Chapter 208
Darren Whitlock pulled out a faded photograph from the orphanage, waving it triumphantly as undeniable proof of his past with Isabella Sinclair.
Then, he played the edited surveillance footage from the café—carefully spliced to remove crucial moments. The remaining clip showed only Darren placing his hand over Isabella’s, painting them as secret lovers caught in an intimate exchange.
The effect was immediate.
Reporters descended like wolves, hungry for the scandal unfolding around Charisma Company’s rising executive.
“No way! That can’t be Ms. Sinclair! She’s always so untouchable—so cold!” one journalist whispered in shock.
“Guess she’s not so icy behind closed doors. And if there’s nothing between them, why were they holding hands?”
“Ms. Sinclair, did you really abandon him? Did you threaten him into silence?”
Cameras flashed relentlessly in her face. Isabella’s jaw tightened. Darren had come prepared this time.
Her eyes burned with fury as she watched the doctored footage, but before she could retaliate, Alexander Kingsley appeared.
The room stilled as Alexander wheeled forward, his presence alone commanding silence.
Darren seized the moment, his voice dripping with theatrical despair.
“Mr. Kingsley, you’re a man of power. You could have anyone. Why take the woman I love?”
Alexander’s gaze was glacial. His voice sliced through the chaos like steel.
“Bold move, spreading fabricated evidence. How many years in prison are you aiming for?”
Before Darren could respond, Sophia Kensington spoke up, clinging to Ethan Blackwood’s arm with feigned sympathy.
“Mr. Kingsley, surely you wouldn’t abuse your authority like this?” She turned to Isabella, her voice saccharine. “Isabella, what you did to this poor man is cruel. He may not be wealthy or powerful, but he was your first love. You can’t just discard him.”
Ethan’s expression darkened. He had doubted Darren’s claims of a romantic past with Isabella—but now, with the photo and video replaying in his mind, betrayal coiled in his chest.
Even divorced, he still saw her as his. The thought of her with other men made his blood boil.
“Sophia, don’t waste your breath,” Ethan spat. “Isabella’s a gold-digger. She tricked me into marriage, and now she’s hunting for her next fortune. Pathetic.”
His venom stoked the fire.
Reporters surged forward—but their microphones turned toward Alexander, not Isabella. He was the bigger story.
“Mr. Kingsley, are you involved with Isabella Sinclair?”
“Sir, you always defend her—is there something between you two?”
“Did you know she abandoned her childhood sweetheart?”
Questions flew like bullets. Sophia smirked, relishing the chaos. With the media frenzy, surely Alexander would distance himself to protect his reputation. Maybe even fire Isabella to save face.
But Alexander didn’t flinch.
Instead, a slow, dangerous smile curved his lips. His gaze swept the room, and the reporters instinctively stepped back.
“It’s true,” he said, voice firm. “I’m pursuing Ms. Sinclair.”
Then, as if the world around them didn’t exist, he turned to Isabella. His voice dropped, low and intimate.
“But she hasn’t accepted me yet… because she has impossibly high standards.”
