Chapter 269

No.1

It wasn't that she refused to answer—his invasive proximity made her skin crawl.

Only after exiting the hotel lobby and confirming he hadn't followed did she exhale in relief.

What kind of interview was this?

More like a stalker's pursuit.

She pulled up the email and dragged his resume straight to the trash.

......

In her living room, Evelyn finalized broadcast details for Winston Strauss's exclusive interview with the news station.

"Don't worry, Ms. Sinclair. Your segment is the grand finale..."

"We'll monitor live comments in real-time..."

No.2

"You must attend tomorrow's taping..."

Hanging up, she stared absently at her phone.

Her fan group chat lay dormant except for the occasional admin clearing spam posts.

She'd specifically instructed them not to promote tomorrow's interview.

As a journalist, she wanted no part of fandom theatrics.

But neither would she hide like before.

Horizon Media's transfer to the video department had unexpectedly aligned with her goals.

In this era, newsmakers must step into the spotlight.

Ding—

No.3

Her phone erupted with vibrations.

999+ unread messages.

Martha Nash and Iris Cooper's icons blinked simultaneously.

Before she could tap a notification, Martha's call blasted through.

"What's going on with you and Alexander Kingsley?" Martha's voice crackled with urgency.

Evelyn's pulse spiked.

Had Iris slipped up?

"What do you mean?" She kept her tone steady.

"It's trending! Explosively!" Martha's words tumbled out. "Someone claims they photographed you two meeting secretly at a hotel—and that you're pregnant!"

No.4

Evelyn nearly confirmed the pregnancy outright.

But she hadn't seen Alexander in days.

"I was at a hotel today—for work." She frowned. "Who's spreading this?"

Iris's call beeped through mid-sentence.

"Congratulations!" Iris's voice trembled with excitement. "You're finally public!"

A vein throbbed at Evelyn's temple.

She didn't need to check the trending list to know—

Someone was orchestrating a storm.

Evelyn's fingers froze mid-scroll. The photo on her phone screen burned her retinas.

No.5

"That's not me in the picture." Her voice could frost glass.

Iris stammered through the phone, "But the fan groups are exploding. They're saying you and Mr. Kingsley—"

"I was interviewing candidates at the hotel today." Evelyn cut her off. "The conference room was under renovation."

A sharp inhale. "Then... the man in the photo—"

"One of the interviewees." Evelyn's eyes narrowed. "This was a setup."

Silence crackled over the line.

"Iris?" Evelyn tapped the desk. "Don't tell me you've already posted in the—"

"No! Absolutely not!" Iris's voice shook. "It's just... your tone sounds exactly like that account in the group chat..."

Evelyn chuckled. "No matter how thick the disguise, I'd recognize you."

No.6

Iris nearly dropped her phone.

After hanging up, Evelyn opened the trending page.

A flood of paparazzi shots—her back entering a hotel room, a stranger's profile following close behind, grainy footage of an "intimate embrace" in the hallway.

The elevator photo was the most laughable.

A man adjusting his tie, deliberately cropped to mimic a waist-encircling gesture.

Evelyn's lips curled.

The man's build did vaguely resemble Alexander's.

But she'd memorized Alexander's presence down to his molecular structure. A thousand doppelgängers couldn't fool her.

Her phone vibrated.

No.7

[SHOCKING! Evelyn Sinclair Sleeping Her Way to the Top Using Kingsley Lawsuit!]

The comment section resembled a shark feeding frenzy.

Isabella's fans swarmed like blood-crazed piranhas: