Chapter 15 Scandal Disappeared
The Williams Estate.
"Mom, I can't seem to find any of the videos of Dandy on the internet."
Malcolm burst into the garden where Margaret sat leisurely with Mildred, His phone was clutched in his hand, his expression somewhere between confused and alarmed.
Margaret's perfectly manicured fingers paused mid-sip. "What do you mean, you can't find them?"
"I mean—" He thrust his phone toward her. "They're gone. All of them. The leaked photos, the videos, even the blog posts. Everything's been scrubbed."
Mildred snatched the phone from his hand, her eyes widening as she scrolled frantically. "That's... that's impossible. There were hundreds of copies. Thousands. It was everywhere."
"And now it's nowhere." Malcolm dropped into a chair, running his hand through his hair. "I checked every major site, Social media, Gossip blogs. Even the cached versions, but got nothing. It's like it never existed."
Margaret set down her coffee cup slowly, her mind racing. "How?"
"I don't know." Malcolm looked genuinely unsettled. "You'd need serious money and serious tech to pull something like this off. Who does Dandelion even know who could—"
"No one." Margaret's voice was sharp. "She has no one. We made sure of that."
But even as she said it, doubt crept in.
Mildred's hands were shaking slightly as she handed the phone back. Her face had gone pale.
"Mildred?" Margaret's eyes narrowed. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing." Mildred forced a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm just... surprised, that's all."
"Surprised." Margaret's tone made it clear she didn't believe that for a second. "Or worried?"
"Why would I be worried?" Mildred's laugh came out too high. "Dandy's got nothing. Even if the videos are down, the damage is done. Everyone already saw them. Her career is over."
"Is it?" Malcolm leaned forward. "Because if she's got someone powerful enough to wipe the internet clean, maybe her career isn't as dead as we thought."
Silence fell over the garden.
"Malcolm." Margaret stood, smoothing her skirt. "Go find your father. Tell him we need to accelerate the CEO announcement to this week. Not next week."
"Why the rush—"
"Because," Margaret said coldly, "if Dandelion is planning something, I want Malcolm officially installed before she can make a move. Once he's CEO, the board won't remove him easily. It's insurance."
Malcolm nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll talk to Dad."
He left, still scrolling through his phone, muttering under his breath.
Margaret turned back to Mildred.
"Mildred. are you scared she'll come back and take back everything or expose you for helping chase?"
Mildred bit her lip. "I just think we need to be careful."
"Careful." Margaret laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Darling, careful is for people who have something to lose. We've already won. Dandelion is broken, disowned, and alone. A few disappeared videos won't change that."
But even as she said it, a thread of unease worked its way under her skin.
Dandelion, she thought. What are you planning?
...............
Across the City.
Chase Brussel's assistant knocked hesitantly on his office door.
"What?" Chase didn't look up from his laptop. He assistant walked in hurriedly.
"Sir... the video. It's gone."
Chase's fingers froze over the keyboard. "What do you mean, gone?"
"I mean it's been completely removed, from every platform, every site and even the backups." His assistant shifted nervously. "Someone hired a professional team. This wasn't amateur work."
Chase's jaw clenched. "Then find out who did it."
"I tried sir. The digital trail is... clean, too clean. Whoever did this covered their tracks perfectly."
"Then try harder." Chase slammed his laptop shut, standing abruptly. "I want to know who's protecting her, because I'm sure she wouldn't have done this alone."
His assistant nodded and fled.
Chase stared out his office window, his mind racing.
Dandelion had been destroyed. Ruined. He had made sure of it.
So who the hell was powerful enough and stupid enough to help her?
He grabbed his phone and dialed her number.
It rang three times before she picked it up.
"What do you want, Chase?" Her voice was flat and tired.
"Did you sleep with another producer?" he asked, in a mocking tone. "Is that how you got the video taken down? You spread your legs for someone with better connections than me right?"
She was Silent, Then...
"You're really disgusting chase."
"And you're a liar." He leaned against his desk. "Tell me, Dandy—who's your new sponsor? Who's dumb enough to waste money cleaning up your mess?"
"I don't owe you any explanations." Her voice was shaking now with anger or fear, he couldn't tell. "Don't call me ever again."
"Oh, I'll call whenever I—"
The line went dead.
Chase stared at his phone, fury boiling in his chest.
She had just hung up on him.
He threw the phone across the room. It hit the wall and clattered to the floor.
"Find out everything," he said aloud, even though his assistant was long gone. "Her friends, her contacts, her bank statements. Someone's helping her. And when I find out who..."
He smiled, cold and sharp.
"I'll destroy them too."
..............
Alexander's Penthouse.
Dandelion stood in the middle of the vast living room, her phone still clutched in her hand, her heart racing.
Chase's voice echoed in her head.
Did you sleep with another producer?
As if that was the only way she could ever be worth helping.
She wanted to scream, to throw something. To—
Breathe, she told herself. Just breathe.
She pulled up a browser on her phone and typed her own name into the search bar.
The results loaded.
Articles about her past roles. Her awards and old interviews popped up.
But the scandal? The photos? The video? It was....Gone.
Completely, gone.
She tried another browser, then another, she even checked social media hashtags but got nothing.
It was like it had been erased from existence.
"How..." she whispered.
Only one person had the resources to pull something like this off.
Alexander.
She glanced toward the hallway that led to his private wing, she needed answers.
She was about heading to his bedroom, when she paused remembering rule number 3 "Don't enter his bedroom"
She turned back almost immediately, she would ask him at breakfast.
But first she had to block that bastard Chase and every other unimportant person in her life.
............
Meanwhile back at Chase's Office.
Chase's assistant returned, tablet in hand.
"Sir... I still haven't found anything"
Chase looked up sharply. "What?"
"There's really not a single trace to track them"
Chase jaw clenched.
"Just keep digging," He said quietly.
The assistant sighed in frustration and left.
"Who's helping you Dandy?" Chase muttered under his breath while glaring into space.