Free Web NovelChapter 90: Scandal I
Julian realized his slip and cleared his throat, trying to play it cool. "Well... I..."
Lyvana splashed a bit of water at his chest, laughing in spite of her shock. "You are unbelievable! You were talking about ’negotiating’ a lease when you’re the one who owns the building, the land, and probably the air we’re breathing right now!"
Julian caught her hands and pulled her back into him, his grin returning.
"Okay, fine. I own the stack of bricks. But that’s exactly why I want you here. I can guarantee that no one gets past the front desk without my personal thumbprint. It’s the safest place in the world for you."
He leaned down, his forehead resting against hers.
"So? Now that you know the landlord is your own boyfriend , do you think you can reconsider the move?"
Lyvana bit her lip, looking at the sheer luxury of the shower. "I think the landlord is a very pushy man."
"He’s just very protective of his favorite tenant," Julian whispered, kissing her nose.
They stepped out of the shower a few minutes later, their skin still warm and damp from the steam. Julian wrapped a heavy towel around his waist and helped Lyvana into a soft robe.
They dressed quickly, moving from lovers to professionals.
Marco was waiting at the curb to take Lyvana to Aurora. Julian kissed her one last time before heading toward the airport in another car, his mind already switching back to the Grant empire.
His phone rang just before boarding.
"Lily."
"Sir," Lily’s voice came through. "I sent you some photos and an audio. You need to check your phone immediately."
Julian tapped the notification, opening the encrypted file Lily had just sent. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
His hand froze.
The screen was filled with high-resolution images. It was Lyvana. She was standing in a dimly lit parking lot, her arms wrapped around a man’s neck.
The camera had captured them from several angles. One showing her face clearly, with her eyes closed, as she leaned into a deep, intimate kiss with him. In another shot, the man had his hand resting possessively on her waist.
There was also an audio from the man, saying Lyvana was his woman.
Julian stared at the screen.
"Catalina," he muttered.
He tapped the speakerphone again.
"Lily, have the tech team run a forensic sweep on these files. I want the original metadata and the source of the AI-generated layers. And Lily?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Have that idiot in the photo picked up by noon. And trace where the leak came from."
"Consider it done, sir."
Julian called Lyvana. No response. He called Marco. He told him Lyvana was in a meeting.
Julian sent her a message just before he boarded.
An hour later Lyvana walked out of the conference room and bumped into Emily rushing in.
"Emy? What’s chasing you?" Lyvana asked.
"I’ve been calling you!" Emily gasped, still trying to catch her breath.
"Sorry, my phone is on silent," Lyvana muttered, reaching into her bag. "I was in that meeting for over an hour. What happened?"
Emily didn’t explain. She just pulled out her phone, swiping rapidly until she hit a gallery of high-resolution files. She shoved the screen toward Lyvana’s face.
Lyvana stepped closer, her breath hitching as she saw the images. Her world seemed to tilt.
"Oh my God... is that me? That is not me! I’ve never even worn such a dress, Emy! And who is that man?"
The photos were devastatingly convincing — grainy enough to look like paparazzi shots but clear enough that anyone would swear it was Lyvana in the arms of a stranger.
"I know," Emily said. "Ethan called me. He said they’re Photoshop images, very high-end AI stuff. He said Julian has his tech people tracing the digital footprint right now."
"I need to call my grandma before she sees these."
Just then a call came through.
It was her father. She swiped to answer.
"How much problems are you planning on giving me, Liv," her father thundered. "You want out of this marriage so bad, you are willing to hook up with strange men in parking lots? What has gotten into you, Liv?"
"Damon please hear me out. I didn’t do this."
"Of course you didn’t. The man is all over social media, saying you two have been sleeping together for months."
"It’s fake father, we are already working on it."
"We?" Damon’s voice was like a whip crack over the line. "Who is we, Lyvana? Because the last time I checked, your fiancé was the one calling me to ask why his future wife is the lead story on every gossip blog in the country! Mark is humiliated. Our investors are calling. Do you have any idea what this does to our standing?"
Lyvana felt a lump form in her throat, her grip tightening on the phone.
"Damon, please. Look at the photos. It’s a setup. Someone is trying to sabotage me."
"It doesn’t matter if it’s a setup or a movie script!" Damon thundered. "In the court of public opinion, you are already guilty. This man — this secret lover, just posted a video, Lyvana. He’s naming hotels. He’s describing the gifts and jewelry you supposedly gave him. He’s making a mockery of us!"
Emily grabbed Lyvana’s arm, her eyes wide with alarm.
She mouthed, "A video," pointing to her phone. frёewebnoѵēl.com
"He’s lying!" Lyvana cried, her voice echoing in the quiet hallway. "I don’t even know his name! Someone paid him to do this."
"Then you better find out who, and you better do it before your grandmother finds out," Damon said, his tone turning ice-cold. "Because if you don’t clear this up today, you’re getting married to Mark tomorrow to save what’s left of our reputation."
The line went dead.
Lyvana stared at the screen, her hands shaking. Beside her, Emily was already typing furiously on her own phone.
"Lyvana, look," Emily whispered, turning her screen around.
A video was playing on a popular tabloid site. A man with messy hair and a smug grin was sitting in a dimly lit room.
"She told me she hated her life," the man in the video said, his voice dripping with fake sympathy. "She said she just wanted to have some fun."
"He has my necklace," Lyvana whispered, her face turning pale. "How does he have my necklace?"
