Carter’s assistant stared at the barrage of messages Whitney had unleashed, each line filled with her fury and indignation. His throat went dry as he processed the sheer intensity of her words.
He thought to himself, ‘What am I supposed to do now? Should I show this to him or keep it to myself?’ The weight of the situation felt heavy on his shoulders.
This was all too much to handle.
*****
After sending the message, Whitney tried to shake off the encounter, pushing it to the back of her mind. But Ryan, ever the opportunist, quickly seized on the online chaos. He wasted no time in employing burner accounts to spread the truth that it was Tina in those scandalous photos.
By lunchtime, Whitney overheard her coworkers discussing the latest gossip. “Oh, so it was the second daughter all along! We got it wrong this morning and almost blamed the older daughter for nothing.”
“I didn’t even know AetherTech’s CEO had two daughters. I thought he only had one,” another chimed in, curiosity piqued.
“Ha! Check this out. AetherTech’s older daughter is from his first wife, who died years ago. So the most spoiled younger daughter is the one caught up in this scandal. Just think about what that means,” someone else added, their tone dripping with intrigue.
Whitney couldn’t help but eavesdrop, her heart racing as she checked online to see how the narrative had shifted. Sure enough, every thread now pointed directly at Tina.
*****
At Moore Manor, Tina was fuming. “That bitch! Mom, look at this! She definitely hired an army of trolls to do this,” she screamed, her face flushed with anger.
Laura, her mother, tried to remain calm but was clearly exasperated. “Enough, Tina. Now that these photos are out there, you’re basically confirmed as the person in them. You’ll just have to stay home for a while and lay low until this blows over.”
Laura’s frustration was palpable. She had even consulted doctors about the risks of forcing a pregnancy at her age of forty-five.
‘The first one’s a lost cause,’ she thought bitterly, ‘I’ll just have to hope I can have another kid who’s actually useful-preferably a son. That would be even better.’
If Samuel truly gave up on Tina, Laura feared she would be dragged down with her.
“Tina, you need to focus more on your father,” Laura advised, her voice steady but firm. “Look at him. He listens to everything Whitney says. Instead of worrying about nonsense all day, you should be thinking about something useful.”
Tina felt a wave of injustice wash over her.
Laura had been the one to throw that party, and it was her planning that had been insufficient. Tina had lost her virginity because of it, yet somehow it had turned into her fault.
*****
“Mr. Harris, Ms. Moore replied to you. But she just sent the message, and I thought it was spam, so I deleted it,” the assistant explained, trying to justify his actions.
Carter’s frown deepened, disappointment washing over him. “How could you delete it?” he questioned, his voice laced with disbelief.
The assistant flinched, too intimidated to respond.
Carter contemplated the situation. ‘Whitney’s reply was probably just her cursing me out anyway,’ he mused.
“Fine, I got it. You can go,” he said dismissively, waving the assistant away.
But when he caught sight of the latest developments and realized that the real subject of the scandal was Tina, a wave of guilt washed over him. He had wronged Whitney in a way he hadn’t intended.
Carter felt a deep sense of embarrassment just thinking about that impulsive text he had sent. His cheeks burned with shame.
Even though his assistant hadn’t shown him her reply, he could vividly imagine the anger that must have sparked within her.
‘I need to see Whitney right now,’ he thought with urgency, his heart racing as he jumped into his car and headed straight for PrimeBridge Law Firm.
When he arrived, the receptionist looked taken aback to see him. “I’m sorry, Mr. Harris, but you didn’t call ahead. Ms. Moore went straight to the courthouse for a trial this afternoon, so she probably won’t be coming back to the office.”
Carter’s brow furrowed with concern. “Which district courthouse?”
The receptionist hesitated, her training kicking in. “Mr. Harris, I can’t-“
Court schedules were confidential, and she was bound by protocol.
Just then, Ivan strolled by and his expression shifted to surprise upon seeing Carter. “Mr. Harris, are you here to see Attorney Moore?” he asked, concern etched on his face.
