"Yes, sir," the secretary said quickly.
Silas hung up and rubbed his temples, but it wasn't working.
For every article his team tried to pull, three more appeared.
On all other social media and Fidelia had made sure of it.
Every platform flooded with the video clip of her saying, "No. I won't marry you."
Every feed plastered with photos of her walking out on him… and into Adrian Richardson's arms.
She was blocking every takedown request, rerouting uploads, feeding the fire herself, and it was working.
The story was exploding as her rejection was trending at the top of every social media platform.
Silas Carson wasn't just humiliated he was rejected was being replaced.
Silas stormed down the hallway, his shoes pounding against the marble floor. His blood was still boiling. If Bridget wasn't behind this, then there was only one other option.
'Alice'
He found her in the sunroom, sipping her herbal tea like nothing in the world had gone wrong.
"You," he barked, making her jump.
Alice turned, frowning. "Silas? What on earth is wrong with you?"
He didn't bother being nice or extending pleasantries. "What did you say to her?"
She blinked. "What?"
"Fidelia!" Silas snapped, stepping closer. "Did you let something slip? Did you open that big mouth of yours and tell her something she shouldn't know?!"
Alice's frown deepened, her own temper flaring. "Excuse me?"
"You talk too much," he snarled. "You gossip to your friends, to Bridget, to whoever will listen. Maybe Fidelia overheard. Maybe she's been playing you this whole time!"
Alice slammed her teacup down, standing to face him. "Don't you dare blame me for your failure, Silas!"
"Failure?!" he barked. "She humiliated me in front of the entire city!"
Alice crossed her arms, unflinching. "No, Silas. You humiliated yourself. Proposing in public without making sure she'd say yes? How foolish could you be?"
His jaw clenched, his breathing sharp. "You think this is funny? You think I deserved that?!"
"I think you need to look in the mirror," Alice spat back. "You've been sloppy. Careless. And now you're paying for it."
Silas's fists tightened at his sides. "Careless?!"
"Yes," Alice said, her voice cutting. "If she knows about your… affairs, then that's on you, not me. Don't drag me into your mess."
Her words hit him like a slap, but before he could fire back, both their phones buzzed — more notifications, more headlines.
The scandal wasn't dying down it kept on growing.
And for the first time that night, Silas felt something he hated more than humiliation. He felt powerless.
...
Fidelia sat cross-legged on the couch, laptop on her lap, fingers flying across the keyboard. The screen reflected in her sharp eyes as she scrolled through social media dashboards, refreshing, re-uploading, and rerouting links through backup accounts
Her phone buzzed.
"Mia," she answered without looking away from the screen.
"You did well," Mia said, her voice brimming with excitement. "Silas is losing it. He's trending on every platform for the wrong reasons. You should see the comments — people are tearing him apart."
Fidelia smirked faintly. "Good. That's the point."
"But…" Mia's voice lowered. "They're already taking the posts down. He must've sent his team to bury the story."
"I know," Fidelia said, her voice clipped as she typed a new set of commands. "I'm working on it."
She cut the call without waiting for Mia's response, refocusing on her laptop.
Her plan was simple: keep it alive. Every time a post came down, three more would go up. She hijacked gossip blogs, redirected traffic to international servers, and messaged a network of influencers she'd been quietly paying off to keep the news trending.
But it was like holding water in her hands. The Crawfords and Carsons had too much reach. Too much money.
Still, the damage was done. Silas's perfect image was cracked — publicly, loudly, and irreparably.
She exhaled and shut the laptop. "That's enough for today," she muttered to herself, satisfied.
She'd made her move. And Silas had felt it.
The sound of footsteps pulled her out of her thoughts.
Adrian walked and leaned casually against the doorway, sleeves rolled up, no tie, the very picture of composed danger.
"So," he said smoothly, "you used me as bait."
Fidelia didn't even flinch. "Bait? That's dramatic. You were… part of the strategy."
"Part of the strategy?" His tone dripped with disbelief. "Don't play games, Fidelia. That little scene at the restaurant? The headlines?" He gestured toward her laptop. "You planned all of this, didn't you?"
Fidelia finally looked up at him, her smirk returning. "Planned is such a strong word. Let's just say I… anticipated the outcome."
He chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "You're dangerous."
"You're just figuring that out?" she shot back.
Adrian walked closer, stopping just in front of her. "Tell me," he said, lowering his voice. "Was this about revenge… or were you just testing how much chaos you could cause in one night?"
Fidelia met his gaze, unwavering. "Why can't it be both?"
For a moment, silence stretched between them.
Then Adrian's lips curled into the faintest smile. "Good. Because you're going to need that same ruthlessness if you want to take down George Halden."
Her smirk deepened. "Don't worry. I always deliver."
Adrian's gaze hardened, his smirk fading into something sharper.
"You know," he said, stepping closer, "using my name like that…" Plastering it across every blog and headline… wasn't exactly in our agreement."
Fidelia leaned back on the couch, feigning innocence. "Oh, please. You survived. Besides, you looked good in the photos."
He ignored her jab. "Which means you owe me."
Her eyebrow arched. "Owe you?"
"Yes." He pulled his phone from his pocket, scrolling briefly before tossing it onto the coffee table in front of her. The screen lit up with dozens of messages and missed calls.
"My family just called," he said flatly. "Apparently, they want to meet the 'mystery woman' making headlines. The star girl who claims we're dating."
Fidelia's smirk returned. "So? Cancel."
Adrian leaned forward, resting his hands on the back of the couch, caging her in. "No. I need that investment from my grandmother. And she's old-fashioned. She loves 'proper' relationships. So, congratulations" he tilted his head, mocking her with his calmness " you're my girlfriend tonight."
Fidelia blinked, then laughed lightly. "That's what this is about? you need me to impress your Grandma?"
"Call it… a mutually beneficial arrangement," he said, his voice like velvet over steel. "You want me on your side? You're going to play the role."
She stared at him for a moment, measuring, then slowly stood up.
"What time do I get ready?" she asked, her tone almost playful.
Adrian smirked. "8 p.m. Don't be late. And wear something my grandmother won't disown me for."
Fidelia smiled, almost to herself. This was all going according to plan. Sooner or later, she had intended to meet his family anyway.
Now? She didn't even have to force it.
'Nicely done, Fidelia,' She complimented herself. Then her phone rang, and she frowned.