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.***For several seconds, I could not even process what had happened.My mind buzzed loudly, as if a swarm of bees had been trapped inside my head. Everything around me felt distant and blurry. The sounds of passing cars, footsteps, and voices all blended together until they b
***Vivienne’s POV***Halfway through dinner, Alexander excused himself to use the restroom.The moment he left the private room, his phone suddenly began ringing on the table beside me.I glanced at the screen casually at first, but the moment I saw the caller’s name, my fingers froze.Isabella.A
***Alexander's POV***The memory returned so suddenly that it caught me off guard.Vivienne’s voice echoed clearly in my mind, sharp and trembling with pain.“You must really love her if you even use our anniversary to remember her.”Back then her eyes had been red from crying. She had stood in fro
***Vivienne's POV ***It was around eight in the evening when my phone vibrated on the bed beside me.I picked it up slowly and saw a WhatsApp message from Alexander.Have you had dinner?Why are you not coming over?I stared quietly at the screen for several seconds.My chest still felt heavy from







