The title of the article that the notification showed was straightforward and blunt. The words came at Austin like bolts of lightning that zapped and hurt his eyes. Stunned, he stared blankly at the screen. A moment later, a shadow fell across his face. It was such a devious plan! Was the person behind this trying to ruin his reputation for good? Austin swiped the notification away. He didn't open it. A while later, he snapped back into reality. It occurred to him that this was all Fiona's plan! The news was a fatal blow to him. On the surface, Fiona pretended to be innocent and naive. In truth, she was a cunning, manipulative woman. She was a rising star. In just a year, she'd managed to gain popularity so quickly and become famous faster than any other artist. The media reported everything she did as soon as they could. Needless to say, the news about her abduction made the headlines. The title of the article might be short, but it was enough to garner the fury of her
Austin headed home. At the same time, all the media and social media platforms were going crazy about the scandal where Fiona was abducted and raped. The news spread like wildfire, uncontained. Everyone in the city learned of it, and everyone talked about it. They swore and cursed the "perpetrator" who did such a horrible act toward Fiona. After all, in such a case, women weren't physically strong enough to fight back. This was why the scandal caused Austin quite a headache. With the advancement of technology, social media was easily accessible. Thus, any piece of news or information would spread rampantly. The scandal caused quite a havoc online. Countless netizens read about the news in the entertainment section online, and some even started taking matters into their own hands by investigating it. Fiona managed to gain herself lots of followers and admirers in the short span of a year. Her fans were her biggest supporters and would do just about anything for her. In other
Austin was grateful to Cecily for not urging him to explain himself right away. Still, he felt remorseful. As he watched her head upstairs alone, he balled his fists, his rage rising within his chest. Fiona! Flames of rage danced in his eyes. Just then Ezra, Aldus, Wolf, and Raquel walked over to him. To Raquel, Austin said, "Raquel, please head upstairs and keep Cecily company." He took a deep breath as he tried to suppress his anger. Cecily needed someone to accompany her for the moment.However, she wouldn't let him go anywhere near her before he could give her a valid explanation. After Raquel went upstairs, Wolf got down on one knee and said, "Sorry, Mr. Campbell. I'm at fault for what happened last night."Austin waved his hand to dismiss it. "It has nothing to do with you. I was too careless."His face was grim when he turned to Ezra. "How is the PR team doing?" Ezra forced a helpless smile onto his scowling face. "We couldn't do anything. It's everywhere on t
"Stop talking nonsense," Austin said, frustrated. "We need to find a way to placate the people out there." "We can't!" Vincent spread his hands with his palms facing upward. He sat beside Austin, took out a tablet from his bag, and passed it to Austin."See for yourself," said Vincent, nodding at the tablet. Austin took the gadget. He somewhat knew what was happening on the Internet. That was why he didn't tap the notification on his phone this morning. Since Vincent wanted him to look at the articles, Austin decided that he should probably see it for himself. The title of the article on the tablet was in bold, and its font was huge. The title was the same as the one Austin saw in the notification. After tapping the article open, Austin saw several explicit and jaw-dropping pictures. His eyes hurt just by looking at them, making the veins on his temple pulse. The first picture in the article showed him standing in the middle of the hotel room, staring down at Fiona who w
It was completely silent in the living room. The atmosphere was so tense that it was suffocating. Everyone there felt helpless and desperate. Austin had it the worst. He'd never felt so powerless in his life. He wanted to grab something to pull himself out of this mess, but there was nothing he could hold on to. The power of public outrage was overwhelming. He couldn't find a way to quell it, and the resulting pressure stressed him out. Just then, his phone started ringing. When he picked up his phone and saw the name on the screen, his eyes lit up instantly. Walter was calling him! Perhaps there was a way to solve this, after all! Austin quickly answered the phone. Walter's gruff voice sounded from the phone. "I know what happened," he said. "The people have Fiona's back, so I can't suppress the public's voice or take away their freedom of speech. What are you planning to do? I'll try my best to help you." Austin smiled at Walter's question. It was a bitter and helpless
The effect of the scandal had worsened to a point where it had become terrifying. Insults, curses, and snide remarks filled the Internet, all of them directed at Austin. The scourge of public outrage overwhelmed him, as though the world was collapsing on top of him, and he had nowhere to run or to turn to. The netizens scoured every bit of information they could about him. Everything about Austin was now shared online. The only thing they missed was his identity as the Campbell family's successor. There was a record of his lifetime achievements, the horrible memory of his married life in the past, and how he suddenly rose to power. They even dug out the part about his three-year marriage with Nancy. Some details about the Welch family and Harvey were all shared online. In the eyes of the public, Austin had become a "wolf in sheep's skin". The people's rage couldn't be put out. No one cared if the scandal was true or not. Under the influence of those with ill intentions an
Austin stiffened. He was stunned to hear Cecily's voice.His head snapped in the direction of the voice only to see a tired Cecily standing at the top of the stairs. His heart ached for her. Three days had passed since the scandal started. He couldn't sleep, but neither could she. He wasn't the person who had it the worst—it was Cecily. The harm it did her was double what he had to endure. "It's fine, Cecily. I can handle it," Austin told her, his voice strained from the remorse within him. "I'll give you an explanation later on." "I don't need one." Cecily's anguished gaze had a sliver of lonesome in them as she made her way downstairs. "You're my husband. I should always have your back." Austin's eyes stung as he watched her slim and solemn figure walk down the stairs. How much pain had she swallowed and suppressed before she mustered enough courage to say those words? Slap! Austin hit himself across the face. It happened so suddenly. Ezra's grim expression shifted
The video call with Vincent and Jennie lasted for quite some time. With Jennie's help—and thanks to professionalism and experience in the entertainment industry, they managed to form an outline of a plan. Vincent, who'd always been an uncanny person, contributed greatly to the plan too. Austin believed that they'd finally see some progress after being shrouded in the shadows of public outrage for so long. "Fiona, ruining my reputation was fine, but you tried to ruin my marriage," Austin seethed, his eyes sharp and his voice dangerously low as he muttered to himself. "You hurt Cecily. I'll make sure you pay for it!" Just then, he heard Ezra call out from behind him. "Austin!" Austin turned around to see Ezra staring intently at the phone in his hands, his face flushed, and his eyes wide with shock. "Log in to Twitter and see for yourself!" It was not every day you get to see Ezra in such a disquieted state. He added, "Mrs. Campbell tried her best to help you!" His words se