Top Comments in the Thread:

‎"No way—do people actually believe CEO Blackwood is some pure, loyal man? He’s not the hero of a romance novel. He’s just playing the field. Nothing’s surfaced yet, but give it time."

‎The comment section quickly turned into a battlefield.

‎Alexander’s fans rushed to defend him. Lilian’s supporters tried to distance her from the situation. Bystanders watched eagerly, enjoying the drama, while critics tore into everyone involved without restraint.

‎Then, another topic began climbing the rankings—

‎**"Alicia Sinclair."**

‎The situation had erupted overnight. After hours of digging, netizens managed to uncover Alicia’s Twitter account, comparing it with past photos she had posted. Everything matched.

‎At the same time, her identity was exposed—she was the director of the Èclat beauty brand and the adopted granddaughter of Chairwoman Roseline.

‎The comments under Alicia’s posts were sharply divided.

‎Some argued that since Alicia was part of the Blackwood family and had known Alexander since childhood, perhaps Lilian had been the outsider all along. Others speculated that the two were simply close—like siblings—and that the media had exaggerated everything.

‎But the opposing side was far harsher.

‎They accused Alicia of interfering in Alexander and Lilian’s relationship, using the earlier makeup incident as "evidence" that she had deliberately targeted Lilian.

‎Within hours, Alicia’s Twitter spiraled out of control.

‎Replies surged from dozens to hundreds, then into the thousands. Her follower count skyrocketed, and her private messages were flooded endlessly.

‎Alexander’s POV

‎Without hesitation, I used Alicia’s phone to call Jane, ordering her to suppress the trending topics immediately.

‎Not long after, Jane called back.

‎"CEO Blackwood, we’ve already started suppressing the topics, but it looks like the news was deliberately leaked last night. It spread too quickly. Even if we act now, the damage has already been done."

‎"Do everything you can," I said coldly.

‎"Understood."

‎After ending the call, I scrolled through the comments on Alicia’s page.

‎"Mistress."

‎"Homewrecker."

‎"Apologize."

‎The accusations were relentless. Only a handful of comments spoke in her defense.

‎Her private messages were even worse—filled with insults about her family, her appearance, and anything people could attack.

‎My expression darkened.

‎Without hesitation, I turned off her comments and private messages.

‎But I knew that silence—combined with suppressing the trending topics—would only make it seem like we were guilty.

‎I called Jane again, urging him to keep the situation under control, then contacted the members-only club, asking them to send my phone over immediately.

The guests at the members-only club were all wealthy and influential—no one would dare keep a misplaced phone. It was returned not long after.

‎The young man who delivered it said respectfully, "Mr. Blackwood, your phone rang several times while I was there. It seems urgent. You may want to return the calls as soon as possible."

‎I took the phone and turned it on.

‎Dozens of missed calls filled the screen.

‎Most were from Jane, the secretarial team, and the company’s PR department—clearly all aware of the trending scandal and trying to reach me.

‎I had been completely unreachable.

‎There were also several missed calls from Kendra. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

‎A bad feeling settled in my chest. Worried this might affect Lilian, I called her back immediately.

‎"Miss Kendra, how is Lilian?"

‎Her voice came quickly, tense and controlled. "I’ve been trying to reach you, CEO Blackwood. Lilian isn’t doing well. She feels guilty about Alicia being labeled a homewrecker. If I hadn’t stopped her, she would have gone online to clarify everything herself."

‎She paused briefly before continuing, her tone firm.

‎"I’m her agent. I have to consider her future. I couldn’t let her act impulsively—it would ruin her career."

‎"I understand," I replied.

‎"Then I need to know what you plan to do," she said bluntly. "I won’t hide it—I don’t want this affecting Lilian. You promised she wouldn’t be labeled as a mistress. Right now, silence is the best option. Since neither you nor Alicia are in the industry, public attention will fade after a few days."

‎I narrowed my eyes slightly. "I’ve already had the trending topics suppressed. This won’t affect Lilian."

‎"I hope you keep your word," she said meaningfully. "You remember what happened with Arclaire Entertainment Group. If you don’t clarify things, someone else will."

‎I understood her warning.

‎"I’ll handle it," I said.

‎The only people who could truly clarify my relationship with Alicia... were our families—especially Nana.

‎"Thank you, CEO Blackwood," Kendra said. "Please check on Lilian as soon as possible. She’s in a very unstable state right now."

‎"I will."

‎After ending the call, I immediately contacted Jane again, instructing him to monitor the situation closely and prevent any unofficial "clarifications" from surfacing.

‎When the situation settled, I would handle everything personally.

‎I glanced at the phone still in my hand—Alicia’s phone.

‎I had intended to return it, but after a moment’s thought, I decided to keep it with me instead.

‎When I reached the living room, I turned to Maria.

‎"Don’t tell Alicia about what’s happening online."

‎The storm on the internet was temporary—just people venting. In a few days, it would fade.

‎Maria hesitated. "But... what if Miss Alicia finds out on her own?"

‎I didn’t pause. "You don’t need to worry about that. Just make sure she doesn’t hear about it."

‎Maria nodded, though her expression remained uneasy.

‎Only then did I head out, getting into the car to go see Lilian.

Alicia’s POV

‎I woke up with a splitting headache, the pain pounding relentlessly in my skull.

‎After leaving Alexander last night, the lingering smell of alcohol had overwhelmed me. I ended up throwing up several times and barely got any sleep. Now, the nausea still clung to me, making it hard to even stand.

‎I sat up slowly and instinctively reached for my phone beside the pillow.

‎Nothing.

‎Frowning, I searched around the bed, checking under the pillow and the sheets—but it wasn’t there.

‎I pressed my fingers to my forehead, trying to recall what had happened the night before.

‎I had taken my phone when I went to pick Alexander up. After returning, I moved to the guest room to sleep...

‎So it should have been there.

‎With that in mind, I forced myself up, washed, got dressed, and went to look for it.after taking shower I felt a little alright so I was able to look for it properly.

‎The room was empty.

‎Alexander had clearly been awake for a while—the bed was already cold.

‎I searched everywhere—on the bed, the nightstand, even the floor—but there was no sign of my phone. I even shook out the blankets twice.

‎Letting out a frustrated sigh, I paused.

‎If it wasn’t here, then it had to be either in the car... or back in the private room from last night.

‎I checked the car first, searching every corner carefully. Still nothing.

‎That left only one possibility—

‎I must have left it in the private room when I went to pick him up.

‎Since I couldn’t retrieve it myself right away, I went downstairs for breakfast.

‎After eating, I asked Jim to drive to the members-only club we had visited the night before. I gave him the room number and told him to check directly at the front desk.

‎When he returned, I stood up immediately.

‎"Did you find a phone?"

‎"Yes, Miss," he replied, "but they said it has already been returned to its owner."

‎"Returned?" I frowned. "Are you sure? I haven’t received it."

‎"Yes, ma’am. The staff confirmed it was handed directly to Mr. Blackwood."

‎I fell silent.

‎