Chapter 181 Triple Shock

Chapter 181 Triple Shock

"Relax," Alex murmured against her ear, his voice low and soothing. "I've got you."
The lobby fell into stunned silence. Staff members froze, their eyes wide with shock.
Brie felt Alex's arms tighten around her waist as he turned her gently to face him. His blue eyes searched her face, concern etched in the lines around his mouth.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly, one hand coming up to cup her cheek. "Something came up, I tried to get here sooner."
She nodded mutely, still too shocked to speak. The staff around them were practically vibrating with disbelief. Whispers erupted like wildfire.
"Is that... is that…are they? Oh my goodness," one of Titan’s employees spoke, her knees almost failing her. She had been quite vocal, demanding Brie’s response when her videos and pictures were displayed for all to see.
"The CEO is with Brie Summers?"
"…But Miss Voss is right there," another person stuttered, still shocked at the scene. "I thought she was his fiancée?"
“What’s going on? Have we been wrong all this time?” Another person spoke in a not-so-confident voice.
Alex didn't seem to hear any of it. His entire focus remained on Brie, his thumb stroking her cheekbone with such tenderness that her eyes began to sting with unshed tears.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "This never should have happened."
The manager of the resort suddenly appeared, practically running across the polished floor. When he reached them and saw Alex's arms wrapped protectively around Brie, cold sweat immediately formed on his forehead. His face went from red to white in the span of a heartbeat.
"M-Mr. Reed," he stammered, wringing his hands. "I can explain. Miss Voss, she—she claimed to be your fiancée. She forcefully took the keys to your suite, I—"
Alex's gaze slowly shifted from Brie to the manager, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. His expression remained calm, but there was ice in his eyes.
"The instruction was clear," he said quietly, each word precise and cutting, "You gave the keys to someone who claimed to be my fiancée without verifying with me directly?"
"I—I apologize, Mr. Reed. I tried—"
Alex's attention turned to Sienna, who stood frozen near the concierge desk, her face a mask of barely concealed panic. His voice, when he spoke, was cold enough to freeze fire.
"Care to explain, Sienna?"
Sienna's mouth opened and closed several times, her usual poise crumbling. "Alex, I—I can explain. I just thought—we were together for so long, and I—"
"We broke up three years ago," Alex cut her off, his tone flat and unforgiving. "You know this. Everyone who matters knows this. Yet you've been using a title that no longer belongs to you to intimidate my girlfriend publicly."
He turned back to the manager without waiting for Sienna's response. "Arrange a different suite, except you intend I sleep on the couch tonight." He glanced at Brie, who was now blushing a slight shade of pink. The manager, understanding perfectly, nodded. ‘Understood, Sir, right away.”
Brie had been staring at Alex's chest throughout the entire exchange, trying to process everything that was happening.
He wasn't hiding their relationship. Not here, not in front of all these people, not even in front of Sienna and Jeff. He was claiming her, publicly and without hesitation.
The staff members stood in various states of shock, their mouths hanging open. Then, suddenly, a young lady, a mid-level employee, stepped forward, her words tumbling out in a rush.
"Mr. Reed, sir, I'm not involved in what happened to Miss Summers. It was Margaret." She pointed at Margaret, who was now trying to hide behind her crew of gossips. "She posted a video of Miss Summers and you being intimate in your car, and she said Miss Summers was trying to seduce you. She said she wanted to put Miss Summers in her place and avenge Miss Voss. We didn't know—we had no idea you two were actually together!"
All eyes turned to Margaret, whose face had gone deathly pale. She immediately held up her hands defensively.
"That's not—it wasn't just me!" She pointed frantically at someone else. It was Peyton.
"Peyton sent me the video! She's the one who started this whole thing!"
Peyton's eyes went wide with shock. "What? No! I never sent you anything! You're lying!"
Margaret's voice rose in pitch. "You did! You sent it to me and said we should expose her for what she really is!"
"I never said that!" Peyton shot back, her face flushed with anger.
The other staff members began to turn on Margaret, their expressions ranging from disapproval to outright disgust.
"I told you not to post that video," one of them muttered.
"Yeah, we all told you to leave it alone," another added.
Margaret's composure cracked completely. "Oh, please! When I first brought up the video and talked about exposing Brie in front of Miss Voss, you all supported me! You all agreed she needed to be put in her place!"
“Liar, just admit the truth, Margaret,” someone let out a low hiss, disgust all over his face.
Margaret let out a strangled sob. “How can you say that? You were all there. You all said this was fun and even suggested we invite Miss Sienna and Mr. Jeff for a resort hangout. You said we should all push for a trip with everyone so we could expose her.”
“That was you, Margaret. Wasn’t it you who agreed to let Mr. Lucas, the team lead, bring the suggestion to the management meeting?” One of the ladies retorted.
Margaret’s face turned pale as she glanced at Lucas, whose face had gone white as sheets.
“Everyone knows you’re having an affair with Lucas and that he does whatever you say in the unit. Don’t bring us into this,” Someone else spoke, denying any involvement.
Margaret, seeing she was cornered and had no way out, whirled to face Alex, desperation clear in her eyes. "Mr. Reed, I only did it because I thought she was being a homewrecker. I wanted Miss Voss to know what kind of woman she was. I had no idea you two were actually together. I was trying to protect—"
"You wanted drama," Alex cut in, his voice like steel. "You wanted to humiliate her. You went as far as hacking her phone, didn't you?"
Margaret's face went white. "No! I would never—I didn't hack anything!"
Alex's eyes narrowed. "Then how, exactly, did intimate pictures my girlfriend sent to me appear for everyone’s amusement?”
"I didn't—someone must have—I don't know how—"
At that moment, Lewis, Alex's assistant, returned to the lobby. He'd stepped away briefly during the confrontation, and now he approached with a tablet in his hand.
"Sir," Lewis said, his voice carrying clearly across the silent lobby. "I have the footage of the incident."
Alex's arm tightened around Brie's waist as he looked at his assistant. "Show me."