Alexander, could push me aside just to catch Lilian when she was about to fall—so why couldn't he push me aside now to shield her from malicious gossip?
After all, they were only rumors on the internet.
They couldn't possibly hurt me… right?
Sophia sensed my silence and became even more arrogant.
"Director Alicia," she said with a mocking laugh, "do you dare to take this bet?"
I said nothing.
Instead, I calmly ended the call.
Because I already knew the answer.
This was a losing game, and there was no point in playing it.
Even if Alexander didn't know about this right now, if he found out later… he might still choose to stand on her side.
But that didn't mean I would simply swallow this humiliation.
I needed an explanation.
Fortunately, the head of the photography studio had already sent me the surveillance footage from the makeup room that day.
There was no sound, but the video was clear enough. Anyone who watched it would immediately understand what had really happened.
I took a screenshot from the footage.
Then I opened the WhatsApp group with Lilian's team and sent the image along with several screenshots from the fan group.
"Apologize on Twitter," I typed .
"Otherwise, I'll release the surveillance footage. Think carefully about the consequences."
The group chat instantly fell silent.
Not a single person replied.
No one wanted to take responsibility.
Five minutes passed.
Still nothing.
Then I decided,
If they refused to respond, then I would simply change my approach.
I opened my contacts and began messaging several clickbait accounts.
I had worked with them before during promotional campaigns.
If they wanted drama, I didn't mind giving them more material.
After all, whether the publicity was good or bad, it still meant traffic.
And in this industry—
traffic was everything.
Just then my phone rang,
Alexander.
For a brief moment, I foolishly hoped he was calling to check on me.
I answered.
"Hello, Alexander."
"Alicia. Don't release the surveillance video."
Those were the first words he said.
The coldness spread through my veins instantly.
Of course.
I should have known better.
"Alicia, I'm sorry about the makeup situation with Lilian," he continued. "It was my misunderstanding."
I laughed bitterly.
"Alexander, I don't need your apology. I need the people online to stop insulting me."
"I'll handle it," he said calmly. "But only if you don't release the video."
"So I'm supposed to suffer in silence?" I shouted. "Take all the blame?"
"I'll compensate you."
"Compensate me? With what? Money?" I snapped. "Unless you plan on not getting a divorce anymore."
There was a long pause.
Finally he asked quietly, "What do you want?"
I laughed again.
He wanted everything.
The divorce. Lilian. And for me to bear the blame.
"If the public is dissatisfied with me as director, then I'll resign."
"No," Alexander said firmly. "I won't agree."
"I don't care if you agree or not. When you return from your trip, we're getting divorced. And I'm resigning or else I will go to nana and resign."
Then I hung up.
Immediately, another call came in. I answered it without looking.
"I've already made my decision. Stop calling me!" I yelled.
But then I heard Aiden's voice.
"Alicia, it's me. I saw what happened on Twitter. Are you okay?"
I froze for a second.
"I'm sorry, Aiden. I thought it was someone else."
"It's okay. I just thought I should check up on you."
"Thanks, Aiden. You don't have to worry."
"Did you see that someone is suppressing the scandal? It seems like it's your CEO, Blackwood."
"Really? Why do you say that?"
"You should check it yourself."
I grabbed my iPad and opened Twitter. As I began scrolling, I noticed the headlines had changed.
The focus had shifted from the makeup scandal to the sudden announcement of a new TV show organized by a subsidiary of our company.