Under Public Fire.

"...All the recent accusations and allegations against me on posts are lies and slander. I hope you, as my esteemed fans, can ignore these malicious and unprofessional accusations and continue to support my future entertainment career. Thank you for your understanding." The next morning, Amara listened as Melanie read out Celestine's response to the intimate photo online. She felt disgusted at how naive and noble Celestine sounded, but she was even more furious at Tobias' attitude. When Melanie first suggested providing the photo of Tobias and Celestine to the gossip papers, she hesitated because she only wanted to divorce Tobias, not ruin his business. But the situation had changed. Since Tobias refused to divorce her, she had to give him a warning. "This is all nonsense," Melanie said angrily, looking up from the newspaper. "How can she lie so naively to those people? She's the troublemaker. If anyone is innocent here, it's you, Amara." Amara focused her attention on her computer screen again. Since agreeing to take over her grandfather's company, her inbox had been flooded with financial reports from the London branch, which she had to review before next Monday. She had to do this; she didn't want to lose the bet and walk into another failed marriage. "Are you even listening to me?" Melanie asked in a concerned tone. "Fuck! Celestine's out there playing the victim, and she even got Labyrinth to speak for her. Look! They issued a statement promising to make those spreading false information pay." "Melanie, don't worry," Amara said, looking at Tobias' face on the screen. She had consulted lawyers, especially since the photo was sent from Tobias' own computer. No one knew she had been a computer prodigy since childhood, effortlessly hacking into Tobias' computer and using his email to send the photo. She believed no one could trace it back to her. "So, you're not going to respond to them?" Melanie asked doubtfully. Amara shook her head. "No need, I've already done enough. Soon shareholders will question Tobias' true marital status. To quell the negative impact of deceiving the public, I believe Tobias' PR department will suggest he find me and continue playing the loving couple." "Then what?" Melanie pressed. "You're not really going to be merciful to the shameless couple, are you?" Amara shook her head. "Of course not, but I'll use this as leverage to force Tobias to sign the divorce papers." "Honey," Melanie hugged her tightly, knowing what Amara had given up for Tobias, yet that bastard couldn't see Amara's goodness. But what hurt more was that until the end, Amara didn't want further revenge on Tobias, despite she was powerful enough. "It's okay, Melanie. Getting divorced quickly is what's best for me," Amara smiled reassuringly, then glanced at her phone. "Now, I've got more important things to do." But her phone rang faster than she expected. She glanced at the screen and smiled when she saw the familiar name pop up. 'This is who I've been waiting for,' she thought, picking up the call, and she knew exactly how it would go. ~•~ Meanwhile, at Labyrinth, Tobias sat behind his desk, tapping his index finger on his table while the best employees of his PR department stood before him, each honing a serious yet cautious look on their faces. What felt like a heartbeat had passed since they stepped in, before Tobias asked. “What’s the situation?” Silas, the leader of the group, was the first to step forward and answer. “Sir, we’ve taken action regarding the malicious post made by Ms. White’s anti fans. Currently, the posts are being reported and taken down. The damage for the picture post recently is also trying to be contained, but…” He hesitated. But no more did he need to say as Tobias had eyes, a phone and his very own social media account to witness the fire his company had been put under for siding with Celestine after the surprising release of the suggestive photo of him and Celestine. To the media and the outside world, Labyrinth PR had always done their best to make Tobias seem like the perfect family man. Many people drooled over what a perfect husband he was. Now imagine their reaction after seeing a picture of said perfect husband, getting intimate with another woman, who wasn’t even his wife. Boom! A total disaster. The picture didn’t even need an entire day, heck an hour, before it went viral. Now, the entire country was currently in a state of uproar. Tobias’s PR team was doing their best, but they knew it was only a matter of time before their efforts would come crashing down. And it was all because of one person. Amara. Gosh, that woman really knew how to put up an act to get his attention, Tobias thought angrily. “Mr. Larsen,” Silas spoke, catching his attention. “I…we have a suggestion. One that could possibly save both Labyrinth and your reputation from receiving backlash from the media.” “What is it?” Silas hesitated. Briefly, he glanced back at his colleagues, who gave him a nod of encouragement, before he continued. “Sir, we recommend you post a recent picture with Mrs. Larsen to quell the rumors.” “That’s right, Mr. Larsen. If you are to upload a recent picture, or even accept an interview offer, with Ms. Amara, showing social media that the rumors surrounding the picture and accusations towards Ms. White are nothing but lies, then the entire situation will die down, sir.” Zen backed up. The room fell silent. Tobias looked at the speaker, his brow furrowed slightly as he pondered their words. He recalled Amara's recent attitude and wasn't sure she would do such a thing. But he had to be accountable to the company's shareholders! After everyone left, Tobias began dialing Amara's number. However, after the first, second, third, and fourth rings, his call went to voicemail. "Fuck!" Tobias forcefully threw his phone against the wall. This woman! How could she switch faces so easily? What did she really want? He didn't want a divorce. The assets she could obtain were definitely not just fifty million. Had her goal of getting more money been achieved? He didn't believe she could find a man richer than him! Timothy, he was certain no one was wealthier than him, except for the Crawford family! But Amara absolutely had no connection to the Crawfords! He immediately dialed the desk intercom. "Within five minutes, I want to see Mrs. Larsen's exact location! Otherwise, you'll be thrown into the Pacific to feed the fish!" Seconds later, his assistant came to his side. "Sir, here is what you requested." Tobias literally snatched the paper out of his assistant’s hand and glared down at it. His brows however, creased after seeing the name written on the paper. Blu~room. It was the name of a famous hotel in the city. Now what was she doing there? Getting up, Tobias handed the paper over to Dean. “Tell the driver to get ready, we’re going there.” “Yes sir.” With a bow, Dean was gone. “And the lot of you, get those posts off the internet else you’d be dancing to more work hours and less paid vacations.” The PR team mumbled a chorused ‘Yes Sir’ as he walked out of his office and went down towards his waiting vehicle. Thirty minutes later, after an enraged journey, Tobias's car pulled up in front of the Blu~room. He didn't wait for his assistant to open the door and rushed out swiftly. Staring at the tightly closed hotel room door, his eyes burned with fury! How could Amara go to a hotel room with another man during their marriage?! He would never allow it! When he angrily kicked open the hotel door, he saw his dear wife cowering in the embrace of a handsome man—