By the time Sharon and Xavier stepped out of the station, the sky had already dimmed.
Sharon turned to look at Xavier and said quietly, “Thank you, Mr. Cooper.”
Xavier smiled faintly. “Matty likes you. Let’s just call it an employee benefit.” Then he asked, “Want me to deal with the stories spreading online?”
Sharon’s eyes flickered. “You’re saying… you can get them taken down?”
He raised an eyebrow. “What, you don’t believe me?”
“You probably already know who I am,” Sharon replied. “I’m Carter Biggs’s wife. In this city, the Biggs family reigns. If he wants something done, there aren’t many people who could stop him.”
Xavier seemed slightly surprised. “You think he’s behind this?”
Sharon let out a dry, bitter laugh. “Who else could it be?”
A glint passed through Xavier’s eyes. So their marriage was even worse than he’d imagined. He hadn’t even made his move yet, and they were already at war?
After a pause, he said, “If I said I could take care of it, I can. No need to overthink it. Just tell me whether you want it done.”
Sharon said, “Forget the news. I do have something else I’d like to ask you for.”
There was a spark of curiosity in Xavier’s eyes. “Go ahead.”
Sharon leaned in and whispered a few words into his ear.
When she pulled back, Xavier gave a low laugh. “Now that’s clever. Much better than just burying the story. Don’t worry. I’ll take
care of it.”
“Thank you, Mr. Cooper. Truly,” Sharon said sincerely.
“If you’re really grateful,” he said casually, “just be good to Matty.
Sharon nodded gently. “I will.”
Even if Xavier hadn’t helped her tonight, she’d already made up her mind. She was committed to this job–and to Matty.
Xavier glanced at his watch. “I just got off a flight. Haven’t eaten yet. If you’re free, want to grab something to eat?”
He’d just helped her out in a big way. Of course she wouldn’t say no
“Sure. Dinner’s on me.”
He smiled. “Deal.”
By the time they finished eating, night had completely settled in.
Sharon excused herself to the restroom, but instead went to the front counter to pay the bill.
Just as she was about to head back, a burst of blinding flashes lit up and a crowd of reporters appeared out of nowhere,
swarming around her in an instant.
“Sharon, who is the man dining with you? Is he your lover?”
“Sharon, there are rumors about your ambiguous relationship with John. How many men are you involved with?”
“Sharon, people say you climbed your way up by being a mistress, Don’t you think destroying someone else’s relationship is
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immoral? Do you even know how to write the word ‘shame‘?”
“Sources claim you were brought in by the police this morning for questioning. Are you really a murderer?”
They had her surrounded in seconds, sealing off any chance of escape.
By the time she realized what was happening, it was already too late.
Frowning, Sharon said, “I’ll hold a press conference soon. I’ll answer all your questions then.”
But the reporters weren’t buying it. The sharp questions kept coming, and the pushing got worse.
She was jostled back and forth, and her foot was stomped on repeatedly in the chaos. Someone even knocked her shoe off.
After a whole day of interrogation, her nerves were already frayed. Now, hemmed in and hounded by this mob, her heart pounded with a restless heat.
