Morgan's POV:
Nora's chewed on her lower lip, her hands trembling as she showed me a video that was playing on her iPad. I snatched the iPad, wondering what it was that had her so worked up. My heart raced as I saw the screen.
My blood turned to ice in my veins as I watched the video.
The noise around me got intense. Telephones ringing, voices overlapping each other, apologies being made. Everything got so intense.
"Oh my...." My breath caught in my throat. My eyes widened with shock as rje video began to roll.
"Is the CEO of Rosewood Enterprises really as she claims to be?!" The glaring headline read. Video clips of me was being displayed on the screen, loud subtitles and frantic music playing over the video. "All eyes have been on the very young and apparently talented CEO of the famous Rosewood Enterprises — Morgan Rosewood. Jailed as the youngest female CEO of our country, she has been making waves in the business world. But as we have seen of late, Morgan appears to be a total fraud!"
"Fraud?!" I shouted, my eyes wide with surprise. "What the...."
"From lying to the public, to lying to her investors, to lying about every single thing! Is she even a CEO?! Is she even as she claims she is?! At this point we're questioning everything about..."
I turned off the iPad.
"Miss..." Nora said, her brows furrowed tightly. Her hands wringed together , and her eyes were misty. "There's tens of those videos online. Calling you a liar and..."
I sighed. "This... This is crazy."
"Are you okay?" Nora asked, her lip trembling.
"What do you mean?" I frowned.
She motioned for the iPad and I gave it back to her. She tapped on the screen and brought up another video. With shaky hands, she handed the iPad back to me.
"You've got to be kidding me," were the words out of my mouth.
The video showed me, pale and emaciated with the glaring headlines; "is the CEO concealing her illness?! Some sources say she may have cancer."
"Cancer?!" I screamed, my voice so loud all the noise in the office died down and all eyes turned to me.
That's so damn off the mark!
I stared at the picture again. I recognized it. It was taken in the early stages of my pregnancy with the twins. I had fallen deathly ill, heartbroken by my divorce and betrayal from Dante that I lost all will to live. I couldn't eat, and all I wanted to do was wallow in bed. I had really thought I would die during those three months. My father had dragged me out of bed after I kept chasing all the doctors away and huddled me to a specialist hospital himself.
I clearly remember the day this picture was taken. In the photo I was wearing a pale blue gown and had no shoes on. I was so skinny my collar bones could be seen for miles, my eyes retreated in the back of my skull. My skin was ashy, and tears wouldn't stop flowing down my eyes. My father held me close as he tried to get me into the hospital.
I have cancer?! I was dying with a pregnancy! I was losing my mind and crying over a man who didn't deserve any of my tears! I was starving myself with the hope that I'll die and I won't have to feel the pain anymore.
Seeing this picture and seeing how bad it was four years ago made my blood start to boil. Perhaps time had dulled my mind. Time had made me forget how much pain and hurt I went through. How could I dare forget? I looked like a corpse hanging onto life by a thin thread.
The video droned on and on, two people were talking about what could have caused me to look like that. One of them said I must have been using drugs then, called my a junkie. And the comments started to pour in. First they say I have cancer, then I'm a junkie? And another one said I had an eating disorder. And right there, another video popped up analyzing if I did drugs. And another one was asking if the man in the picture was my lover.
I started to laugh. "Seriously, who do this fuckers think they are?" I clicked my tongue and sighed. I turned to Nora who was staring at me with teary eyes. "Nora, you have nothing to fear. I'm not sick, and I don't have cancer. Do you believe these things?"
She shook her head. "I'm worried "
"There's no need to be worried. These are all baseless rumours. Here. Work should go on as normal. I'll handle this myself." I handed the iPad back to her.
"Yes, miss." She said with a curt nod. She dried her eyes and turned to leave.
My head throbbed with the subtle begining of a headache.
This is what I come home to? A defamation campaign launched against me by heaven knows who? My empire starting to crumble before my eyes?
I walked back to my office. Once I was alone, I took out my phone and called my head of tech.
"Orion." I said once he picked the call.
"I'm working on it, Miss Rosewood. We're getting to the bottom of this."
"Thank you," I said with a smile. "Have some of your people work on taking down those videos. I expect a favorable report in twenty four hours."
"Yes Miss. You can rest assured."
"Oh I plan to." I said.
I sat at my desk and ended the call. Cancer? Just thinking about it was making me laugh.
I wasn't ignorant to the number of enemies Rosewood Enterprises has. Even my father had faced this kind of thing.
My phone started to ring. I picked it up and glanced at the screen. I picked the call up.
"I'm not dying." I said.
"I know you're not dying. I did your blood work." Winston said. "How are you doing, Morgan? I've seen and I've heard what's going on."
"I'm okay," I said with a smile. "I just returned from the trip to the wonderful news of me being a cancer patient and a drug addict on the side."
"Was that a joke?"
"Should I be crying?"
He laughed softly, and I felt butterflies in my stomach. "I'm glad you're okay enough to make jokes in this state."
"I'm working on the rumours. Don't worry about me."
A knock sounded on my door. Nora poked her head in, her iPad pressed to her chest.
"Winston, I have to go now. I'll talk to you later."
"Before you go, there's this art exhibition tonight. I'd like you to come with me."
"I'm not sure I'll be free by then."
"Oh," He sounded disappointed. "In that case, perhaps later."
"Yes. I'm sorry it couldn't be today."
"No worries.take care of yourself."
"You too."
I ended the call and faced Nora. "Another one?"
She nodded.
"And it's worse." She said.