Chapter 9 Chapter 9
Maxwell
“What do you mean I am trending?” I asked, my voice already tightening.
“Someone posted a picture of you,” he said. “They tagged your Instagram handle. She’s claiming you two were together last night.”
“What the hell!” I snapped. I ended the call immediately and hurried online. The first thing I saw stopped my heart, a picture of me fast asleep, with Amelia’s head resting on my shoulder. Her face was covered, but mine was clear as day.
I clicked on the account that posted it. It had just one post, and the account itself looked newly created, almost like it was made for this one purpose. But when I scrolled, I realized she had gathered more photos of me from different places, different angles. My face was everywhere.
Before I could even process anything, my phone started buzzing nonstop calls, messages, notifications from people I hadn’t spoken to in months. I looked at Rhea. Her phone was vibrating just as much as mine.
My stomach dropped, I knew instantly how bad this was. There was no easy explanation.
Avala’s call came in, and I picked immediately. She is my PR manager, and situations like this are literally what she handles.
“Avala, this is a serious mess,” I said, dragging my palm over my face in pure frustration. “It’s bad for us. How do we control this?”
“I am going to start contacting blogs to take the post down,” she replied quickly. “But I will need Mrs. Sinclair available for damage control, if that’s possible.”
Everyone on my team already knows the truth, that my wife and I only play along for the cameras. Behind closed doors, we can barely tolerate each other. But to the public, we have to look united.
“Of course she will be available,” I said, shooting Rhea a sharp look that told her she didn’t have a choice.
Avala ended the call, leaving the weight of the situation sitting heavily in the room.
“I am not doing any damage control,” she snapped, folding her arms tightly across her chest. “You disrespected me in our own bed, and you think I am going to stand beside you and pretend everything is fine? Never.”
“You dare not refuse,” I fired back. “This is your fault. If you weren’t sleeping with another woman’s fiancé, I wouldn’t be in this mess.”
She let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “Please, if you had any control over yourself, we wouldn’t be here. Do you know how many times I tried to seduce you? How many times have I practically begged you to touch me? And how many times have I caught you with different women?”
Her voice rose, trembling with anger. “Don’t you dare flip this on me. You caused this, you brought that girl into our home. Not me.” She stepped closer, yelling the last words right in my face, and for a moment the whole house felt too small for both of us.
Typical Rhea, she never takes responsibility for anything. No matter what happens, she finds a way to twist it, to gaslight you, to make you feel like you are the one who ruined everything, even when she’s the one caught in the act. But this time, I wasn’t letting it slide. She was going to face the consequences too.
“You are doing this damage control,” I said firmly, stepping closer, “or we let everything burn together. If you refuse, I will release the pictures of you with that other man. At least then the public will know you are not a saint either.”
Her expression flickered, just for a second, like she didn’t expect me to push back.
I knew exactly what she was trying to do, playing the wounded wife, building sympathy. So that when we eventually separate, everyone will point fingers at me, calling me a terrible husband who walked away from a woman who stayed loyal.
Not this time, she wasn’t winning the narrative without a fight.
The moment I said those words, her entire defense crumbled. She didn’t even try to argue. I walked back to my seat and pushed my food aside, I couldn’t force another bite down.
Avala and her team would be arriving any minute, and my head was already pounding.
How did I miss the cameras? I didn’t even notice anything out of place. It had to be hidden somewhere on the couch, probably tucked inside the pile of things she left there.
Every single thing she did last night was calculated, the way she talked, the way she moved, even that ridiculous line about having a fetish for sleeping with men on their matrimonial bed. She planned it all. And I walked right into her trap like an idiot.
If I ever get my hands on her, I swear I will make her pay for this humiliation. My name has never appeared on any blog for the wrong reasons. Never, I have always been cautious, always mindful of protecting my family’s reputation. Our name carries weight, and I have done everything possible not to drag it through the mud.
And yet one woman, one night, one carefully planned setup and everything I have built is shaking. She came into my life overnight and managed to stain it in ways I never imagined. And she will answer for it.
My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing on the table. I glanced at the screen, it was my parents calling. The last thing I could do right now was answer. Not until this storm calmed a little. I didn’t have the strength to hear the disappointment in their voices.
I picked the phone up and dialed my private investigator. He answered on the first ring.
“I need you to run a background check on someone,” I said quickly. “Her name is Amelia, I don’t know her surname yet. She mentioned working in real estate. I want every detail about her by evening.”
“Okay, boss. Consider it done,” he replied.
I ended the call and slipped the phone back onto the table.
That’s when I heard a sharp gasp. Rhea was still standing in front of me, but now her eyes were wide, like she had just seen something impossible. Her whole body stiffened, and for the first time today, she actually looked scared.
“What is it?” I asked, but she didn’t answer. She just kept staring at her phone, frozen, her face draining of color. My heart slammed against my ribs. For a moment, all I could think was, God, please don’t let her have posted the video. If that went online, everything would be destroyed beyond repair.
I walked over quickly and took the phone from her hand.
One look at the screen and my stomach dropped.
Amelia had sent another message, another picture. This time it was Rhea, naked with a man. Her hair covered her chest, but their faces were clear. No way to deny it, no way to spin it.
“We are cooked,” I muttered under my breath. Right then, Avala and her team walked in. The moment she saw my expression, she stopped.
“Is everything okay, sir?” she asked cautiously.
I handed her Rhea’s phone. Her eyes widened instantly as she scanned the picture.
“I will check immediately if she has posted it anywhere,” Avala said, already pulling out her phone . “If she hasn’t, we will reach out to her and beg her to hold it back. Even if we need to negotiate or pay her off, we will do it.” Her voice was steady, but the worry behind it was impossible to hide.
“She’s not doing this for money,” I said quietly. I already knew Amelia’s intentions weren’t financial, this was revenge.
Avala checked her phone, and the look on her face said it all. The picture was already trending too. Another fire we couldn’t put out.
Rhea suddenly lunged at me. “If you had kept it in your pants, we wouldn’t be going through this mess!” she screamed, grabbing at me.
I yanked her hands off. “So now it’s my fault you were sleeping around?” I snapped. “Don’t forget how much dirt I have on you before all of these. Don’t you dare try to twist this on me.”
Avala quickly forced her way between us. “Please,” she said, raising her hands to calm us down. “Both of you, breathe. Let’s try to figure out a solution. We need to act fast.”
“There is nothing left to fix,” I said, the words pouring out before I could stop them. “The deed is done. Let’s just get a divorce.”
Silence settled for a moment, I had finally said it. I wanted out of this sham of a marriage.
But in the back of my mind, one thing burned hotter than everything else, Amelia. And I swore to myself, with every ounce of anger in me, that she would pay dearly for what her little game was about to cost me in the coming weeks.
Author's note: Amelia, Amelia, pray you don't get caught by Maxwell😂