Chapter 184
Chapter 189
Madison
I hesitated, my finger hovering over my phone. Should I show him the article? Confront him about Scarlett? Ask him point-blank if he was cheating on our arrangement?
“Nothing,” I said finally, sliding my phone into my desk drawer. “It’s not important p>
Alexander studied me for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Alright,” he said, his tone making clear he didn’t believe me. “I need those reports for the Vegas property on my desk in an hour p>
“Yes, Mr. Knight p>
He lingered for a moment longer, then turned and walked back to his office, closing the door behind
him.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. What was I thinking? I couldn’t just accuse him of breaking our contract based on some gossip article Hazel had sent me. I needed to be smarter about
this.
I pulled my phone back out, staring at the photos of Alexander and Scarlett. His hand was on her lower back, and their bodies were close as they exited the restaurant.
What was Knight Industries’ PR department even doing? They should have been all over this, issuing denials or at least damage control. If these photos were circulating, why hadn’t they been taken down yet?
I snorted softly. Maybe Alexander should hire Hazel to manage his PR. She’d found this article faster than his entire communications team, and she’d probably be more aggressive about getting it
removed. 1
But the real question nagged at me: was Alexander dating Scarlett now? Or was this just an old photo being recycled for clicks? They looked cozy in the picture, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. Maybe it was business. Maybe they were just friends.
Maybe I was overthinking this entire situation because I was starting to care too much.
I groaned, rubbing my temples. This wasn’t part of our arrangement. Jealousy wasn’t covered in the
contract.
Forty-five minutes later, I had the Vegas property reports compiled and ready. I stood, smoothing my skirt and grabbing the reports and phone. It was time to just ask him directly.
I knocked softly on Alexander’s door.
“Come in,” he called.
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Chapter 189
I pushed the door open to find him focused intently on his computer screen, fingers flying across the keyboard. He didn’t look up as I approached his desk.
“The Vegas reports, Mr. Knight,” I said, placing the folder on his desk.
“Thanks,” he replied, still not looking up from his screen. “Anything else p>
I took a deep breath. “Actually, yes p>
I pulled out my phone, opened the article, and placed it on his desk beside the folder. “I wanted to ask if this is true p>
Alexander’s fingers stilled on the keyboard. He glanced at my phone, his expression unreadable as he picked it up.
“Who posted this?” he asked, his voice dangerously calm as he scrolled through the article.
“Is it true then?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
Alexander studied the phone for a moment longer, his jaw clenching slightly. Then, with deliberate care, he placed it on the desk.
“The photo is real,” he admitted, his eyes meeting mine. “It’s not doctored or faked p>
My stomach dropped. “So you are seeing Scarlett p>
“Why? Are you jealous?” His lips curved into that infuriating smirk.
“No,” I replied too quickly. “I’m just asking if you’re dating Scarlett now p>
“What do you think? Am I dating Scarlett now?” He leaned back in his chair, studying me with those penetrating eyes.
I let out an exasperated sigh. “You’re not answering my question p>
“I’m asking you,” he countered, his voice maddeningly calm.
“I don’t know,” I admitted, uncrossing my arms. “That’s why I’m asking p>
Alexander’s expression softened slightly. “It’s an old photo, Madison. Someone dug it up and posted it as if it were recent news p>
“So you’re not dating her p>
“No, I’m not dating Scarlett.” He stood up, walking around his desk to stand in front of me. “The photo is from about five months ago. We had dinner to discuss her company’s financials p>
“With your hand on her back like that p>
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Chapter 189
“I escorted her out of the restaurant. It was a professional courtesy.” His eyes narrowed. “You sound jealous p>
“I’m not jealous,” I insisted. “I’m concerned about our contract p>
“Ah, yes, the contract.” He took a step closer. “Worried I might breach the exclusivity clause p>
“It would be financially beneficial for me if you did,” I pointed out.
Alexander laughed. “Always the practical one. You’d really prefer I cheat so you can collect the penalty payment p>
“I didn’t say that p>
“You implied it.” He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “But let me be clear: I’m not dating Scarlett. I’m not sleeping with Scarlett. Yes, we had a thing in the past. We hooked up casually for a while. It ended months before you and I made our arrangement p>
His fingers lingered on my cheek, sending warmth cascading through me. “Our contract is intact, Ms. Harper. I’m honoring the exclusivity clause to the letter p>
“Good to know,” I managed, trying to ignore how my skin tingled where he touched me.
“Is it?” His voice dropped lower. “Would you be disappointed if I weren’t p>
I stepped back, needing space to think clearly. “I’m just making sure we’re on the same page.
11
Alexander’s eyes softened slightly as he moved closer, eliminating the distance I’d just created. “We are absolutely on the same page, Madison. You don’t need to worry. When I give my word, I keep it. Mark my words. I won’t cheat on our arrangement p>
He tilted his head, studying my face. “But what about you? Are you sure you won’t cheat p>
“I’m not that kind of person,” I said firmly, meeting his gaze. “When I sign a contract, I honor it. I won’t cheat p>
“Good to know p>
He walked back to his desk, running a hand through his perfectly styled hair. “But this article concerns me. It’s the second one in just a few weeks p>
“What do you mean p>
“Think about it,” he said, leaning against his desk. “First, someone drugged me at that event. Then there’s that first article about me and Penelope. This week we had the stock crash, and now this article is linking me to Scarlett.” He crossed his arms. “It feels coordinated, like someone’s targeting
me p>
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I hadn’t connected those dots before, but he was right. The timing was suspicious.
“You need to find out who’s behind this,” I said, frowning. “Didn’t your PR department inform you about this article p>
Alexander’s jaw tightened. “No, they didn’t. Which raises another question. How did you find out about it p>
“My friend Hazel sent it to me. She’s weirdly obsessed with celebrity gossip.” I shrugged. Apparently, she’s in five different gossip Discord servers p>
11
“Your friend found this before my entire PR department?” Alexander looked incredulous. “Maybe I should hire her instead of the incompetent PR team I’m currently paying p>
“She’d probably work for free celebrity gossip and a company credit card p>
“I’ll take care of this. And I’ll make sure PR finds these things before your friend Hazel next time p>
“We’ll see about that,” I replied with a smirk. “Hazel’s pretty competitive.” 1
Lucia Morh
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.