Chapter 149
Chapter 149
“What?” Wesley’s palms were sweating as he gripped the steering wheel.
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Before Cassian could say anything, the door of the car ahead swung open. Tyson stepped out and walked off to the side, wanting some fresh air. Only then did the hostility radiating from Cassian start to fade.
He replied in a flat, emotionless tone, “Forget it.” If Tyson had taken even a few more seconds to get out of the car, Cassian would’ve rammed the car for sure.
*****
Early the next morning, Aurelia had barely set foot in the office when Miranda came rushing over, practically bursting with excitement to dish out the latest tea. “Aurelia, did you see today’s celebrity scoop?” she blurted
out.
“When would I even have time for that?” Aurelia said, giving Miranda a light knock on the head. “Getting a little too cocky lately, huh? Slacking off right in front of your boss, and now you’re gossiping on the clock?”
Miranda rubbed her head and grinned, “This tea is absolutely wild. Just check it out yourself! I bet you’ll want to slack off and join me for some juicy gossip.”
Aurelia, curious about how dramatic Miranda made it sound, couldn’t help but sneak a peek. After a moment, she said, “Okay, that’s pretty explosive.”
But then she realized she was being way too mild and quickly corrected herself, “No, seriously, that’s totally mind–blowing!”
It was the kind of news that could completely shatter one’s worldview. The person at the center of all this drama was actually someone Aurelia knew, Karlie Pelosi, Tessa’s cousin.
Her ex–boyfriend, Curlison, had leaked some spicy videos they’d filmed together back when they were dating. But that kind of thing wasn’t even that rare. Scandals like this popped up all the time.
The real jaw–dropper was that Karlie had been the one to ask for those videos in the first place. The videos showed the two of them getting really kinky. There were whips, candles, handcuffs, and the list went on.
There was even a moment where Karlie barked like a dog, calling herself Curlison’s slave, his little bitch, begging for her master to spoil her. The whole thing was so over the top, it was honestly jaw–dropping.
Curlison said he leaked those videos to get back to Karlie. He claimed that while they were together, he blew a fortune on her. But when his investments crashed, Karlie didn’t come to his aid. She just kicked him to the curb. He couldn’t let it go, so he put her on blast and aired all her dirty secrets online.
“Honestly, she had it coming!” Miranda said, clearly enjoying the drama. She’d never liked Karlie, so seeing her get burned like this was pure entertainment for her.
She’d always said that karma was a boomerang, what goes around always comes back. Whether it was Nadia or Karlie, they both had it coming.
Miranda added, “Those videos are everywhere now. You know how this kind of juicy gossip spreads like
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wildfire. Even the janitor who sweeps the parking lot downstairs is invested in this drama”
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She chuckled. “Honestly, I have no idea how Karlie’s ever going to show her face again. If I were her. I’d disappear off the face of the earth. Maybe dive into the river and call it quits
Meanwhile, Karlie was at home, hysterical and sobbing uncontrollably. I can’t take this anymore. I’m ending it all. I’m going to jump into the river. None of you try to stop met she screamed
Her mom was at her wits end, unable to calm her down, and it looked like she wouldn’t be able to stop her. But just in the nick of time, help arrived. “Cut the drama!” Alina barked the moment she stepped in
Karlie was terrified of her aunt, so as soon as Alina laid into her, she froze, too scared to act out any further However, she kept sobbing, tears streaming down her face.
Tessa handed her a tissue. “Seriously, what were you thinking? Making those kinds of videos with your ent
Karlie was dying of embarrassment. “It was just for fun! How was I supposed to know he’d use it against me?
“You fool!” Alina snapped, her voice full of disappointment. “Well, that’s it. Your chance at landing a rich husband is gone. You brought this to yourself. And if you end up ruining Tessa and Cassian’s engagement over this mess, you’ll be in big trouble with me!”
“I know, I really screwed up!” Karlie sobbed Regret was eating her alive, but it was way too late for that now.
Tessa asked, “Why would Curlison suddenly leak those videos? Did you guys have some drama lately or what?”
“Not really. After we broke up, I stopped talking to him. He tried hitting me up a bunch of times, but I never saw him. I didn’t want to deal with his mess anymore, Karlie said, tears rolling down her cheeks. And I swear. I deleted all those videos. No clue how he managed to dig them back up.”
“Did you piss someone off or something?” Alina asked, looking genuinely confused.
Karlie shook her head. “Who could I possibly have offended? Ever since I joined Honoria Capital, I’ve been all about my career. My social circle’s super simple now.”
The damage had been done. There was no point in dwelling on how it happened. Tessa already knew what to do before she even walked in. “Just send her abroad.”
“No way, I don’t want to go abroad. It’s a whole different world out there, and I don’t know a single soul. I won’t do it!” Karlie cried, her voice shaking with panic.
“You don’t get a choice, Alina snapped. “You’re staying out of the country until this scandal dies down. That’s final!
Karlie could only watch as everything spiraled out of her control. There was nothing she could do. She flopped onto the bed, totally defeated, her eyes blank as she mumbled, “How long is this gonna last?”
“At least three years,” Alina replied. And that was Alina being optimistic. Those videos were so wild; this mess wasn’t going to blow over anytime soon.
When Karlie heard it could be at least three years, whatever hope she had left just evaporated; she was totally
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crushed. But Tessa soothed her, “Once things are steady on my end, I’ll make sure to get you back. It won’t be long, you know. Cassian and I are about to get engaged.”
That finally gave Karlie a sliver of hope. She clung to Tessa’s hand, choking back sobs. “Promise me you’ll get me back soon, okay?”
Tessa gave her a confident nod. “Don’t worry, I promise. It’ll be soon.”
On April 1st, Aurelia headed to Ascend Group for a meeting. The weather was anything but cooperative. Rain was pouring down, and the temperature had dropped. She forgot her umbrella when she got out of the car, and with Miranda off parking, Aurelia figured she’d dash to the building.
Suddenly, a black umbrella appeared above her head, shielding her from the downpour. Aurelia turned around and saw Cassian standing there. There was no warning at all. He just appeared, catching her completely off guard.
He held the umbrella with practiced ease, tilting it protectively toward her. His face was completely flat, cold lingering in his eyes and the set of his brows.
‘Looks like all that umbrella–holding for Tessa really paid off, huh?‘ Aurelia thought to herself, a little sarcastically.
She had no idea what he was up to. After a second, she asked, “Are you pulling an April Fool’s prank on me, Mr. Locke?”
Her voice was calm as the wind carried it to Cassian. “Not bad, that was actually kind of funny.”
After her matter–of–fact comment, Aurelia turned and dashed into the building. While waiting for Miranda to come back, Aurelia dabbed her hair dry with a tissue.
“Seriously, you forgot your umbrella again?” Miranda said as she got out, realizing Aurelia had left it in the car.
Luckily, the building wasn’t far and the rain wasn’t too heavy. She gently smoothed down the damp strands of hair clinging to Aurelia’s forehead.
Aurelia stared out at the rain and asked Miranda, “Do you think people can have split personalities?”
Miranda blinked, totally caught off guard. “Who are you saying has split personalities?”
“I’m just asking,” Aurelia said lightly.
“I’ve never actually met anyone like that, but I heard from experts that having multiple personalities is a real psych disorder. If you ever run into someone like that, you gotta steer clear.” Miranda said.
Aurelia agreed right away. “Totally, I gotta keep my distance!”
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