Sweet Love 2x: Miss Ruthless CEO for our Superstar Uncle-Chapter 156: A Love That Belongs to Someone Else

The sitting room of the Rochefort residence was quieter than most places where business conversations happened. That was the point. The large windows along the south wall overlooked the gardens, where the evening light had begun to settle into a muted gold across the lawn.

The room itself carried the calm order of a private home rather than the rigid atmosphere of an office.

A low table sat between two long sofas. A tray of tea had been placed there earlier, untouched.

Wendy Collins sat on one side of the table with a slim leather portfolio resting on her lap. Across from her sat Arianne. Franz occupied the armchair beside the window, one ankle resting loosely across his knee. Daryll stood rather than sit, pacing slowly once before finally stopping near the back of the sofa with his arms folded. Gio remained near the side table, where he had placed the estate documents they had brought back earlier.

The room had the quiet tension of a meeting that everyone understood was important.

Wendy studied Franz for a moment. "It’s been a long time."

Franz regarded her calmly. "College usually feels that way."

She smiled faintly. "You used to be easier to read."

"That was a long time ago too."

Her attention shifted briefly toward Arianne before returning to Franz. "I always wondered how long it would take you two to figure things out."

Arianne raised one eyebrow slightly. "Figure what out?"

Wendy leaned back comfortably. "He was never very subtle."

Franz did not respond.

Daryll sighed loudly. "I’m going to interrupt this reunion before it goes any further." He gestured toward the portfolio on Wendy’s lap. "We didn’t come here to revisit university gossip."

Wendy didn’t appear offended. "Fair enough."

Daryll rubbed his forehead briefly before continuing. "Let me make one thing clear before this conversation starts." His gaze moved between Franz and Arianne. "We just spent several weeks containing a blackmail situation."

The room fell a little quieter.

Daryll continued. "The public cannot connect Noah Hart to Arianne Summers." His tone was measured, but the frustration behind it was obvious. "Not now. Not after everything we just cleaned up."

Gio remained silent near the side table, though his posture had stiffened slightly.

Wendy nodded calmly. "I’m aware of the situation." She placed the portfolio on the table and opened it. "And I’m not here to create problems."

She slid the first photograph across the table.

Arianne and Franz both looked down. The image showed a long hotel corridor. A man stood inside the doorway of a suite while a woman walked away down the hallway. Her back faced the camera. Her face could not be seen. Only the outline of her posture and the fall of her hair were visible.

"The woman will never be identifiable," Wendy said.

Daryll leaned forward slightly to examine the photograph. "That’s what everyone says before the internet solves it in six hours."

Wendy slid a second photograph beside the first. This one showed a table in a private lounge. The camera angle sat behind the woman’s shoulder. Only part of her arm and the shape of her posture were visible as she sat across from the man. A bracelet rested on her wrist.

Franz studied the composition quietly.

Wendy continued. "Aurelle has worked with Noah Hart for eight years." She looked toward Franz. "You are the face of several of our most successful campaigns."

Her attention shifted back to Daryll. "I’m not eager to replace him."

Daryll exhaled slowly. "You wouldn’t be the only one losing something." He straightened slightly. "Noah Hart dropping Aurelle would raise just as many questions."

"That’s exactly why we’re here," Wendy replied.

She tapped the third photograph. An elevator interior. Mirrors surrounded the walls. Franz’s reflection appeared clearly in the glass. Behind him stood the woman. But only part of her reflection could be seen. Her face remained hidden by the edge of the mirror frame.

"The theme is simple," Wendy said. She looked directly at Franz. "A love that belongs to someone else."

Franz studied the image.

Arianne spoke calmly. "That’s a rather dramatic concept."

Wendy shrugged lightly. "It’s a familiar one."

She glanced briefly at Franz. "You spent four years at university practicing the emotion."

Daryll blinked. "...Excuse me?"

Wendy smiled faintly. "He was in love with someone he couldn’t approach."

Franz did not react.

Arianne regarded Wendy with a calm expression. "I assume this story predates my awareness."

"It does." Wendy folded her hands. "At the time, the woman in question was already running a corporation." Her eyes flicked briefly toward Arianne. "And in a public relationship."

