At that mont she leaned back into the couch, exhaling softly, her thoughts running through nas and faces connected to Jas. How many more shares were floating around in the hands of his people? How many could she trace and reclaim before Jas made his next move? The questions lingered, but before she could plan her next step, the sharp vibration of her phone against the table broke her concentration.
Then Cora glanced toward it lazily at first, but her eyes sharpened when she saw the na flashing on the screen.
It was Malisa, then her brows knitted in slight confusion. Malisa never called at this hour. In fact, lissa rarely called at all unless sothing urgent was happening or she wants to gossip. For her to call now unannounced, unprompted ant sothing was wrong or perhaps she wants to gossip.
At that mont Curiosity and unease stirred together in Cora’s chest as she reached for the phone and swiped to answer. "Malisa?" she said cautiously.
The response that ca through nearly made her sit upright. Malisa’s voice was fast, sharp, almost trembling with urgency. "Cora, have you seen the news?!"
The tone alone set off alarms in Cora’s mind. "What news?" she asked quickly, her frown deepening.
lissa’s breathing sounded rushed, like she had been pacing or panicking. "Don’t tell you haven’t checked. It’s everywhere online, on social dia, people are already talking about it."
Hearing what Malisa was saying Cora’s grip tightened on the phone. "Malisa," she said firmly, forcing her voice to stay calm despite the rising tension in her chest, "what news are you talking about?"
At that mont, Malisa’s voice on the phone was trembling with urgency as she said, "Cora, please, put on the TV right now. Just... just see it for yourself."
Cora’s brows furrowed tightly. Her chest tightened at the tone of lissa’s voice, it wasn’t just worry, it was alarm. Then without saying a word, she rose from the couch, her movents sharp and fast. Her bare feet padded across the cool floor as she snatched the remote from the table.
"Malisa, what are you talking about?" she asked again, even as her thumb pressed down on the power button.
"You’ll understand when you see it," Malisa replied hurriedly. "Just... turn it on."
The screen lit up, and instantly, Cora’s stomach dropped.
Every major news channel not gossip blogs, not cheap rumor mills, but actual reputable stations was running the sa headline:
"Samuel’s Secret Lover? Exclusive Photos Leak Sparks Public Frenzy!"
Imdiately Cora’s jaw clenched. Her eyes narrowed as the broadcast switched to a montage of blurry images. The faces were deliberately blurred, but the outlines were clear enough for anyone who knew her to recognize. One shot was from the restaurant earlier, the faint smile. Another was from the parking lot when he said Samuel the first ti, And it was undeniably her.
Her heart began to pound, not from embarrassnt but from rage.
Her grip tightened around the remote until her knuckles turned white. "What the hell is this?" she hissed into the phone, her voice low but trembling with anger. "Malisa... how did they even get their hands on this picture?"
On the other end, Malisa’s words stumbled out in a rush. "I–I don’t know, Cora. I swear, I don’t know! It’s everywhere right now social dia, headlines, people sharing it nonstop. And it’s not just the usual gossip, either. This is huge. Samuel’s fans... they’re furious. They’re calling you all sorts of nas. A gold digger. A snitch"
At that mont, Cora’s anger boiled over. Her voice was sharp, laced with disbelief and fury as she stord toward the television even more.
"I’m not going to take this rubbish!" she shouted, her free hand gesturing wildly as though Malisa were right there in front of her. "Do they think I’m going to sit back and watch while they plaster fake stories about all over national TV? These stations are publishing lies, lies, Malisa! Are they trying to sabotage ? Are they deliberately trying to drag my na through the mud? What is going on with these people?!"
Malisa’s voice on the other end was calm, though the tension in her tone was unmistakable. "Cora, listen to . I know you’re upset, but you have to treat this with caution."
"Caution?" Cora scoffed, pacing the room as the images of the blurred photographs looped again on the screen. "They’re calling Samuel’s secret lover! They’re twisting everything!"
"Yes, and reacting right now will only make it worse," Malisa pressed, her tone firm but not unkind. "Don’t forget about the estate project. That deal is still on the table. One wrong move, even sothing as small as an angry statent, could slow everything down, or worse, destroy it completely. Do you understand how fragile things are right now? We cannot let this escalate."
At that mont Cora stopped pacing, her breath ragged, fists clenched at her sides. The estate project was huge a cornerstone for everything she’d been working toward. Malisa’s warning wasn’t exaggerated. If the public backlash grew, if the dia circus got louder, their investors could start pulling out.
Malisa continued quickly, sensing Cora’s silence. "Samuel’s manager already called . He’s very clear on this, nobody says anything. Not Samuel, not you. Not a single word. We treat it like it’s nothing. A rumor. Let it fade. If we stay quiet, people will lose interest. A week or two from now, this will be old news, that’s what he said."
Cora glanced at the TV again, her jaw tightening as the headline scrolled across the bottom of the screen: ’Samuel’s Mystery Girlfriend – Secret Romance Exposed?’ The blurred outline of her face was obvious to anyone who knew her, and it made her blood boil even more the more she looks at it.
Malisa’s voice softened slightly, trying to pull Cora back from the edge. "You need to stay out of sight for a while. Don’t give them anything else to talk about. Trust , Samuel’s been through this before. Rumors like this aren’t new to him. He knows how to handle the noise."
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