Jovanka flopped onto her favorite plush sofa, lifting both legs and asking her assistant to massage them. Evans stood facing the window, observing the multitude of journalists gathered outside Jovanka's house.
"Everyone's gone crazy. I'm being chased by the news. And now everyone knows who Jovanka's husband is. Soon enough, Altezza will come back to me," Jovanka said proudly.
Evans turned to look at Jovanka. "Are you sure he'll come back?" he asked sarcastically.
Jovanka narrowed her eyes at him. "Of course. Haven't I told you he loves me too much?"
"You're too confident," Evans replied. He walked closer and sat on a single sofa, reaching into his bag and handing her a white envelope.
"If he really loves you that much, he wouldn't send you this letter," he continued.
Jovanka roughly took the envelope and read it, then crumpled it. The letter contained demands-not requests-that instructed Jovanka to retract all her statements to the press and publicly apologize to the Altezza family. If she failed to do so within twenty-four hours, the Altezza family would take legal action against her for harassment, defamation, and violation of cyber laws.
"It's just a bluff!" she exclaimed, tossing the paper aside.
"I warned you, Joe," Evans retorted. "Even some of your contracts are suspended right now. And the ads that have been relaunched are being pulled again. Do you know how much in penalties you'll have to pay?"
"How much exactly? It won't bankrupt me, will it?" she grunted.
"Not for now. But what about the future?" Evans questioned.
"There will still be plenty of other contracts coming my way," she said confidently. "Enough. You all go away! I'm tired," she dismissed them, choosing to close her eyes.
On the other hand,
"How's it going?"
"..."
"Fine. If he's still holding out, pull everything back. Let him pay all the penalties. Including compensating for the losses from the failed film release."
"..."
"I'll make sure everything is wiped out completely. I might even take back everything my child has given him. I'll make him return to ground zero where he came from."
"..."
"Just wait for my instructions. Relax, your position is secure. I've even prepared a replacement who's far more brilliant than your protégé."
Back to Jovanka.
Jovanka woke up in a very good mood. Today she would again attend invitations from several television stations to clarify the news she had created. Jovanka was proud of herself. She felt that this was her greatest achievement. Starting with her chat with one of the gossip account owners, now all the news about her began to spread throughout the country. No one would suspect that she was the instigator of the news. She merely sowed the wind, and the public reaped the whirlwind. The storm of news about her secret marriage.
"Cindy...!" she shouted. Her assistant appeared shortly after.
"Yes, Joe."
"Bring breakfast here. I'm getting ready," she said, then headed to the bathroom.
"But Joe..."
Jovanka turned around, looking cynically at her assistant. "What else?" she asked lazily.
Instead of answering, Cindy grabbed the TV remote, which had just been replaced after being damaged by its owner previously, and switched it to a channel airing a gossip show. Jovanka's attention shifted.
A famous lawyer, flanked by his colleagues, appeared to be giving a clarification.
"Here we, as the Altezza Quirino family, want to file a lawsuit against Miss Jovanka Lawrence for allegations of defamation, unpleasant behavior, and violations of cyber laws.
"We have sent her a prior notice, but received no response. Therefore, from now on, if she continues to spread false news, we will take legal action against her.
"But if she retracts her news and apologizes publicly, we will withdraw our lawsuit," the leader said.
"What is the Quirino family's response to this case?" asked one of the journalists.
"The Quirino family has entrusted this case to us. As for the next steps, we are still awaiting a response from Miss Jovanka. That's all we announce. Thank you."
Jovanka growled. Her head was pounding. Her body trembled with anger. She tightly gripped the remote in her hand until her knuckles turned white. She was about to throw the remote again, but Cindy stopped her.
"Enough, Joe. There's no use in breaking things," Cindy said. Jovanka looked at her and roughly brushed off Cindy's hand.
"Where's Evans?"
"He hasn't arrived yet."
"Contact him, tell him to come here as soon as possible!" She stormed into the bathroom.
Evans was already in her room after getting dressed. "What's on my schedule today?" he asked while applying cream to his face.
"Nothing. Except for your appearances on television," Evan replied curtly.
"How can there be nothing?! You said last week that my schedule was packed for several months ahead!"
"That was before you ruined everything!" Evan retorted, his tone rising in frustration. "Now the agency is calculating all the losses you have to pay. Including the cancellation fees for the film you boasted would be successful and boost your name in the entertainment industry."
"That's impossible. How could this happen?" Jovanka looked at Evans incredulously.
"What's impossible and what can't happen, Joe? I've told you that we are under the umbrella of the Quirino family. In case you forgot, the owner of Kralligimiz is Antony Arthur Quirino, Altezza's cousin.
