Morning broke over Nova Heights like a cruel joke — golden skies, clean air, and chaos brewing beneath the calm.
Christopher's phone buzzed before dawn.
Mark's voice, low and tense, cut through the static.
> "Sir… it's out."
He didn't need to ask what.
The moment he unlocked his screen, the damage screamed at him in digital ink.
> BREAKING NEWS: CEO Christopher King's secret affair exposed — leaked photos suggest favoritism at KingTech.
Attached beneath the headline was a grainy, edited picture — him and Amelia, cropped, twisted, made to look like they were in an intimate embrace inside his office.
He'd been in that room. The light, the window, even the damn clock were real. But the scene wasn't. Someone had merged two realities and created a weapon.
He stared at it for a long moment, the vein at his temple pulsing. Then he exhaled slowly, the calm before the hurricane.
"Mark," he said, voice razor-sharp. "Prepare a press statement. I'm going public — today."
"Sir, PR suggests—"
"I am PR now," Christopher cut in. "And whoever thinks they can play with my name and hers… is about to learn what a King does when cornered."
On the other hand,he couldn't understand why he was doing this for a girl he was once tortured,but he knew he had to do what's right.
---
Across town, Amelia's phone was exploding.
Lydia burst into the guest room, hair wild, holding her own phone like it was on fire.
"Meli— it's everywhere!"
Amelia turned from the window, heart sinking. She didn't even need to look. "The photo?"
"Yes. And they're calling it a scandal. God, people are disgusting—"
Amelia sat on the edge of the bed, holding her trembling hands together. "They've gone too far this time."
Lydia crouched beside her. "What are you going to do?"
Amelia's voice cracked. "I don't know. If I speak, they'll twist it. If I stay silent, they'll crucify me. I just wanted to live quietly, Lydia."
Her eyes filled with tears — the kind that sting more than they fall.
Her kids' laughter echoed faintly from the next room. It tore her in half.
Then Lydia's phone chimed again.
"Wait…" she frowned, opening a notification. "Christopher's gone live."
---
The entire city watched as the camera panned across a marble podium. Behind it stood Christopher King — composed, controlled, but burning from within.
He didn't hide behind lawyers or PR reps. He faced the sea of flashing cameras head-on.
> "Good morning," he began, voice steady. "A photo has been circulating this morning involving myself and one of my employees, Miss Amelia Jones. The image is fake — and the individuals responsible will face full legal consequences."
Whispers rippled through the crowd. But Christopher didn't flinch.
> "Miss Jones is one of the most talented designers this company has ever had. Her reputation was destroyed once because I was too blind to see the manipulation around me. I won't let that happen again."
He paused, scanning the reporters, daring anyone to interrupt.
> "Let it be known that the King Corporation stands for integrity — and I stand with Miss Jones. Personally. Professionally. Entirely."
The last word hung in the air like thunder after lightning.
Lydia gasped, hand over her mouth. "He just said—"
Amelia couldn't breathe. The world blurred around her, her heart pounding so hard it hurt.
"He… stood up for me," she whispered.
---
In the Elena's home, Clara Bennett nearly crushed her pen in fury.
"What the hell was that?" she hissed. "He just admitted it— he's protecting her!"
Elena's calm smile didn't waver.
"Let him play hero. The higher he climbs, the harder he'll fall. The next leak will finish them both."
Clara frowned. "You mean—?"
"Oh, you'll see," Elena said smoothly, pouring herself a glass of red wine. "A man like Christopher King doesn't forgive easily. He burns. And I'll make sure Amelia Jones is the ash he leaves behind."
---
That evening, the storm of headlines flipped sides —
#KingDefendsJones started trending across social media.
Public sympathy began to shift, the narrative cracking open.
Amelia sat quietly on Lydia's balcony, wrapped in a shawl, watching her kids sleep through the glass door.
The sky above Nova Heights shimmered with the city's lights, and for the first time in years, she felt… seen.
But peace was a fragile thing.
Her phone buzzed once more — a new message, from an unknown number.
> You think he saved you? This is just the beginning. — E.
Her blood ran cold. It was Elena.How on earth did she get her number?
She looked up at the dark sky and could only whisper, "Then let's begin."She needed to be strong for herself and her kids especially.
---