Chapter 11
Sydney felt utterly suffocated, but she could not afford to blow things up–not when she still needed a smooth divorce. She could not risk falling out with Caleb.
Her fingertips pressed lightly against her palm as she met his gaze. “How do you want me to clarify it? The photos are already out there.”
Caleb looked weary, probably worn down from dealing with Penelope. “But they didn’t catch Penny’s face clearly.”
A heavy weight clogged Sydney’s chest. Her voice came out dry. “So you want me to lie? Tell the public that I’m the woman in the photo?”
Her question was simple. Too direct, maybe. She had not expected such a ridiculous request. At most, she had assumed he would ask her to say it was a friend in the photo or just a misunderstanding.
Caleb pressed his lips together and answered rationally, “I can’t think of a better would calm the public quickly–for Hampton Corp., and for everyone. It’s the lesser evil.”
way. This
‘Everyone?‘ Sydney clenched the bedsheet. By “everyone,” he meant Penelope.
Of course. Caleb always protected her. No matter what.
But Sydney? She was the one thrown under the bus without a second thought.
She gave a crooked, miserable smile. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
The moment he brought it up, she knew there was never really a choice. Caleb had already
decided.
“I know this puts you in a difficult spot,” he added, voice calm. “So let this be my way of making it up to you. Go out with Tiffany tomorrow. Buy whatever you want.”
As he spoke, he handed her a check.
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Sydney did not move, so he placed it on her pillow. Without another word, he got up and left the room–smooth and clean, like he could not wait to escape, as if any delay might get him in trouble with the woman he really cared about.
Only after he left did Sydney pick up the check and glance at it. Its value was 2.5 million dollars..
‘Neat,‘ she thought.
For Caleb, it was a steal. Two and a half million for a zero–risk PR fix? Anytime.
For her? Not bad either.
Sydney opened her social media app, switched to her alternate account, and typed a short
post:
Sydney: [No need to guess anymore. Yeah, that was me in the photo. Just a little married- couple fun.]
The money was hers now. She tucked the check away, turned off the lights, and lay down to sleep. But the moment she closed her eyes, she saw herself at seven years old, kneeling on the familiar gravel path at the Sterling estate–the same spot where she had been punished so many times.
She remembered it clearly.
Back then…
Eloise ordered the maids to hit her when a 13–year–old boy wearing a black mourning armband stepped in front of her.
“If she bothers you that much, then she can come live at my place instead,” he said firmly.
He took her hand and pulled her away, muttering how useless she was, always getting beaten up. Even now, Sydney could still recall that boy’s frail, upright figure standing protectively in front of her.
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Chapter 11
In the dark, Sydney suddenly lifted a hand to cover her eyes. Her palm felt damp.
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Sydney’s social media post had sent Penelope riding high for days. She was so smug that she did not even bother targeting Sydney anymore. After all, Caleb had made his choice loud and clear. He had kissed another woman in public, and Sydney still stepped up to do damage
control.
Obvious, wasn’t it?
Sydney had no interest in her gloating. She stayed holed up in her room, slowly packing
what she could take with her.
Her clothes did not take up much space. The real issue was her entire wall of specialized
medical books.
