CH 10
Ivelle slipped off the cheap shoes she'd bought from a random shop, placing them neatly on the rack before sitting heavily on her bed. The flash of bloodstains on the sheets haunted her for a moment, forcing her to close her eyes and take a deep, steadying breath. She shook the memory off and began to undress, her mind already turning to the long day at the office ahead.
Once dressed, she opened her drawer to retrieve her bracelet—only to find it missing. A frown creased her forehead as she rifled through the drawer and then scanned her vanity. Panic started to creep in before realization struck: it must be in the purse she had carried the night before.
But when she opened it, her breath hitched. Sitting inside wasn’t her bracelet but a different one—sleek, elegant, and unfamiliar. Her frown deepened. 'Did I… switch bracelets with someone?' She sighed, rubbing her temple, and dropped it into her bag. If it belonged to him, she’d return it at their meeting.
With a glance at her watch, she grabbed her things and called for a cab. As soon as she slid into the backseat, the driver gave her a peculiar look, his gaze darting between her face and the rearview mirror.
"Something wrong?" she asked, her tone sharper than intended.
He quickly turned his eyes to the road. "No, ma’am. Nothing at all."
Her frown deepened. 'Weird.'
By the time she arrived at her office, Rain was already waiting for her, hurrying to take her handbag and falling into step beside her.
"Good morning, Miss Hudson," Rain chirped, all smiles.
"Morning, Rain," Ivelle said absently as they entered her modest office.
Moments later, John appeared with a stack of papers and a long to-do list. "Here’s what we have for today, Miss Hudson."
"Thank you," she said, skimming the list. She settled into her chair, opened her phone, and froze.
The headlines were everywhere.
'A video of Ivelle Hudson stumbling into a room, guided by a pair of strong, male arms.'
Another clip showed her leaving the same room hours later, her dress wrinkled and hair slightly disheveled.
The captions were ruthless:
- 'Estranged Hudson Daughter Caught in the Act!'
- 'Matchmaker Makes Her Own Match!'
- 'Ivelle Hudson Cheats on Her Fiancé!'
- 'The Loose Hudson Daughter Strikes Again!'
Her stomach churned. Her worst nightmare had come true. She didn’t want to be in the spotlight, but now she was drowning in it.
Rain burst into the office, John hot on her heels.
"Miss Ivelle!"
"I’ve seen it," Ivelle said flatly, her forehead resting against her hand.
"What are we going to do?" Rain asked, her voice laced with panic.
Ivelle’s phone buzzed. She held up a finger, silencing them as she answered.
"Hello?"
"This is Stefan."
"Stefan, I’m so sorry about—"
"No need to apologize," he interrupted, his voice firm but calm. "This happened at my hotel. I’ll get to the bottom of it."
"I have a pretty good idea who’s behind this."
"Good. Focus on your work. I’ll handle my security team—they’ve clearly been too lax."
"Thank you, Stefan," she said softly.
"It’s nothing. Don’t let it rattle you too much."
After hanging up, Ivelle turned to Rain. "Contact Sarah and tell her to get Kyren’s law team ready. We might need them."
Rain nodded and darted out of the office.
"John," Ivelle said, her tone all business. "Track down the original source of the video. Which site posted it first? Start there."
"On it," he said, hurrying out.
Alone in her office, Ivelle slumped back in her chair. Her thoughts spiraled as she tried to piece everything together. She was still lost in thought when a knock sounded at the door.
---
A knock broke through her reverie.
“Come in,” she said without looking up.
“Morning, Ivelle,” a familiar voice greeted her.
Her head shot up. “Kyren!”
He stood there, all six feet of him, with that faintly amused expression he always wore. His hair was slightly messy, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, as if he’d been in a rush to get here.
“Don’t look so surprised,” he said, stepping inside.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, rising from her chair. “I thought you were staying back for your mum.”
