Chapter 21
i stared at him, lips parted, mind blank. I didn’t even know what to say.
“What do you you
mean
photos?” My voice came out small, like it didn’t even belong to me.
e lot like his hands had memorized every turn. His expression didn’t change. That made it
He didn’t look at me, just started the car, pulled out of the
Wore
“Someone must’ve been lurking around the resort,” he said, eyes fixed on the road. “The images look like they were taken from outside the hallway. Blurry, but enough to start a headline.”
1 felt my stomach twist. “You said there were cameras, I thought-”
“There were,” he cut in, his tone flat. “But no one expected paparazzi to be camping in the trees like predators.”
I turned away, pressing a hand to my chest. “I didn’t even do anything, Karl. I swear I didn’t even…“.
“I know,” he said, still watching the road. “That’s not the problem.”
I looked at him again, heart racing. “Then what is the problem?”
“Perception”
He said it so calmly, like he wasn’t telling me that my face was probably all over the internet next to Darren’s right now.
He must have seen the panic creeping up in my eyes, because his voice softened, just a little.
“It’s fine,” he said, not looking at me. “We’ll handle it.”
I nodded, but it didn’t help. Tm so sorry.”
He shifted slightly, resting his hand back on the wheel after tapping the signal.
“You didn’t do anything wrong-
→It’s not
your faul
The firmness in his tone shut me up. I sat back, staring out the window, lips pressed into a line.
When we pulled into the driveway, he parked the car without a word. The lights in the house were already on. Before I could even reach for the door handle, he stepped out.
I followed.
Ken was already by the entrance, phone in one hand, the other behind his back. He stepped forward the second Karl approached.
“I’ve started flagging every post,” Kent Laid. “Already notified the media team.”
“Good” Karl said, “but don’t delete them.”
Kent paused, eyes biting, “you have a better plan!”
Karl nodded, “I du
Llooked between them. “Wait, what? Why wouldn’t you want them gone?
Karl didn’t amwer me. He stepped past me like I ludn’t spoken at all, his tone quiet but hem as he gave Kent more instructions in the hallway
I stood there, still by the door, heart pounding with confusion.
Why the hell would he
1 Mayed frozen in the entryway, mind spinning still trying to make sense of it. Why would Karl leave the photos up! It made no sense. As if he could read my thoughts, Kent cleared his throat and looked at me
Da
Chapter 21
can tell the press that Darren orchestrated everything,” he said, folding his hands in front of him, his voice calm and professional. “Make it look like you were caught off guard, that he tried to use your name to gain leverage, paint him as manipulative, desperate, no one in business will want to touch him after that,”
My eyes widened slightly. “Wait… you can really do that?”
Kent nodded once. “Of course.”
“But what about my image?” I asked quietly, suddenly nervous again. “wouldn’t that make me look like I was caught up in some scandal?”
Kent gave the smallest smile, like he’d been asked that before, “Karl won’t let that happen.”
1 looked toward the hallway where Karl had disappeared. Something about the way Kent said it made my chest feel warm, even though I didn’t
want it to.
The next morning, I woke up to
the sun sneaking through the curtains and the faint hum of my phone buzzing on the nightstand.
I blinked against the light, sat up slowly, and reached for İL
The notifications were endless, social media pings, headlines, blog alerts.
I opened one of the articles, preparing for the worst, but paused when 1 saw the headline.
“Billionaire’s Wife Targeted in Paparazzi Stunt: Shocking Footage Reveals She Was Set Up”
I kept scrolling every outlet said the same thing. Darren had ambushed me, a false story, manipulation. There was even footage, security angles I didn’t know existed, showing me struggling to walk, my arm being grabbed.
I covered
my mouth with one hand and let the phone drop to my lap.
Karl had flipped the entire narrative.
I threw on a robe and headed downstairs, my bare feet brushing the edge of the carpet as I moved through the house. I found him by the long kitchen Bland, already dressed, sipping something from a glass.
He didn’t look up when I entered. He didn’t need to.
“I saw the headlines,” I said, walking closer. “Thank you. Really. L. I don’t know what else to say?
“You don’t need to say anything he replied, still reading something on his tablet.
I took a breath, “Im sorry, Karl, I should’ve been more careful.
finally loo
looked up.
lugar steady, “from here on out, you will be.”
I nodded, “1 will”
Before illure of us I could another word, Kent came rushing in, holding his phone like it was burning in his hand.
“Sur,” he said, eyes sharp. “there’s a problem”
| groaned quietly and dropped my head back. “Oh God, what now
Krut looked between in
(jaw tight. “you might want to see this one for yourselves”
Kari placed his glass down without a word and walked toward the front of the house. I followed, the quiet te We stepped outside and
when I saw her.
terision already crawling up my spine.
She was at the front gate, screaming to be bet in, hver your echoing through the long drive. Her hair gapped the bars and shouted something I couldn’t quite hear yet
as a mess, her hech wobbling slightly as she
I stopped in my tracka
What the hell” I whispered, stumied
Chapter 21
She spotted me and immediately started waving her arms. “Ellen! Ellen, please!”
Two guards were already approaching her, hands raised to block her path.
Kent turned sharply, about to give the order. “Get her out of here.”
Karl’s voice cut in coldly
“No. Let her in.”
I looked at him, surprised, but he didn’t look at me. His eyes stayed on the scene ahead, unreadable.
The guards hesitated, then opened the gate.
Layla ran forward without hesitation, her heels clicking loudly across the pavement as she approached, her breath shaky.
She stopped a few feet from Karl.
“Please” she said, her voice trembling. “Please don’t press charges. Darren’s already in jail, I just…please, Mr Lever, I’m begging you, I can’t survive this if you go through with it.
Karl didn’t move. His hands stayed in his pockets, his posture completely relaxed, but his voice when it came out was anything but soft.
“If you wa
want me to consider that.” he said, looking straight at her, “you’re going to need to go on your knees and apologize.”
Layla blinked, confused, “W–Whar**
“Not to me,” he added, to Ellen.”
I turned sharply, staring at him. “Karl-”
But he didn’t look at me, his eyes stayed on Layla
Layla stared between us, her.expression twisting in disbelief, “you can’t be serious.
Karl didn’t blink, “you have five seconds.”
She turned slowly, glancing around at the quiet security team stationed along the drive. Her shoulders dropped slightly, shame bleeding into her
She dropped to her knees.
Her voice barely held together, Tm sorry,
I didn’t move, I didn’t say a word. I just stood there, stunned, watching the girl twisted fever dream.
io once betrayed me beg from the ground like this was all sor
some
AD
