Chapter 58
Chapter 58
Adeline West.
Sophia’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Adeline?“
I blinked, forcing myself to focus. “Where did this come from?” My voice was sharper than I intended.
“The story’s everywhere. It’s trending on every platform, and reporters have been calling non–stop asking for a statement.” She said,
A headache began to form at the base of my skull. This couldn’t be happening. How did this get out so fast? And why now? It had barely been twenty–four hours since I walked out on him, furious and confused.
“Tell the PR team to stay quiet for now. We’ll issue a statement once I decide what to do. I said, turning to her. “Find out who leaked these photos. Now.”
Sophia nodded, her expression cautious as she left my office.
My throat tightened. I had to speak to Sebastian. What would he say when he saw this? What would my kids think when they stumbled across the photos? My perfect life–my carefully constructed world–was crumbling before my eyes, all because of a single, stupid, reckless kiss.
put the tablet down, rubbing my temples. I didn’t even know where to start. There was company, with my kids, with… Sebastian. I couldn’t ignore it any longer.
damage control to do with my
Before I could even gather my thoughts, Sophia walked back into the office, her face still tight with worry. “There’s something else. Killian Volkov is here.”
“What?”
“He wants to talk to you.”
Of course he was. Of course, he would come here, right in the middle of my chaos, as if he hadn’t already wrecked enough havoc. A surge of anger flared inside me, but there was a part of me–deep down–that wasn’t surprised.
I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to send him away. No, I couldn’t avoid this confrontation. I needed answers. And more than that, I needed to let him know just how deep the damage he’d caused ran.
“Let him in,” I said through gritted teeth, determined to face him head–on.
walked in, looking as infuriatingly calm and collected as ever. His presence filled the room, all A few moments later, Killi sharp angles and dark intensity. His suit was perfectly tailored, and his jaw set like he was ready for battle.
He shut the door behind him, his eyes immediately locking onto mine. “Adeline-“.
“Don’t,” I snapped, cutting him off. I didn’t want to hear whatever excuse he had. “You think dragging me into this media
what you want?” circus is going to get you
His brows furrowed, genuine confusion flickering across his face. “What are you talking about?” he said.
I snorted. “Don’t play dumb. Those pictures. They didn’t just magically appear, and you know it.” I said, looking at him.
His jaw clenched, and he took a step closer. “You think I leaked those photos?” he asked.
I didn’t back down. “Who else would? It’s convenient, isn’t it? You suddenly want answers about my kids, and now the media
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is all over us. What better way to pressure me than to throw me to the spotlight?”
His eyes darkened, a flash of anger crossing his face. “I didn’t do his, Adeline. I wouldn’t” I cut him off.
“You think this is some kind of joke? Our faces are all over the internet! Every major outlet has those photos, and you just stroll in here like nothing happened?”
His jaw tightened, but his voice remained level. “I didn’t leak the photos” He said, looking at me,
I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. “And I’m supposed to believe that? Last night, you’ve been hounding me about the kids, and suddenly, the media has a front–row seat to our dirty laundry.”
Killian stepped forward, his voice firm. “I had nothing to do with this, Adeline. I wouldn’t throw us into the spotlight like this. Not like that.”
1 glared at him, my pulse racing with anger and frustration. “Then who did? Laurel? Are you going to tell me she wasn’t behind this either?”
He paused, his expression darkening at the mention of Laurel. For a moment, I saw a flicker of doubt in his eyes. But then he shook his head. “I don’t know who did it. But blaming me or her isn’t going to solve anything right now.”
I let out a bitter laugh, the sound hollow even to my own ears. “Oh, now you want to be practical? After you called me out to meet in the middle of the night, demanding to know answers, and forcefully kissed me, dragged me back into this mess, and destroyed whatever peace I had left.”
His eyes flashed, the tension between us thickening. He stepped even closer, his voice low and dangerous. “I… didn’t leak the photos. And I sure as hell don’t need the media to get answers out of you.”
I swallowed, my heart pounding. His proximity was overwhelming, his presence suffocating. I wanted to scream at him, hit him, anything to get him out of my head. But instead, I took a deep breath, steadying myself.
“Then who did it?” I asked, my voice quieter but still laced with frustration.
“I don’t know,” he said, his tone softer now. “But this isn’t helping either of us.”
I glared at him, my anger simmering beneath the surface. “So what’s your solution, then? Just pretend it never happened? You think the media is going to let this go?”
He shook his head. “No. But I have an idea that might calm the storm. For now, at least,” he said.
I crossed my arms tighter. “And what’s that?”
Killian hesitated for a moment, as if considering his words carefully. “Release a joint statement. We tell the press we’re handling things privately, that there’s no scandal, no drama. We get ahead of the narrative before it gets out of control.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “You think that’s going to fix this? You think pretending everything is fine will make them leave us alone?” I said.
“It’s better than letting them run wild with rumors,” he replied, his voice calm but firm. “The longer we stay silent, the worse it gets.”
I hated that he was right. The media was a beast that fed on silence, twisting it into whatever narrative they wanted. But working with Killian? After everything?
I turned away from him, staring out the window as my mind raced. I couldn’t trust him. But I also couldn’t deny that we were both caught in this mess together. And if I didn’t do something soon, it wouldn’t just be me caught in the crossfire–it would be my kids, my pack, my company.
Finally, I turned back to him, my gaze hard. “Fine. We’ll release a statement. But this doesn’t mean anything, Killian. We’re
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not a team. This is just damage control”
He nodded, his expression unreadable. “Understood.”
The door closed behind him, leaving me alone with the weight of everything that had just happened. The photos, the headlines, the lies that would follow–it was all spinning out of control.
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