“She’s stable now,” he said, pulling her into a quick hug. “I managed to transfer her here early this morning. She’s at City Hospital.”
“Thank goodness,” she said, her shoulders relaxing.
His smile faded, replaced by a furrowed brow. “I’d be celebrating more if I didn’t wake up to a storm of headlines about you. Care to explain why you’re suddenly trending, Ivelle?”
She winced, retreating to her desk. “It’s not what it looks like.”
Kyren crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, his sharp eyes boring into her. “Let’s hear it, then. What exactly happened?”
She sighed, dropping into her chair. “The engagement announcement… it wasn’t supposed to happen at the wedding.”
“Wait,” he said, straightening. “The engagement? To Arden?”
“Yes,” she said reluctantly.
“Are you serious right now? I thought you ended things with him.”
“I did!” she snapped, running a hand through her hair. “But Uncle made it clear I didn’t have a choice. He practically forced my hand.”
Kyren’s expression hardened. “And you just went along with it? Ivelle, we’ve talked about this—you don’t owe anyone your life just because they raised you.”
“It’s not that simple,” she said, her voice tight. “Uncle holds all the cards, Kyren. The house, my trust fund, everything. If I don’t comply, he’ll cut me off completely. And Arden…” She trailed off, biting her lip.
“Arden what?” Kyren pressed. “Don’t tell me he’s blackmailing you.”
“I don’t think so,” she said softly, her gaze dropping to her desk. “At least, not directly. But he’s… not above it. And Elena, she—”
“Elena,” Kyren interrupted, his voice laced with disdain. “Why am I not surprised? Let me guess: she’s behind the video, too.”
“I think so,” Ivelle admitted. “She and Arden probably set me up. I’m almost certain they drugged me last night. The video is just their way of cornering me—forcing me to go through with the engagement or humiliating me if I don’t.”
Kyren’s fists clenched at his sides. “And you were just going to let them do this to you? Without telling anyone? Without fighting back?”
“What am I supposed to do, Kyren?” she snapped. “Go to the police with no proof? Hold a press conference to deny it and make things worse?”
“You could have come to me,” he said, his voice low.
The sincerity in his tone caught her off guard. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
“You’ve got people who care about you, Ivelle,” Kyren continued, stepping closer. “You don’t have to handle this alone.”
Her throat tightened. “I didn’t want to drag anyone else into my mess.”
“You’re not dragging us,” he said firmly. “We’re already in it, whether you like it or not. Now, tell me the truth—do you want to marry Arden?”
The question hung in the air, heavy and unrelenting. She looked away, her silence speaking volumes.
Kyren exhaled sharply. “That’s what I thought.” He crouched in front of her, his expression softening. “Then don’t do it, Ivelle. We’ll figure something out. Together.”
For a moment, she let herself believe him, let herself feel the hope he was offering. But the weight of her reality crashed down again, suffocating and immovable.
“It’s not that simple,” she whispered.
“It never is,” he said, standing. “But that doesn’t mean you give up. You’re stronger than this.”
Before she could respond, there was a knock at the door. The moment broke, and Sarah stepped in, her heels clicking softly against the floor.
“Mr. Kyren, your 11 o’clock meeting has been postponed,” she said, her tone professional, though her gaze lingered on him a second too long.
“Thank you, Sarah,” Kyren said, his voice softening slightly.
As Sarah turned to leave, Ivelle’s sharp eyes caught the way Kyren watched her, just a little too closely.
“Kyren,” Ivelle said once the door shut, raising an eyebrow. “Is there something you want to tell me about you and Sarah?”
“What?” he said, feigning innocence.
“Don’t play dumb. She practically melted when she looked at you.”
“You’re imagining things,” he said, but the faint blush creeping up his neck betrayed him.
Ivelle smirked. “You’re so obvious.”
“Focus on your scandal, Ivelle,” he said, shaking his head.
She chuckled despite herself. “Fine. But this isn’t over.”