110
090
“Are you happy now, Giselle?” Frederick’s voice was tight with anger the moment he stepped into the hotel. “If you hadn’t deliberately told Gracie all those things, maybe after she cooled down, she would’ve come back. But what did you do instead?”
Giselle’s hands trembled as she clutched her coffee mug. She was visibly upset that Frederick came back just to accuse her.”
“I did it for your own good!” she snapped. “What’s the point of dragging this on? Let her go. She clearly doesn’t care about your feelings. Look at her–she’s already off on a trip with some other guy!”
“Shut up, Giselle!” Frederick roared. “I never thought you were this kind of person–spreading lies about your own best friend. She trusted you more than anyone, and this is how you repay her?“”
Flushed with rage, Giselle ripped off her face mask. Her emotions were a tangled mess.
“I did it all for you, Frederick! And now that she’s left you, you blame me for everything? Do you even hear yourself? Are you still a man?” After their argument, Giselle locked herself in the bedroom, leaving Frederick alone and disoriented. From the moment Gracie walked away, his world had begun to get messed up.
His company had come under fire online, and he simply left everything for his secretary and subordinates to handle, completely checking out. This neglect quickly sparked resentment among his staff.
What Frederick hadn’t expected was that the photos Gracie had posted online of myself and Azrael under the Northern Lights would be reposted and spread by someone with malicious intent.
Netizens started speculating that the real reason for their marital problems was her supposed affair with another man. Some even dug up everything about Azrael.
[No wonder she left Frederick. Azrael has an even more powerful background–he’s the son of a Florida tycoon, a prodigy since childhood,and a business genius who rakes in billions each month at such a young age!]
[Of course. Gracie is clearly gold–digging. She dumped Frederick the moment someone richer came along.]
[I heard Frederick even lost his memory saving her in an accident. And then her best friend gets framed?]}
Worse, someone leaked a recording of Gracie saying “the cheating” and twisted it into evidence of her infidelity. The internet exploded.
Sympathy poured in for Frederick and Giselle./
Photos of the two together surfaced, with people commenting.
[It would be wonderful if they were lovers–so compatible, and both such kind–hearted people.]
Furious, Frederick stormed into Giselle’s room.
“Did you leak that stuff online?!” he demanded.
Giselle sat up, clearly uneasy. Her voice lowered with guilt. “How could I have that kind of power? Maybe someone else did=”
Frederick played a recording. The damning evidence echoed through the room.
“That day, it was just you and me. Who else would’ve had the motive to secretly record and release that audio? You think I’d ruin myself like that?”
Caught off guard by how easily Frederick had uncovered the truth, Giselle grew agitated and admitted it outright.
“Yes, I did it. So what? Gracie already betrayed you! And you still have hope for her? She’s off vacationing with Azrael while you sit here heartbroken–how is that fair to you?”
Tears streamed down her face, her frustration finally breaking through.
“I exposed the cheating so you could fix the company’s image crisis. Everyone will believe the marriage failed because of her, not you. That way, the damage from the press conference will be minimized, won’t it?”
Frederick stood there in stunned silence. For a moment, his resolve to come clean–his intention to admit he was the one who cheated- wavered.”
<-101
Meanwhile, I had just returned to the hotel after watching the Northern Lights.
A short while later, Azrael knocked on my door, looking uneasy.}}
“Gracie,” he said, “have you seen what’s being posted online? Someone twisted everything about your marriage with Frederick. It’s all over the place now.”
Confused, I took the phone from his hand. The content shocked me. Everything was flipped–painting me as the villain, the cheater, the gold–digger..
Some comments even accused me of refusing the divorce because Frederick didn’t offer enough money.
My mind went blank. How have things spiraled this far?
It had been five hours since the posts blew up, and I hadn’t received a single word from Frederick–until now, when I saw it with my own eyes.
Disappointment settled deep in my chest.
Without hesitation, I called Frederick.”
The phone rang for a long time before he finally picked up. His voice was low, dull.
“Frederick, have you seen what’s going on online?”
Yes.”
9:11 AM
His simple reply crushed any hope I had left.”
“It was Giselle, wasn’t it?” I asked, my voice trembling. “And you let her do it, didn’t you?“}
Though I’d already guessed the truth, I still needed to hear it. My eyes closed tightly, but the tears couldn’t be held back.
Frederick let out a long sigh and finally admitted, “At first, I had no idea. I didn’t think she’d do something like this. I wanted to clear things up–to admit that I was the one at fault. But you know how important that press conference was. And then you suddenly disappeared.”}
