Faye Xavier heard this and nodded in agreent, saying, "That’s true. That woman’s heart is indeed black. You didn’t hear the things she said to ; it was completely an attempt to ruin Audrey. It’s better to deal with such a woman as soon as possible. Leaving her unchecked is like a ticking ti bomb. Even a tiger naps sotis; it’s better to defuse the bomb than to be constantly on guard."
Shane Warner: "That’s why I never hindered her developnt in the entertainnt industry before. The reputation she’s gained is precisely the weapon that will destroy her."
Faye Xavier: "Let’s see what Quentin Sterling wants to talk to you about. It’s unbelievable how protective he is after Clarissa Morgan has made a fool out of him. If he hadn’t blocked that report, Clarissa would probably be exposed by now."
Shane Warner seed to have already anticipated what would happen next, remaining completely unflustered, and said, "No worries, you go ahead with your work. If he cos, bring him to my office directly."
Faye Xavier nodded, picked up the file folder, and turned to leave.
It wasn’t long after Faye Xavier left, maybe ten minutes, that Quentin Sterling arrived at the company.
Shane Warner had soone make a pot of tea, sat on the sofa, and looked at Quentin Sterling, who seed deeply troubled, and asked knowingly, "What’s wrong? Is the collaboration we discussed last ti not going smoothly?"
Quentin Sterling took the teacup handed to him by Shane Warner, placed it on the edge of the coffee table in front of him, let out a sigh, and said, "I’m here today because of Clarissa."
Shane Warner raised an eyebrow in feigned surprise, pretending to be caught off guard.
Quentin Sterling lowered his gaze, slightly organizing his complex emotions, while Shane Warner picked up his teacup, took a sip unhurriedly, and patiently waited for Quentin to speak.
"I’ve seen those photos, and I know it must have been you who got soone to take them, right?"
Shane Warner admitted straightforwardly, "Yes, I had soone take those photos, but the things in the photos truly happened. I just wanted to reveal the truth."
Quentin Sterling nodded, "Is it because she caused trouble in your and Audrey’s life?"
Shane Warner: "You, more than anyone, should know what she has done."
Quentin Sterling sighed with a tinge of regret, saying, "I shouldn’t have covered up for her back then, but I didn’t know that after marrying , she would disturb your life."
"I realize I never truly understood her."
"The person she’s always loved... has been you. Then and now."
Quentin Sterling murmured to himself as if he finally saw everything clearly but chose to delude himself.
He couldn’t bear that Clarissa Morgan married him just to use him to get close to Shane Warner. He didn’t want to believe it was true. He’d rather believe she had simply fallen out of love...
Shane Warner also knew that Quentin Sterling was a victim in all this. While he couldn’t empathize with Quentin’s struggles and agony, he could understand the mixed feelings of love and hate upon learning the truth.
After a long silence, Quentin Sterling finally looked up again, fumbled in his pocket to find his cigarette box and lighter, only to discover the cigarette box was empty. Due to unstable emotions, he asked Shane Warner in a slightly hoarse and trembling voice, "Do you have a cigarette?"
Shane Warner replied, "Sorry, I quit."
Quentin Sterling took a deep breath, stood up, and said to Shane Warner, "Leave her affairs to , Shane."
Pausing for a mont, he said with so difficulty, "I’ll handle it myself."
Shane Warner: "I don’t have much patience to wait."
Quentin Sterling: "It won’t take long."
Watching Quentin Sterling turn and leave, Shane Warner sighed for him, wondering if things might have been slightly better had Audrey Sutton told him these things earlier.
But thinking from Quentin’s perspective, if one hasn’t truly experienced betrayal, they probably wouldn’t doubt soone they loved deeply based on a few words from others.
He hoped Quentin could move on from this sooner.
Inside the villa, in the empty dance studio.
By the floor-to-ceiling windows, there was a set of tables and chairs. Clarissa Morgan, dressed in a burgundy silk sleepwear set, sat dejectedly in the chair, her hand hanging beside the chair arm, with the wine glass in her hand tilting slightly, ready to spill its contents at any mont.
Footsteps echoed from the hallway outside the studio, but Clarissa Morgan didn’t turn around, her gaze vacantly fixed on the gloomy afternoon sky outside the window.
A short-haired woman dressed in a gray-black professional suit stood at the dance studio door, frowning at Clarissa Morgan, saying, "The internet is in chaos, and you still have the mood to drink here?"
Upon hearing the voice, Clarissa Morgan only moved her eyeballs slightly but made no other reactions.
The short-haired woman walked behind Clarissa Morgan in high heels, "You kept such a big thing as your divorce from us?!"
Clarissa Morgan remained silent.
Knowing Clarissa Morgan’s attitude, the woman grew angrier, knowing, however, that getting mad was not the solution. Suppressing her anger, she told Clarissa Morgan, "The PR hasn’t responded yet, and Quentin Sterling hasn’t confird anything. There’s still a chance to salvage the situation. Didn’t you say you were still in contact with him after the divorce? As a courtesy as ex-spouses, he wouldn’t burn bridges; get him to help out, and you two should issue a video statent together."
Clarissa Morgan: "Divorce is divorce. What’s there to explain?"
"The divorce might be finalized, but we can announce it later. If made public now, your whole previous persona collapses! You’re at a career peak, and if your persona isn’t stable, that becos your scandal! The company might even shelve you! Think about the consequences!"
Clarissa Morgan lowered her eyes and said nothing.
"You’re already not young, not in your teens fighting to get into the scene. Do you think you have many chances? You’ve finally gained popularity. With a film festival nomination and a nearly guaranteed Best Newcor Award, you can’t let the divorce news get confird, understand?"
Seeing her unresponsive, the woman spoke more anxiously, "I’m not saying you should maintain this persona forever! Just temporarily create a front with Quentin Sterling, announce the divorce in two or three months, claiming it just happened. We’ll have articles and trending topics ready, ensuring this won’t affect your future career; this is currently the best way to handle it!"
After a long silence, Clarissa Morgan finally replied, "I’ll go find him."
The woman breathed a sigh of relief, "Call him now, record the video later, and upload it. We can’t let this issue escalate further."
Clarissa Morgan: "My phone is on the bedroom nightstand, could you please bring it to ?"
Upon hearing this, the woman imdiately turned around to get the phone.
But Clarissa Morgan’s expression didn’t improve, as she had a premonition that Faye Xavier had deceived her, and Faye was Shane Warner’s person.
Her good days were seemingly numbered.
As for the divorce or how the outside world judged her, she wasn’t in the mood to care anymore...
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