LOGIN***Alexander's POV***The words Julian had spoken stayed with me long after he left.The drive back to Ashford Manor was unusually quiet. James focused on the road while Jane sat beside him, wisely choosing not to speak. No one dared to disturb my thoughts.I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes, but the silence only made everything clearer.The filthy insults from the recording echoed in my ears.The messages on Vivienne's phone replayed in my mind."Vivienne, you should die.""Shameless woman.""Cheap."Every sentence tightened something inside my chest.When the car finally stopped outside the mansion, I stepped out without saying a word and walked inside.The house was brightly lit.Maggie hurried over as soon as she saw me."Sir, welcome home."I gave a slight nod."Has Madam eaten?""Yes, Sir. She had dinner before going upstairs."I looked toward the staircase."Is she asleep?""I believe so."I thanked Maggie and slowly made my way upstairs.The hallway was quiet.W
***Vivienne's POV***The recent scandal surrounding my personal life had become impossible to ignore.Although the company's senior executives had remained silent until now, it was never because they did not care. Most of them simply were not in a position to comment.Vice Chairman John Smith, however, was different.As both a major shareholder and a member of the board, he had every right to speak whenever an issue affected the company's reputation or stock value.Everyone in the room knew the controversy involved Alexander.They simply did not dare mention his name directly.When Vice Chairman John brought up the issue, my face became even paler. I felt every pair of eyes settle on me, and the embarrassment was almost unbearable."I sincerely apologize if my personal affairs have affected the company..."Before I could finish, Alexander interrupted.He calmly swept his gaze across the conference room before speaking."I don't think this is the appropriate time to discuss personal ma
***Vivienne's POV***When I pressed Julian for more details, he only told me there had been a minor conflict on set and asked me not to worry.Even so, I was not completely convinced."Don't let those clueless people online get to you," I said. "Right now, the most important thing is protecting your role."Julian nodded reassuringly."Don't worry. I'll handle it."After ending the call, I sat quietly and thought about the situation.I had to admit that the competitor's attempt to sabotage him had accidentally created an opportunity for him to recover.If the staff member involved had remained silent, public opinion would have focused entirely on Julian. However, in their eagerness to fuel the controversy, they pushed the staff member forward as a victim and attracted attention to the production itself.As a result, Director Ethan Calloway and the investors behind Empire of Shadows were forced to step in.The production was one of the biggest projects of the year. It carried the reputa
***Vivienne's POV***The exhaustion from the previous few days finally caught up with me, and for the first time in a while, I slept deeply through the night.When I opened my eyes the next morning, sunlight was already filtering through the curtains. The clock beside the bed made my heart skip a beat.I had overslept.There was no time to think about anything else. I quickly got ready and rushed downstairs before Maggie could even finish telling me that Alexander had returned home sometime during the night.After grabbing a quick breakfast, I headed straight for work.On the way to the office, my phone vibrated with a Twitter notification.The trending headline immediately caught my attention.#EmotionalGossip Deletes Tweets and Issues Public ApologyCurious, I opened the post.The account known as Emotional Gossip had released a formal apology statement. Every post related to the scandal had been deleted. Comments and retweets had been disabled, and the account settings had been cha
***Alexander’s POV***"You will explain exactly how these stories were created, how they were spread, and who paid for them."The room fell silent the moment those words left my mouth. The fear on their faces slowly shifted into hesitation, and that hesitation told me everything I needed to know. There was more behind this situation than a few people chasing internet traffic. Someone had been directing it from the shadows.***Reed's POV***I closed my eyes briefly and felt a cold sweat form on my back.This had become far worse than I expected.If we spoke, we would expose the people behind everything and destroy our own future. If we stayed silent, I was not even sure we would leave this place in one piece."We need some time," I said carefully.***Alexander’s POV***A faint smile touched my lips, though there was nothing friendly about it."You have a few hours," I said calmly. "No more than that."I turned and started toward the door, but before leaving, I stopped and looked back a
***Vivienne’s POV***When I arrived at the mansion, I had dinner with Maggie before going upstairs to wash up. After that, I lay down on the cold bed and stared at the ceiling while thinking about the decision I had already begun to reach in my mind. Exhaustion slowly pulled me under until I eventually fell asleep.The next morning, when I opened my eyes, I turned to the empty side of the bed and immediately understood that Alexander had not returned home. A quiet laugh escaped me.What was I even expecting?The Isabella I had seen was not someone who would easily let him go.After getting ready, I had breakfast and asked James to drive me to the office.However, the moment our car left the estate, reporters rushed toward us from every direction. Cameras surrounded the vehicle and microphones were pressed against the windows. If the windshield had not been soundproof and reinforced, it would have been impossible for us to move forward.They shouted questions all at once, their voices
***Vivienne’s POV Cont ***Alexander took a slow breath before speaking, and even before he said anything, I already knew his answer would revolve around Isabella.He said she was mentally unstable and that leaving her alone would be dangerous. As I listened, a deep sense of helplessness spread qui
***Vivienne’s POV ***Julian stepped forward beside me and removed his mask, his expression warm and respectful as he greeted my grandparents politely. He said that he had heard Pop-Pop was unwell while he was on the way here with me and that he wanted to come in to check on him personally and ask
***Vivienne’s POV***I walked out of the hospital slowly without any real destination in mind, unsure of where I wanted to go or what I was supposed to do next. My legs kept moving on their own while my thoughts felt heavy and distant at the same time, as if they no longer belonged to me. The sun w
***Vivienne’s POV Cont ***My body went completely stiff and I could not move for several seconds because my chest felt tight and heavy, and my heart was beating too fast and too hard as if it wanted to break out of my ribs. A wave of dizziness washed over me, leaving me weak and unsteady. Deep ins