"And you yourself know that living in this industry is very easy to rise and fall. The length of your career doesn't guarantee your name will stay at the top, especially when you stir up controversies like this.
"Do you forget the case of a famous singer who claimed to have a child with an official? Do you forget what happened to him now?
"There are no more on-air or off-air contracts for him.
"Or if you forget about the scandal of a famous artist who was 'allegedly' involved in a prostitution case? He lost his reputation. Completely disappeared from the screen.
"And now, you will end up just like them if you persist with your intention to sue your ex-husband."
Evans spoke with a firm tone, emphasizing each sentence to make the woman in front of him realize.
"You only have today to fix everything before you're completely destroyed, Joe. Admit that you're sorry. Clarify everything. We can move abroad. Start everything anew."
Jovanka remained silent. She glanced at Evans wordlessly. Her eyes seemed distant. Meanwhile, Evans felt worried about what he saw.
He was afraid Jovanka was plotting something sinister. Something beyond reason that would only further harm her.
The woman suddenly stood up, her face hardened, showing determination. "Which TV station invited me today?" she asked emotionlessly. Evans frowned but still informed her where they were going.
Half an hour later, Jovanka was in the artist's dressing room of a TV station. The makeup artist had finished her makeup. The show would go live in fifteen minutes. And they all anticipated what Jovanka would say on the show, as it was clear Evans could no longer guess what was on Jovanka's mind right now.
"Welcome back with our guest star who's been the talk of the town for the past few days. Who else but our supermodel, Jovanka Lawrence," Evans heard the host call out to his actress.
Jovanka emerged from behind the door, clad in a long-sleeved white blouse paired with mocha-colored trousers that accentuated her slender legs. She didn't forget to wear twelve-centimeter high heels that complemented her appearance.
Her face was perfectly adorned, her hair styled into beautiful waves. A radiant smile graced her face. However, Evans felt uneasy about the woman's actions.
The small talk was over. "So, what's your comment after the clarification from the Quirino family?" the host asked again.
"I have no comment on that. What's clear is that I'm the one who feels wronged here.
"After six years together, now he's suing me back. I never expected him to leave me like this.
"A while ago, he just came back to my place and asked me to return," Jovanka replied sadly. The camera even zoomed in on her face, allowing the audience to see tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Really? He came back?"
Jovanka nodded as she wiped her tears with the tissue handed to her by the host. "He even took care of me when I was sick. He was so attentive. I have proof."
"Yes, viewers. Miss Jovanka previously provided us with CCTV footage as evidence." Then the host glanced at the large screen behind him. "This happened not long ago, as you can see from the date displayed below." The presenter continued, pointing to the screen. In the footage, Altezza was seen entering the house through the back door. The date coincided with the incident when Jovanka was poisoned. "Oh, he left the next day, right?"
"Yes, he stayed with me all night. He even came back to my house two days ago. That's why I never expected the lawyer to say such things to the public suddenly," Jovanka said, tears welling up again.
Then the screen showed the lawyer's comment that Jovanka had seen earlier that morning. "He asks you to apologize and retract all your statements. What about that?"
"I'm sure this isn't Altezza's doing. Altezza loves me so much. He wouldn't do something as cruel as this."
"If it's not Altezza, then who do you think did it?"
Jovanka looked at the presenter with a sad look. "His parents."
"Meaning? Your in-laws?"
Jovanka nodded. "From the beginning, they never accepted me. Even until now, they never considered me their daughter-in-law." Jovanka's tears flowed even more, engulfing everyone who saw her in sadness.
"And what about his current marriage? Is it true, as rumored, that their marriage was arranged? That Altezza doesn't love his current wife?"
"That's what Altezza told me. Unfortunately, I don't have proof for that. But I know that Altezza is also hiding it because he doesn't want his marriage to be known to the public."
"But they held a grand wedding party." On the screen behind Jovanka, excerpts from Altezza and Adaline's wedding were displayed. "How could such a lavish party be considered secretive?"
"The party was indeed lavish. But secluded. Just look at the guests, it was only family and closest business associates." The presenter nodded again.
"That's true. If their marriage was based on love, they should have invited their friends too." The presenter's comment was met with a nod from Jovanka.
"Alright, viewers, let's take a commercial break. After this, we have another guest who has a story somewhat similar to Jovanka's. Don't go anywhere."
Evans stared sharply at Jovanka. The woman truly disregarded his warning. It seemed she had no fear at all.
Evans chose to stand by the exit, continuing to watch Jovanka. He was at a loss for words. He had lost a way to make Jovanka realize.
Elsewhere,
"Destroy everything. Make sure not a single contract remains."