Chapter 54
Kelly dabbed at the corners of her eyes. “I heard Nate say that Sharon didn’t care about Theo at all, that she went out to a bar looking for male models. And lately… she’s been acting really strange.”
“So I just thought I’d provoke her a little,” she continued, voice soft, “make her pay more attention to you, Carter. I didn’t want her to keep going down that path.”
Nate chimed in. “This time, Sharon went way too far. Even if she doesn’t care about Kelly, she should at least consider you and Theo! She’s stirred up such a mess online-now everyone knows there’s trouble in your relationship. Even the Biggs Group’s stock value has taken a hit. Sharon’s up to no good. Always has been.”
Carter was quiet for a few seconds, then finally said to Kelly, “Just focus on getting better. I’ll take care of the online harassment.
The video Sharon posted had a far greater impact than any previous news stories.
Even though Carter managed to suppress all related content within a day, it was already too late. The more perceptive users had downloaded everything-photos, clips, the full video-and were sharing it in private groups without pause,
Many of Carter’s business partners had started to subtly bring it up, asking him what exactly had happened.
Some smaller tabloid accounts even tried to post bits and pieces of the story. The posts were taken down quickly, but their popularity soared, greater than that of most A-list celebrities.
Because Carter wasn’t just anyone.
He was one of the most prominent business figures in all of Zachemaine-young, sharp, striking. He wasn’t someone the entertainment world’s heartthrobs could even hope to compare to. He was the man in countless women’s dreams.
The world had placed halos on his head and added filters to his name. But now, those filters were starting to crack-and with them, his pristine public image.
Even the normally unshakable Biggs Group had begun to feel the ripple.
The Biggs family, always composed and quiet, could no longer stay silent.
That very evening, Sharon received a call from Madeline.
“Sharon! That video you posted—are you trying to ruin the Biggs Group?! Come here immediately! I’ve already contacted the press. You’re going to make a public statement and say that everything you posted was just a desperate stunt to get Carter’s
attention!
“Back then, to climb the social ladder, you clung to Carter without a shred of shame. After you married him, you refused to work and just spent his money. And now you have the nerve to stab him in the back?!
“I’m warning you! If the Biggs Group suffers even the slightest loss because of you, don’t think for a second we won’t throw you out with nothing!”
Sharon listened without a word, her face blank.
From the very beginning, Madeline had never liked her. Madeline believed Sharon had schemed her way into the marriage, using the oldest tricks in the book, and climbed into Carter’s bed and into the Biggs family. 1
Madeline had told her, more than once, that if it weren’t for her, Carter would’ve already married the heiress she’d handpicked for him-a girl with a prestigious education, an influential background, a perfect match for the Biggs family, a woman who could actually bring something to the table.
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Not someone like Sharon, who had nothing but a pretty face.
When Kelly returned, Madeline didn’t even bother to caution Carter to respect boundaries now that he was married.
She mocked Sharon instead, saying it was only natural she couldn’t hold on to a man. She even said that being abandoned was what Sharon deserved.
During the three years Sharon had been married to Carter, she had endured Madeline’s endless coldness and harshness.
The worst of it came right after the wedding, when she was forced to visit Madeline’s house every day to be “taught the rules.”
She was made to do laundry, cook, and clean the house. Madeline even forbade her from sitting at the table during family dinners, saying a woman like her didn’t deserve a seat.
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