I opened WhatsApp.

Dozens of friend requests.

Every single one filled with insults.

No names.

Just hatred.

Raw.

Unfiltered.

I inhaled slowly.

Then exhaled.

Stay calm.

I switched my status to "Friends Only."

Typed:

"This number is no longer in use. Please contact my assistant."

I added Vicki’s number.

Sent it.

Broadcasted it.

Then called my assistant using the company’s internal line and informed her about what was happening.Once the assistant left, I checked my other social media accounts. As expected, they were all bombarded with abuse and insults.

‎Thankfully, my personal number hadn’t been exposed.

Finally I turned off my phone.

Silence.

Finally.

I leaned back in my chair.

My body felt... light.

Too light.

Like something inside me had been hollowed out.

I closed my eyes.

All I wanted

was a quiet life.

A normal life.

Something stable.

Something... mine.

But it seems impossible just because I loved Alexander

Everything had spiraled.

Step by step.

Until I was standing here now

being cursed by strangers who didn’t even know me.

Was this the price?

For loving him?

A faint, bitter smile touched my lips.

Maybe Ariana was right.

Maybe

this was how it would always be.

My fingers curled slightly against the armrest.

Had I really been wrong?

Or...

was loving him

the mistake that ruined everything?

I was still lost in my thoughts when the office phone suddenly rang, pulling me back to reality.

I blinked, staring at it for a second before reaching out and picking it up.

"Director Alicia," the secretary’s voice came through, professional as ever, "the meeting is about to begin. Are you ready?"

For a brief moment

I hesitated.

Then I remembered.

The meeting with top management.

The presentation.

"...Yes," I replied, my voice steady. "I’ll be right there."

"Alright."

The line went dead.

Silence returned to the room.

I closed my eyes for a moment, exhaling slowly, forcing everything else down

the noise, the messages, the suffocating weight in my chest.

Work came first.

It always had.

I opened my eyes, expression composed once more, and gathered the files on my desk.

Then I stood and walked out.

Alexander’s POV

"CEO Blackwood, we have a problem."

Jane rushed in, her voice tight with urgency.

"Director Alicia’s phone number and all her personal accounts have been leaked."

For a split second

everything stilled.

Then my expression hardened, and I rose to my feet.

"Don’t worry, CEO Blackwood. Director Alicia has already disabled the number," Jane added quickly.

That wasn’t the point.

"Trace the IP. Gather every piece of evidence and hand it to the police."

My voice was calm.

Too calm.

"This isn’t something we handle quietly."

If someone had the audacity to mess with me like this

then they could bear the consequences of doing it publicly.

Jane straightened. "Understood."

She turned to leave

then my phone rang.

I picked it up immediately.

"Mr. Blackwood, we’ve got an update."

"Go ahead."

"The account leading the rumors we traced it. It’s being managed by someone named Andrew Grayson."

I didn’t speak.

"Further digging shows he was the one who started the speculation months ago—when you were photographed with Miss Alicia."

My jaw tightened slightly.

"What are you implying?"

"He’s been orchestrating everything. Feeding content to multiple accounts, pushing the narrative of an affair... even paying others to amplify it."

A pause.

Then

"Do you have proof?"

"Yes, sir. Financial records, chat logs, distribution trails. It’s all been sent to your email."

"...And him?"

Another brief hesitation.

"Andrew Grayson is a relative of Sophia Smith and Jason Smith."

My grip tightened around the phone.

"...Explain."

"He was taken in by their family after his parents passed. He’s been working closely with Sophia. We recovered conversations she assigned him the job directly, including miss Alicia’s contact information leak."

Silence.

Then I ended the call.

The office fell quiet.

Too quiet.

Sophia.

Of all people.

I had transferred her out myself.

And yet

she hadn’t stopped.

Instead she was she was targeting Alicia.

Fragments of the past surfaced, one after another.

The first scandal.

The photos.

The moment she "helped" me investigate

guiding me, subtly,

toward one conclusion.

Alicia.

And I believed it.

Without hesitation.

Even when Alicia told me

that Sophia liked me.

I dismissed it.

Chose to trust someone else.

A faint, bitter smile crossed my lips.

So this was the truth

Carefully planned.

And I...

walked right into it.

I exhaled slowly, forcing the thoughts down.

Regret was useless now.

What mattered

was fixing it.

I pulled up the email.

Every piece of evidence was there.

Clear.

Clean.

Enough to bury them completely.

I forwarded it to the legal department.

Attached a single line:

"File immediately. Make sure no one goes unpunished."

A reply came within seconds.

"Understood, CEO Blackwood."

I leaned back in my chair, eyes closing briefly.

With my legal team

this wouldn’t drag.

It wouldn’t fail.

Sophia will definitely pay for everything.

But even as everything was starting to fall into place

one thought lingered

How much of this...

could have been avoided

if I had believed Alicia?

My jaw tightened.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

There was still one thing left to do.

Third person POV

‎The meeting began promptly at eleven.

‎One by one, attendees filed into the conference room, taking their seats with quiet efficiency.

‎Alicia sat near the corner of the long table, a folder open in front of her.

‎Her face was slightly pale

‎but her posture remained straight.

‎Composed.

‎As always.

‎

‎When everyone had settled, Alexander entered.

‎The room instinctively fell silent.

‎He took his seat at the head of the table.

‎Jane began the meeting.

‎Reports followed, one after another.

‎Numbers.

‎Projections.

‎Updates.

‎Routine.

‎

‎Then

‎" Director Alicia."

‎Jane’s voice was calm.

‎"It’s your turn."

‎

‎Alicia inhaled softly.

‎Then stood.

‎She walked to the front, her movements steady, controlled.

‎As if nothing had happened.

‎As if the chaos outside didn’t exist.

‎

‎The projector lit up.

‎Her voice followed.

‎Clear.

‎Professional.

‎She outlined Èclat Beauty’s seasonal performance

‎growth metrics, campaign impact, upcoming strategies.

‎Every point precise.

‎Every transition seamless.

‎

‎Alexander didn’t look away.

‎Not once.

‎

‎"My report is complete. Thank you."

‎The screen went dark.

‎Alicia turned back to face the room.

‎

‎A brief silence followed.

‎Then—

‎All eyes shifted to Alexander.

‎

‎He didn’t react.

‎Didn’t speak.

‎This was the first time he looked distracted in a meeting

‎

‎"CEO Blackwood," Jane murmured softly beside him.

‎

‎He stilled

‎as if pulled back from somewhere far away.

‎Then flipped a page in front of him, his expression returning to neutral.

‎"Any comments?"

‎

‎The room resumed.

‎Vice presidents spoke.

‎Executives followed.

‎Questions.

‎Suggestions.

‎

‎

‎Alicia responded to each one calmly.

‎Flawlessly.

‎As if she hadn’t been dragged across the internet just hours ago.

‎

‎Then

‎one of the senior executives leaned forward.

‎His tone was polite.

‎Measured.

‎But deliberate.

‎"Alicia has done well with her work."

‎A pause.

‎"Normally, personal matters are not something we interfere with."

‎His gaze sharpened slightly.

‎"But given the current situation... your personal affairs have begun to affect the company’s reputation—and even its stock movement."

‎The room grew quieter.

‎Subtly tense.

‎"Perhaps," he continued, "it would be more appropriate for you to step back temporarily. Let someone else take the lead until things settle."

‎

‎Alicia froze.

‎Just for a second.

‎Barely noticeable.

‎

‎Then her fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the table.

‎

‎Silence spread across the room.

‎No one spoke.

‎But no one disagreed either.

‎

‎