Chapter 255: That Woman is Olivia
Suddenly, Julian shoved Tamsin away, making her stumble back a few steps. She clutched her neck, coughing a bit, but her smile stayed bright.
She scoffed, fixing her messed-up collar and lightly touching the red marks on her neck. Her tone was teasing, "I thought you'd never touch me again."
Julian's brow furrowed as he glared at her coldly. "Get out."
Tamsin pouted, pretending to be disappointed. "What a waste of effort."
She bent down to pick up the fallen USB drive, twirling it between her fingers. "But no worries, we'll be seeing each other again soon. Take care, Julian."
With a sly smile on her red lips, she turned and left.
As the door closed, Julian slammed his fist onto the nightstand, knocking over a glass of water. He immediately grabbed his phone and called Owen. "Find out everything Tamsin's been up to recently, especially which media outlets she's been in contact with. And if there's any news that could harm Cecilia, shut it down immediately."
On the other end, Owen hesitated, which was unusual. "Mr. Russell, Mrs. Russell said—"
"Shut up," Julian cut him off sharply. "Do as I say."
"Yes, sir."
The next morning at Blue Lake Mansion.
Caroline was up early, planning to leisurely make breakfast and wait for Cecilia to wake up. But the moment she saw the news alert on her phone, she froze.
[Scandalous video of former Russell Group president's wife Cecilia leaked! Her private life is a mess!]
Her pupils contracted as she clicked on the link. The woman in the video looked strikingly like Cecilia, dancing provocatively with several muscular men in a bar, the scene utterly debauched.
The comment section was already buzzing with discussions, some mocking, some questioning, and many filled with obscene remarks.
[She's got those moves down pat, must practice a lot, huh?]
[No wonder Mr. Russell divorced her. Who could put up with that? And she always acted so high and mighty, disgusting.]
[Breaking news! Her apartment has been found! Who's up for a door-blocking party?]
"Damn it!" Caroline cursed under her breath and immediately called Kian. "Kian, we have a problem!"
Kian's voice was equally tense. "Caroline, don't panic. We've seen the news and are contacting the PR team, but the information is spreading too fast to contain. The video is unedited, but the woman isn't Cecilia!"
"I know it's not Cecilia!" Caroline's voice was urgent. She walked to the window, peeking through a gap in the curtains to see a crowd gathered at the apartment entrance, likely reporters and onlookers drawn by the scandal. "I'll handle the situation downstairs. Once I find out who's behind this, they'll regret it!"
After hanging up, Caroline quickly contacted a security company and messaged Alaric and Cedric. She glanced at the still-sleeping Cecilia, her heart tightening with worry.
By 9:30, Cecilia slowly opened her eyes. She hadn't slept well in ages, but with her phone off, she had finally gotten some rest.
Stretching, Cecilia turned on her phone, seeing dozens of unread messages and missed calls. Frowning, she opened the latest notification and froze.
Her mind went blank, and her stomach churned.
Just then, Caroline burst into the room. Hearing the moans from Cecilia's phone, she knew Cecilia had seen the news. Her face darkened. "Cecilia, don't look at that—"
"It's fake." Cecilia's voice was surprisingly calm as she looked up. "I've never made such a video."
Caroline rushed over and hugged her tightly. "I know! We all know! This is clearly a setup!"
Taking a deep breath, Cecilia pushed her away and walked to the window, looking out.
The noise from the crowd below seemed to reach her ears. She stared coldly at them, her gaze growing sharper.
She picked up her phone and called Alaric. "Alaric, find out where this video came from."
Alaric's voice was filled with suppressed anger. "We're already on it. Cecilia, stay inside. I'm coming over."
"No need," Cecilia said calmly. "You handle the video. I'm fine. It's safe here."
After hanging up, Cecilia went to her closet and pulled out a black tracksuit.
"What are you doing?" Caroline asked nervously.
"Solving the problem." Cecilia tied her hair back, put on a black mask and sunglasses, her eyes cold. "If someone wants to play, I'll play along."
Meanwhile, in his hospital bed, Julian's face was dark as he watched the photos spreading wildly online.
Owen stood nearby, sweating. "Mr. Russell, we've confirmed the photos were first released by a few small media outlets."
"Contact the legal department," Julian ordered coldly. "Sue them for defamation and get those photos taken down, no matter the cost."
"Mr. Russell, this..." Owen hesitated, "this might not be wise. You're still in the middle of a divorce with Ms. Medici, and—"
"What are you trying to say?" Julian's icy gaze bore into him.
"Mrs. Russell said to leave it alone and use this chance to sever ties with Ms. Medici completely," Owen said, gritting his teeth. "Mr. Russell, you've done enough for Ms. Medici. The company is struggling. You need to think about the company."
"Owen, since when do you get to tell me what to do?" Julian's face was terrifyingly stern. "Remember who really runs the Russell Group."
Owen flinched under his glare, feeling a growing dissatisfaction with Julian's decisions. He bowed his head. "You're right, Mr. Russell. I'll get on it immediately."
Julian gave him a sharp look but said nothing.
Meanwhile, downstairs at the apartment.
Cecilia, masked and hatted, stood in the elevator. As soon as the doors opened, she headed straight for the back exit.
But just as she pushed open the door to the stairwell, she ran into a familiar figure.
Alaric grabbed her wrist. "Where do you think you're going?"
Cecilia was momentarily stunned. "Alaric, what are you doing here?"
"If I didn't come, were you planning to handle this alone again?" Alaric's tone was unusually stern.
Cecilia pressed her lips together, saying nothing.
Alaric sighed, releasing her wrist and softening his tone. "We've traced the source of the photos. It was Tamsin, and the woman in the video is Olivia."