Chapter 5

Third Person POV Winona's spirits remained low, so Christopher took her abroad to lift her mood. In the days that followed, he indulged her to the extreme. As long as Winona showed a liking to something, even if it was a necklace worth over a hundred million dollars, Christopher would buy it without a second thought. When she mentioned her love for watching sunsets, he spent a fortune to buy an ancient castle, solely because its terrace boasted the most breathtaking sunset views in all of Alvoria. To further delight her, he even commissioned a grand drone show. Against the canvas of the night sky, the drones moved in perfect formation, spelling out Winona's name in glowing lights. Her eyes sparkled, and a smile finally graced her features. On their way back, however, an accident occurred. The brakes of a small truck had failed, causing the truck to hurtle straight at them. Almost instinctively, Christopher turned the steering wheel, taking the impact on his side. As a result, Winona was completely unharmed, while Christopher was hospitalized with a broken arm. "Chris, how could you be so foolish?" Winona asked as tears streamed down her face. Chris caressed her cheek tenderly and said, "All that matters is that you're safe now." Just then, Winona's phone rang. After Winona answered the call, she looked apologetic and told him that she had rehearsals back home and couldn't stay to care for him. "Take good care of yourself when I'm gone, Chris. I'll call you often." Though her words were full of reluctance, her steps toward the door were resolute. As Christopher lay on the bed and watched her retreating figure, a memory from a month ago surfaced unexpectedly. He'd been in another car accident then, though only minorly injured, and he'd only suffered a few scratches. However, Juliette had reacted as if he'd broken a leg. She insisted he stay in the hospital and brought him homemade soup every day, rain or shine. Christopher had found it exasperating. "The staff can handle this. Why trouble yourself?" But Juliette had stubbornly refused. "The staff can't possibly care as much as I do, can they? I need to oversee your meals myself to feel at ease!" Back then, Christopher had thought she was making a fuss over nothing. But now, lying alone and isolated in a foreign country, he found himself, for reasons he couldn't explain, yearning for that steaming bowl of soup. "Book me a flight back home," he instructed his assistant, Brody Larson. "The earliest one available." Brody looked troubled. "But, Mr. Reed, your injury..." "It's fine. Just book the ticket." The next day, Christopher boarded a flight back home. Before taking off, he couldn't help recalling how, before leaving the country, he had locked Juliette in the walk-in freezer to teach her a lesson for Winona's sake. She had always been weak, easily falling ill at the slightest chill. He wondered how she was doing now. He had been about to call her after landing when he noticed dozens of missed calls on his phone. They were all from Brody. A sense of foreboding gripped him. He called back immediately and was met with Brody's frantic voice. "We've got trouble, Mr. Reed! You and Ms. Winona were photographed when you were abroad! Now, everyone's saying that you're a scoundrel who's cheating with your fiancee's sister! "And that's not all! The story about you orchestrating the assault on Ms. Juliette has been exposed too!" Christopher's eyes widened instantly. "What?" Reed Corporation was unlike other companies. Over the years, Christopher's striking looks and refined mannerisms had somewhat made him the public face of the group. Riding on the wave of online popularity, he had successfully pivoted the company's image. Then, his subsequent engagement to Juliette and the image of a devoted and faithful fiance that he painted himself had won over countless fans and driven the company's sales to new heights. But the internet was a double-edged sword. The very platform that had once brought him immense benefits now turned on him with vicious force as his image shattered. The price he had to pay was far greater than what he had ever gained. Forcing himself to stay level-headed, Christopher said, "Launch an emergency PR response immediately." Brody acknowledged the order, then hesitated before adding, "Mr. Reed... there's one more thing. Ms. Juliette... she's disappeared." Christopher slammed on the brakes, and the car screeched to a halt, tires grinding sharply against the road. Christopher leaned back in his seat and hit the steering wheel hard.