My CEO Ex: Let Me Go.-Chapter 113

Vivienne’s POV

When I pressed Julian for more details, he only mentioned there had been a minor conflict during filming and asked me not to worry. I remained doubtful but could only offer him some comfort. “Don’t let those clueless netizens get to you. Right now, the most important thing is keeping your job.”

Julian nodded. “Don’t worry.”

I have to admit, the competitor’s dirty trick had given Julian a chance to turn things around.

If the staff member who was hit had stayed quiet, Julian would have been the only one under attack from the public. But, of course, to stir the pot, the opposition had the staff member play the innocent victim, which pushed Ethan to Julian’s side. Now, they were united.

Empire of Shadows, being a high-budget production, had attracted numerous investors—partly because of Isabella and partly because of Ethan’s star power. The investors didn’t want to pull Ethan’s team, so they had no choice but to firmly support Ethan’s innocence. They framed Julian’s actions as justified and had the staff member apologize.

So, while public opinion was overwhelmingly against Julian and he was being relentlessly criticized, it wouldn’t cost him the role of Landon Mercer. At most, it would affect his upcoming endorsements and schedules. But if he performed well in Empire of Shadows, his career would soar, and those endorsements would soon seem insignificant.

After learning the stakes, I was able to relax and return to my work.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

I glanced at the screen. An unknown number.

Since this phone was for work, I often received calls from potential clients or collaborators. I wasn’t surprised by the unfamiliar number, so I answered. “Hello, who’s this?”

“Bitch, you’re really disgusting, f***...”

A barrage of abusive words hit my ears, leaving me stunned. I froze for a few seconds before remembering to hang up.

The insults came out of nowhere, leaving me confused and helpless.

A dangerous thought flashed through my mind.

Not long after, a second unknown number called—different from the first. But somehow, I had a feeling this person was also calling to insult me.

I didn’t pick up.

A few minutes later, a text message arrived: "You’re such a green tea bh, a disgusting mistress, go die!"*

Another one followed immediately: "You’re the mistress who ruined someone’s relationship, you filthy piece of s. Is there anyone at your house? Were you born without a mother? I hope you never have children and that they explode as soon as they’re born!"*

More and more calls and messages flooded in.

I held my breath, knowing with certainty—my phone number had been leaked.

I opened WhatsApp, and there were numerous new friend requests. Each one came with vile, foul-mouthed messages.

I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. I switched my Status to “Friends Only” and posted: “This number is no longer in use. Please contact my assistant at 45678910.”

Then, I sent this message as a mass text to everyone in my contact list and immediately turned off my phone.

I called my assistant using the company’s internal line and gave a few instructions.

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.

I slumped back in my chair, pale, and closed my eyes.

I just wanted a peaceful, stable life. Why was that so difficult? Just because I had loved Alexander, was I destined to end up like this—hated by everyone?

It felt like my very existence was a sin.

Had I really been wrong?

There was a knock at the door.

I opened my eyes and straightened up. “Come in.”

“Director Vivienne Sinclair, here are the documents you need for the meeting. Please review them.”

I remembered I had a meeting with top management at 10 a.m. where I needed to present.

The assistant placed the documents on the desk and left.

I closed my eyes again, took the papers, and forced myself to focus, preparing for the presentation.

Alexander’s POV

"CEO Hawthorne, there’s been an incident," Jane rushed into the office, urgency in her voice. "Director Vivienne’s phone number and all of her personal accounts have been leaked to the media!"

At her words, my expression hardened, and I stood up immediately.

"Don’t worry, CEO Hawthorne. Director Vivienne has already disabled the phone number," Jane added quickly.

"Check the IP address, gather the evidence, and report it to the police right away!" I commanded, my voice cold with determination. Some matters can be dealt with privately, but this... this needed to be exposed to make a statement.

If someone was bold enough to provoke me, they would face the consequences.

"Understood. I’ll take care of it right away."

Just as Jane turned to leave, my phone rang.

I picked it up and answered.

"Mr. Hawthorne, we’ve got an update."

A young voice came through the receiver.

"Go ahead."

"Grayson is a distant relative of Jaxon, and he’s been laying low recently. In the past few days, he’s been getting closer to Freddie Aldridge."

Freddie Aldridge, the son of Jaxon Aldridge and cousin to Olivia Reynolds.

I frowned deeply.

"Do we have proof of their connection?"

"It’s already been sent to your email."

"Freddie must be working under Olivia Reynolds’ influence. Look into both of them further."

"Got it."

I hung up the phone, slamming it onto the desk. I closed my eyes, letting the information sink in.

So this was connected to Olivia Reynolds!

I had thought that Olivia’s use of the love potion on me had been bold enough. But this... this news left me utterly baffled.

It was me who had transferred Olivia to the subsidiary, but now these two incidents involved Vivienne.

It was all driven by Olivia’s jealousy of Vivienne!

To me, this jealousy didn’t make sense.

When Olivia first joined the company, she helped me, and as a thank you, I treated her with more consideration—keeping things professional, yet friendly.

Had it not been for this incident, I never would have realized how obsessive Olivia’s feelings for me had become.

I couldn’t help but think back to when Isabella and I were first exposed by the media. Olivia had come to report it to me, suggesting a PR strategy. She had casually mentioned that the Clickbait Accounts that leaked the story had worked with V&R in the past, which led me to believe Vivienne was behind it. In my anger, I made a rash decision that led me to this difficult position.

Then there was the time when Vivienne had told me Olivia liked me—but I hadn’t believed her. I trusted Olivia instead.

Now, I had no choice but to admit my mistake.

I should’ve trusted Vivienne.

I sat back at my desk and opened the email...

10:00 AM

The meeting began as attendees filed into the conference room.

Vivienne sat in the corner, her folder open in front of her, still looking a bit pale.

When everyone was seated, I took my place at the table, and Jane called the meeting to order.

After a few reports from other department heads, it was Vivienne’s turn.

She took a deep breath, stood up, and walked to the projector screen, presenting confidently as always. She outlined V&R’s achievements for the season, next steps, theme, designs, and progress—speaking with calm assurance.

"My report is complete. Thank you," Vivienne said, turning off the projector and bowing to the leadership.

The senior executives turned to look at me.

"CEO Hawthorne," Jane whispered in my ear.

It was the first time she’d seen me distracted during a meeting.

I shook myself out of my thoughts, flipped through the papers in front of me, and looked around the table. "Any comments?"

The two vice presidents and other executives shared their feedback, with Vivienne responding to each point.

Finally, Vice Chairman John Smith spoke up. He tactfully remarked, "Vivienne has done well with her work. Normally, your personal matters are your own, and I wouldn’t get involved, but your personal issues have affected the company’s reputation and stock. Perhaps it would be best to lay low for now and let others take the lead."