My CEO Ex: Let Me Go.-Chapter 63

The host excitedly announced, "We’re in luck today! The first draw goes to our CEO, Hawthorne. Please welcome Mr. Alexander Hawthorne to the stage!"

The media cameras snapped furiously, and the flashing lights seemed endless.

The comment section exploded.

"So fake."

"Totally scripted, right?"

"This is gonna be interesting."

Alexander rose and walked to the stage.

"Before we begin the interaction, let’s kick things off with a quick interview. Mr. Alexander Hawthorne, do you happen to know what the first interactive game of the evening will be?"

"I don’t," Alexander shook his head.

He genuinely didn’t know.

Vanguard Global Enterprises had a hand in nearly every industry, with countless brands under its umbrella. He often attended events like this and was used to it by now. Typically, he’d go on stage, deliver a speech, and leave without paying much attention to the event details.

"Then, I’m sure you know it involves Director Vivienne, right? Tell us, Mr. Hawthorne, what’s your impression of Director Vivienne?"

Alexander glanced at me briefly. "She’s highly capable. If it weren’t for Vivienne Sinclair, V&R wouldn’t have achieved what it has today. I owe her a sincere thanks."

The host cleared his throat, then deliberately glanced at the media. "CEO Hawthorne, I’m sure you know that’s not quite what we were hoping to hear."

Alexander hadn’t expected this kind of follow-up and shot me a subtle look.

The host’s lines were written by in-house staff, so there was no way they’d add something to the script at the last minute. It was clear the host’s question had been suggested by me.

Alexander knew exactly what I was doing—using our connection to stir up gossip and generate buzz.

Romantic rumors always drew the most attention, especially with Isabella sitting right there in the audience.

The director had thoughtfully given Isabella a few camera shots.

The media were all on high alert now, making sure they didn’t miss anything.

The live-stream viewers were riveted, and the hot topic instantly topped the trending charts on all major social media platforms.

After a brief silence, Alexander replied, "Vivienne... smart and sensible."

It was the safest answer, one that couldn’t possibly go wrong.

The host chuckled. "I didn’t expect CEO Hawthorne to be quite so crafty."

"Now, let’s ask Director Vivienne. How do you and Mr. Hawthorne usually get along?"

I took the microphone and smiled at the camera, pausing for a moment.

The comment section started flooding with anxious remarks.

The room fell silent.

I teased them all by holding the suspense, then grinned and said, "You guess."

The comments flooded in:

"I can’t even... you’re leaving me hanging like this?"

"Director Vivienne, you’re even craftier than CEO Hawthorne. Alright, moving on, let’s start the first interactive game, ’Thread the Needle.’ Let me explain the rules."

As the name suggests, ’Thread the Needle’ is about threading a needle.

But the catch was, you couldn’t use your hands; you had to use your mouth.

In other words, one person had to hold the needle in their lips, while the other person had to pinch the thread with their lips, working together to get the thread through the needle.

As you can imagine, the two people participating in this game were bound to engage in a very intimate and suggestive interaction.

The moment the game rules were announced, the comment section erupted:

“Damn, who came up with this game?!”

"Who does this kind of thing at a product launch?"

The guests in the audience were laughing, while the media were delighted.

This type of game—like the ones where men and women eat chili peppers together—was typically found in variety shows or reality TV, not at a product launch. It was impossible to imagine something like this happening in such a setting, and the moment the video went live, the buzz online only intensified.

Alexander lowered his gaze.

Needless to say, I had approved this game.

It was easy to predict that after the event, I’d probably be hounded with criticism.

The staff brought over the props.

"Alright, you two decide who will handle the needle and who will handle the thread," the host said.

I glanced at the needle and thread, then asked Alexander, “Which one do you want?”

Alexander picked up the embroidery needle first, biting the sharp end, while I took the thread, biting the tail end to reveal just a bit of the thread.

"Let the game begin. We’ll time you for two minutes, and if you don’t succeed in two minutes, there will be a punishment."

Alexander and I exchanged a look before starting the threading process.

Alexander held the needle between his lips, bringing the needle’s eye toward my thread, while I worked with him.

Our foreheads almost touched, noses brushing lightly, and the atmosphere between us grew undeniably intimate.

The photographer, knowing exactly what he was doing, intentionally zoomed in on our faces.

Inadvertently, our lips brushed against each other.

At that moment, the director made sure to cut to a shot of Isabella in the audience.

The comment section exploded in excitement.

This game was proving to be a bit tricky.

A few times, we were so close to succeeding, but something always seemed to hold us back.

"Dammit, this woman must be doing it on purpose."

"At this point, if they don’t end up together, I won’t believe it."

"Honestly, what’s the big deal? It’s just a game."

The large screen began the countdown.

Finally, with just a few seconds left, the needle threaded the eye.

The game was a success.

"Congratulations to CEO Hawthorne and Director Vivienne, you won’t face any punishment. Oh, what a shame, really. Next, please have CEO Hawthorne take a seat, and we’ll be drawing for our second interactive guest."

The screen began scrolling, and as expected, Isabella Blackwood was chosen.

"Definitely rigged."

"Whoever planned this is a genius."

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Isabella stepped onto the stage.

The camera cut to a shot of Isabella and me standing together.

Who would have thought this day would come? It almost looked... harmonious.

But the comment section was far from harmonious, filled with arguments back and forth.

The host started with a simple interview. "We all know that Isabella Blackwood is the ambassador for V&R, and she’s also their first ambassador since returning to the country. Can you tell us how you landed this contract? Was there a special story behind it?"

Isabella answered, "There wasn’t anything special. Both sides were interested, so we signed the contract."

"Oh? There’s a rumor that your ambassador deal with V&R has something to do with Mr. Alexander Hawthorne. What do you think about that?"

The question was blunt, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

Isabella glanced at Alexander in the audience, then smiled and said, "That’s not true."

The host smiled knowingly. "Ah, I see, I see."

She turned to the camera. "Do you all understand now?"

The comment section exploded with "Got it."

But there were also some of Isabella’s true fans angrily defending her. "What’s wrong with this host? Isabella already said it wasn’t true, why keep stirring things up?"

"Next question, what do both of you think of each other? Director Vivienne, you go first."

"My impression of Isabella is that she’s beautiful and gentle."

It sounded like she’d said nothing at all.

"And you, Isabella?"

Isabella glanced at me, "She’s well-mannered and thoughtful. When I first met Vivienne Sinclair, she was just sixteen, and very polite."

Her answer was far more revealing than Alexander’s.

No one had expected them to have known each other for so long.

Vivienne was only sixteen back then, probably just adopted into The Hawthorne Dynasty.

That meant Isabella must have met Vivienne during that time. What did that imply?

Could it be that Alexander had already introduced Isabella to his family back then?

The comment section went wild once again—onlookers, fans, OTPs, all clashing in heated debates.

Next, the host announced the interactive game between Isabella and me.

I would draw, and Isabella would guess.

We weren’t perfectly in sync, but it wasn’t terrible either.

The game ended.

As Isabella was about to leave the stage, the host smiled and said, "Miss Isabella, please stay a moment. There’s another activity that requires your participation. Director Vivienne, please go down and take a seat for now."

"Okay."

I walked to the edge of the stage, handed the microphone to a staff member, and made my way to my seat.

My expression remained calm, clearly knowing what was coming next.

"This is getting interesting. I think this host has something up her sleeve."

"Don’t tell me they’re going to bring Alexander up next?"

"You nailed it, netizens."

The host smiled and announced, "CEO Hawthorne, could you please come up again and join Miss Isabella for the final game?"