Daryll looked between them. "This meeting is getting complicated."

Franz remained completely composed. "Can we return to the campaign?"

Wendy nodded. "Of course."

She closed the portfolio briefly before looking at Arianne. "I want Noah Hart to lead this campaign."

Then she added calmly, "And I want the woman to be you."

Silence settled across the room.

Daryll stared at her. "You’ve got to be kidding."

"No face," Wendy said immediately. She reopened the portfolio and gestured to the photographs. "No identity. No direct contact in the framing."

Daryll shook his head slowly. "The internet has been trying to identify the mystery woman from the perfume campaign for weeks." He gestured toward the images. "And now you want to give them more clues."

Wendy remained calm. "Or we give them just enough to speculate."

Daryll looked toward Franz. "You see the problem."

Franz nodded once. "Yes."

Wendy leaned slightly forward.

"This campaign is built on suggestion." She tapped the doorway photograph again. "The audience sees connection."

Her finger moved to the elevator image. "But never confirmation."

The room grew quiet again.

After a moment Wendy added, "Before we discuss logistics, we should address compensation."

Daryll raised a hand immediately. "Yes. Let’s not skip that."

Wendy looked toward Arianne. "Aurelle would compensate both participants under separate contracts."

Arianne spoke before she finished. "That won’t be necessary."

Daryll frowned. "I’m sorry?"

Arianne folded her hands loosely on the table. "I don’t intend to receive payment."

Wendy studied her carefully. "That’s unusual."

"A paper trail would be unnecessary," Arianne said.

Daryll blinked once before understanding. "You’re avoiding a financial record linking you to Noah Hart."

"Yes."

Wendy leaned back slightly. "That complicates our accounting."

Arianne answered without hesitation. "Donate it."

"To where?"

"Any charity Aurelle already supports." She paused briefly. "Or one of Franz’s."

Franz looked at her. The reasoning behind the decision was obvious. No contract. No direct payment. No record tying Arianne Summers to Noah Hart.

He nodded once. "That works."

Daryll looked at both of them. "You’re both giving up a luxury campaign fee."

Franz answered simply. "Donate mine as well."

Wendy watched the two of them with quiet interest. "That simplifies things."

Daryll shook his head. "I swear you two make my job unnecessarily complicated."

Franz leaned back slightly. "You’re still employed."

"Barely."

Near the side table, Gio had been silent for most of the conversation. Now he spoke.

"That sounds like a terrible idea."

Everyone looked toward him. His arms remained folded.

"I just spent weeks dealing with my half-brothers trying to use me to blackmail you two."

The room grew still. His voice remained controlled.

"And now the plan is to give people another reason to dig into your lives."

He looked directly at Arianne. "You know how this works."

Arianne met his gaze calmly. "They won’t find anything."

Gio exhaled quietly.

"They didn’t find anything last time either." He glanced briefly toward Franz. "But that didn’t stop them from trying."

Silence lingered for a moment.

Daryll picked up the doorway photograph again. He studied it for several seconds. Then he exhaled slowly.

"Do you realize what this will do?"

Wendy looked at him. "That depends on the audience."

Daryll tapped the edge of the photograph.

"The internet has been trying to identify that woman since the perfume campaign." He glanced toward Franz. "And now you want to give them three more photographs to analyze."

Gio shook his head once. "That’s exactly what I’m worried about."

Daryll nodded slowly. "Yes." Then he paused. "And also why this might work."

Everyone looked at him.

Daryll leaned back slightly.

"You’re not calming speculation." He tapped the photograph again. "You’re feeding it."

Wendy smiled faintly. "That was the intention."

Daryll looked toward Franz.

"And this will make Noah Hart even more famous." His eyes shifted briefly toward Arianne. "And the mystery woman even more interesting."

Franz remained calm. "That’s the point of advertising."

Gio sighed under his breath. "I have a bad feeling about this campaign."

Wendy closed the portfolio. "No," she said calmly. "You have a realistic one."

Outside the windows of the Rochefort residence, the evening lights of Montclair began appearing one by one.

Inside the room, the campaign had already begun to take shape.