. “Raymond! What the hell is going on this time around?” her sharp voice came through the line. “The family name is being dragged through the mud! Investors are calling your father. Reporters are calling ME! Do you understand the disgrace you’re bringing on us?” Raymond pinched the bridge of his nose, his temples throbbing. “Mother, like I said, I’m handling it.” “Handling it?!” she barked. “You’re letting your mistress embarrass us! You should have gotten rid of Rachael the moment she started pulling you down. She’s a liability!” Before he could answer, another voice chimed in... his sister, who had clearly taken the phone from her mother. “Ray, she’s right. Rachael’s trash now. Cut her
On the other side of the city, chaos was still brewing. Inside the towering Vanderbilt Corporation, Raymond’s voice thundered through the halls.He slammed his palm against the conference table, eyes wild, face flushed with fury. His executives... men and women who once cowered at his sharp commands... looked at him now with a mix of disdain and disrespect. “What the hell is going on?!” Raymond barked, his voice cracking with raw frustration. “Why is the problem still not solved? Do I pay you to fuck around or what?!”No one dared to answer immediately. The silence was suffocating. They've tried to calm the media over the past few weeks, and things are looking much better for the company. But it seemed they weren't doing enough. Because things continue to get messy for them.Finally, one brave manager cleared his throat.“S-sir, the news cycle hasn’t stopped. Every outlet is still running the story about the faulty digital screen on Fifth Avenue. They’re calling it negligence,
The Vanderbilt estate had been tranquil that morning. Well, everyone tried to pretend everything was okay. Raymond had just begun to patch together the fragments of his shattered empire, scrambling to project control again after weeks of chaos.But before he could breathe, another storm hit.This time, it wasn’t him... it was Rachael.The entertainment world woke up to an explosion. Headlines screamed across every platform:“Scandal in the Industry: Actress Rachael Brown, Also Known As The Vixen, Caught in Hotel Tryst with Mystery Older Man!”#RachaelExposed.#VanderbiltScandal.#SleepingYourWayToTheTop.Thousands of posts spread like wildfire. Screenshots. Blurred yet unmistakable photos of Rachael in a dimly lit hotel room, tangled in sheets, her bare skin exposed beside a man at least twice her age.The angle was grainy, but the implication was crystal clear.And with the internet being merciless, the captions wrote themselves:> “So THIS is how she got her roles.”“Sleeping her
Rachael hurried down the corridor as she left Raymond’s office, her pulse racing in her throat. Tonight, there had been something unhinged in his eyes, something that told her if she stayed too close, she would get burned with him.She slipped into the elevator, her reflection staring back at her from the mirrored walls. For years, she had told herself that standing by Raymond was worth it... the money, the power, and the prestige attached to his name. But as she studied the tension in her face with so fear, she realized something she had never dared admit.If Raymond went down, she would go down with him.And she wasn’t ready to be collateral damage.When the doors opened on the lobby floor, Rachael was greeted by chaos.Reporters clustered near the entrance, shouting questions to anyone who looked remotely connected to the company. Cameras flashed like lightning, and several employees ducked their heads as they hurried past, afraid of being recognized.“Rachael!” one of the jo
Raymond slammed the phone onto his desk so hard that the screen cracked. The sharp sound echoed through his office, but he didn’t care. His chest rose and fell violently, every breath scraping his throat like fire. “She thinks she can talk to me like that?” he muttered under his breath, pacing across the wide room like a caged animal. “She thinks she can throw me away and then watch me fall?” The floor-to-ceiling windows behind him reflected his image back at him. He barely recognized the man staring back. "Raymond, calm down..." Rachael tried to speak after a while. “Not now!” Raymond barked. He whipped around, his eyes bloodshot. He looked nothing like the powerful CEO he once was. “Don’t you dare tell me to calm down, Rachael!” he spat. “Do you realize what’s happening? The board is threatening to pull out, investors are withdrawing, and every damn headline in the city is dragging my name through the mud! And now...” his voice broke into a bitter laugh, “...now Cassie thi