Sweet Love 2x: Miss Ruthless CEO for our Superstar Uncle-Chapter 161: It’s Not Negotiable

The marketing floor of Aurelle headquarters was unusually quiet for the middle of the afternoon. Most of the work that mattered had already been finished hours earlier. The photography team had delivered the final teaser image before noon, and the marketing department had spent the rest of the day preparing its controlled release across several platforms.

Large digital screens covered one wall of the conference room. Each displayed the same image from a slightly different format—vertical for social media, horizontal for magazine spreads, and a cropped version designed for fashion blogs that preferred tighter compositions.

Wendy Collins stood near the center of the room, studying the largest display.

Noah Hart stood in the foreground of the photograph. The lighting in the hotel corridor behind him was warm and restrained, the kind of quiet luxury that expensive hotels design carefully so that everything feels calm but deliberate. The gold glow of the wall lamps stretched across the polished floor while the long hallway narrowed slowly toward the background.

Franz—no, Noah Hart—stood near the entrance of one of the suites. His posture was relaxed. One hand rested inside the pocket of his coat while his gaze followed the figure walking away from him.

The woman.

Her face could not be seen. The camera angle had captured her from behind, leaving only the outline of her figure and the movement of her hair visible in the soft corridor light. The shape of her shoulders was elegant, the posture composed.

Everything about the photograph suggested familiarity. But distance.

Wendy watched the image for several seconds before speaking. "Release it."

The marketing assistant seated beside the laptop nodded. Within seconds the teaser began uploading across Aurelle’s official channels. First the company website. Then their primary social media accounts. Finally the scheduled distribution list for fashion editors and entertainment publications.

The caption appeared beneath the image.

AURELLE — Coming Soon

The assistant refreshed the page once. Then again.

Within seconds the reposts began appearing. Fashion blogs picked it up first. Luxury jewelry publications followed almost immediately. A well-known celebrity account shared the teaser to millions of followers less than three minutes later.

Wendy watched the numbers quietly as the engagement count began climbing.

Across the city, Daryll had already seen it. He sat in the back seat of a black sedan while the car moved slowly through early afternoon traffic. The driver navigated the crowded intersection while Daryll studied the image on his phone.

His eyes moved carefully over the details. First Noah Hart. Then the woman.

The silhouette was unmistakable. Anyone who had paid attention during the perfume campaign months earlier would recognize the posture immediately. The shape of the shoulders. The height difference beside Noah Hart. Even the way her hair curved against her back.

Daryll leaned his head back against the seat and sighed quietly.

Then he noticed the detail that had been deliberately changed.

The woman’s hand. No ring.

The mystery woman from the perfume campaign had worn a ring that fans quickly began calling the Eternity ring. Entire fan theories had formed around it. Some insisted it meant the woman was married. Others believed it was part of the marketing concept.

But now the ring was gone.

Daryll stared at the image for another moment. "That’s going to cause problems."

He opened his contacts and called Franz.

The line connected quickly.

"It’s live," Daryll said.

Franz’s voice was calm. "I assumed it would be."

"They’re going to compare it to the perfume campaign."

"Yes."

Daryll zoomed in on the image again. "The silhouette is the same."

"That was intentional."

"And the ring is gone."

"Yes."

Daryll rubbed his forehead briefly. "You realize what that’s going to do."

Franz did. Within minutes the internet had already begun reacting.

"Let them," Franz said.

Daryll ended the call a moment later and refreshed the screen again.

The comments were already multiplying.

By the time evening settled across Montclair, the teaser had spread far beyond the luxury fashion world. Entertainment blogs began posting comparison images. Side-by-side screenshots filled discussion forums. One image from the perfume campaign. The new Aurelle teaser beside it.

Fans began circling details. The posture. The silhouette. The shape of the woman’s hand.

Arguments began forming immediately. Some insisted it was clearly the same woman. Others pointed out the missing ring.

"She wore a ring in the perfume campaign."

"This one isn’t wearing anything."

"Maybe it’s a different model."

"No way. Look at the height difference."

Threads multiplied. Speculation spread.

The mystery had returned.

That evening the Rochefort residence remained quiet despite the growing attention online. The sitting room lights cast a warm glow across the interior while the tall windows reflected the evening lights of Montclair beyond the garden.