Carter’s demeanor was tense. “Yeah. Which courthouse is she at?”
Ivan, sensing the tension, chuckled nervously. “Let me think. I believe it’s the West District courthouse.”
As soon as those words left his lips, Carter pivoted and strode out of the office.
The receptionist stood there, dumbfounded.
Once he was out of sight, she finally managed to speak, her voice barely above a whisper. “Mr. Walton, Ms. Moore didn’t go to the West District courthouse today.”
Ivan glanced at her, a hint of guilt in his eyes. “Oh, is that right? Well, I’ll give him a call in a bit. Don’t worry about it.”
He knew Whitney wasn’t at the West District, but Carter had looked so hostile that anyone unaware of the situation might have thought he was about to confront his girlfriend.
‘A little white lie isn’t really that bad,’ he thought, rationalizing his actions. They couldn’t let this mess jeopardize their team’s case.
*****
Whitney’s court hearing had gone exceptionally well, and as she stepped out of the courthouse at four o’clock, a sense of relief washed over her.
After bidding her client farewell, she paused for a moment to consider her next move. Ultimately, she decided she was too fatigued to return to the law firm.
She quickly sent a message to the group chat to update Ivan, then began her journey home.
However, just as she hit ‘send,’ her phone rang. It was Ivan.
“Whitney, what’s going on between you and that CEO from Starwave Entertainment? He showed up here this afternoon at one, and he looked like he was ready to catch someone cheating,” Ivan said, his voice laced with concern.
Whitney blinked in disbelief. “What? He came to the firm looking for me?”
“Yeah. And he said he was going to the courthouse to find you, but I was quick on my feet and told him you were at the West District courthouse, so that sent him off in the wrong direction,” Ivan explained.
He hesitated, then continued, “Whitney, I know this Carter guy is from the Harris family, but he’s also engaged.”
He didn’t elaborate further, not wanting his most promising associate to get entangled in damaging rumors that could tarnish her reputation.
This industry was unforgiving, especially for women, and he felt it was only right to give her a heads-up.
“Boss, don’t worry. There’s nothing between us,” Whitney replied firmly. “He keeps losing his mind and following me around. I’ve made it clear to him already. And don’t worry-I’m not handling Starwave Entertainment’s contracts anymore, so the chances of us running into each other are basically zero.”
Ivan finally grasped the situation. ‘So this guy’s been chasing after Whitney,’ he thought, feeling a mix of concern and protectiveness.
“Alright, I get it now. That explains why you didn’t want to handle Starwave Entertainment’s contracts anymore. Fine, I’ll keep that in mind, and I’ll deal with him if he shows up again,” Ivan assured her.
Whitney smiled softly, appreciating his support. “Thanks, Boss.”
She hung up the phone and looked up to see a woman in a flowing white dress approaching her with a bright, cheerful expression.
Emily’s eyes sparkled as she smiled. “Whitney, what a coincidence! I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
She beamed with a sweetness that felt almost sickly. “Whitney, guess what? Carter and I are getting married next month.”
‘See?’ Emily thought triumphantly. ‘I knew Carter was mine all along!’
Whitney felt a wave of indifference wash over her at Emily’s provocation. She raised an eyebrow slightly, her lips curling into a smirk. “Oh, really? Well, congrats to you both. At least that’s one less pair of cheaters polluting the dating pool.”
Emily’s smile faltered, her confidence wavering as she processed Whitney’s unexpected response. ‘She’s not upset?’ Emily thought, bewildered. ‘How is she not upset?’
The tension hung in the air, thick and palpable, as both women stood their ground, each unwilling to back down.
Whitney felt a light irritation settle in her chest, not quite anger, but certainly a lingering discomfort from the couple she had just encountered. Their presence had left a sour taste in her mouth, like biting into an overripe fruit.
As she contemplated heading home for some well-deserved rest, her phone buzzed with a message that pulled her from her thoughts. It was Lena, and Whitney’s heart lifted a little at the sight of her name.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.