Arianne sat near the window reviewing several documents spread across the table beside her. Her posture remained composed. One hand rested on the arm of the chair while the other turned the page of a financial report.

Franz entered the room a few minutes later. He had already seen the reactions. The comparisons. The speculation. But none of it seemed to disturb the calm atmosphere of the house.

"You’ve seen it," he said.

Arianne looked up. "The teaser?"

Franz handed her his phone.

She studied the photograph quietly. The image was unmistakable. Noah Hart stood in the corridor watching a woman walk away. Her face hidden. Her silhouette familiar.

Arianne’s gaze moved briefly to the woman’s hand. "No ring."

Franz nodded. "That was part of the agreement."

Arianne returned the phone. "We agreed I wouldn’t wear it during the shoot."

"Yes." Franz slipped the phone back into his pocket. "But only during the shoot."

Arianne looked at him.

Franz’s expression remained calm. "You suggested removing it entirely. I disagreed."

Arianne leaned back in the chair. "You were very firm about that."

Franz shrugged faintly. "It’s not negotiable."

He didn’t explain further. He didn’t need to. The ring was the only visible proof that she belonged to him. In public, Noah Hart wore nothing. In private, Franz Rochefort wore his ring always. It was the one thing he wouldn’t compromise.

Arianne turned the ring on her finger briefly before resting her hand again on the chair.

"The photograph works," she said.

Franz nodded. "Yes."

He thought about the missing ring in the image. The speculation it would cause. The questions it would raise. He thought about the ring on her finger now, the one she was turning slowly, the one he had bought years before he had any right to give it to her.

He didn’t regret it. He would never regret it.

At that moment Leo entered the room quietly. His attention moved immediately toward Franz’s phone resting on the table. The screen still displayed the teaser image.

Leo stopped beside the table and studied it carefully.

A moment later Lily appeared behind him. "What are you looking at?"

Leo tilted the phone so she could see.

Lily leaned closer. "That’s Uncle Franz."

Leo nodded. Then he pointed to the woman walking down the corridor.

Lily squinted. "That’s Aunt Aria." She straightened with visible satisfaction. "I knew it."

Leo picked up his tablet and began typing. He turned the screen toward her. Same person.

Lily nodded confidently. "Yes." Her eyes returned to the image. "But Aunt Aria isn’t wearing the ring."

Leo studied the photograph again. Then typed another short message. Work photo.

Lily considered the explanation. "Maybe." She looked down the hallway where Arianne had disappeared a few minutes earlier. "They’re still acting strange though."

Leo nodded slowly.

That part remained true.

Later that evening upstairs, Leo sat cross-legged on the floor beside the small table in the twins’ room while Lily watched over his shoulder. The tablet rested in front of him.

He typed slowly. Then turned the screen toward her.

Phase Three.

Lily read it aloud. "Phase Three." She nodded seriously. "They’re getting closer."

Leo tapped the screen again. Another message appeared. More time together.

Lily smiled. "Yes. That’s the next step."

She picked up a marker and pulled a piece of paper toward her. "We need a new plan."

Leo watched her draw a large circle in the center of the page. She wrote Phase Three inside it, then began adding smaller circles around it. Dinner. Walk. More talking.

Leo typed on his tablet. They already did dinner.

Lily paused. She erased Dinner and replaced it. Another dinner.

Leo considered this. Then he typed again. Better.

Lily added a star beside Another dinner. "We’ll make sure it’s very romantic."

Leo nodded.

Across the hallway, the house remained quiet.

Downstairs, Franz and Arianne continued their evening as usual. Franz was reading something on his phone. Arianne was reviewing documents. They weren’t touching. They weren’t speaking. But they were in the same room, and neither of them had left.

Upstairs, two very determined four-year-olds remained completely convinced their plan was working perfectly.

Lily added another star to the paper.

"Phase Three," she said again. "This is going to work."

Leo typed. Yes.

He looked at the door. Down the hallway, he could hear the faint sound of his uncle’s voice. Quiet. Calm. Then his aunt’s voice, answering.

He typed one more message.

They are already closer.

Lily read it. She smiled. "I know."

She kept drawing.