The Ex Who Became His Obsession - Chapter 27: Chapter 27

The negotiation was proposed by Clairivera Group. Vanguard Media wasn't eager to take this matter to court either. If a settlement could be reached privately, that would be the best outcome for both parties.
They'd expected Rocco and their legal team to be tough, maybe even overbearing. But no one thought they'd go straight for the jugular from the very beginning.
Only Alyssia understood what their real intentions were.
Rocco wasn't here to win a legal battle. He was here to make a point. The more outrageous their initial demands sounded, the easier it would be for him to later pitch the "compromise" as something reasonable.
Alyssia smiled to herself, inwardly amused. 'Giving people multiple-choice ultimatums. That's classic Leonard's move.'
Rocco continued, "Mr. Leonard Rivera was deeply offended by the false article published in Vanguard Media's entertainment section concerning his relationship with Ms. Milena Johnson.
"However, he has no wish to escalate things further or damage his relationship with your company. As a gesture of goodwill, he's offering an alternative resolution."
Rocco turned his eyes toward Alyssia. "Mr. Rivera said he's willing to drop the case completely, but he has some request. He needs the writer of the article, Nova Deriver, also Ms. Alyssia Clairmont, agrees to publicly apologize to both him and Ms. Johnson.
"She should admit to fabricating the story and slandering them out of malice and promise never to work in journalism or media again."
He raised his eyebrows, his tone deliberately mild. "The apology can be delivered in writing, by video recording, or both."
He added, "By the way, Mr. Rivera has been unwell over the stress of the matter and checked into the hospital yesterday.
"If you submit your resignation today and deliver the apology to him in person at the hospital, we're prepared to withdraw the lawsuit immediately as though none of this ever happened."
Silence fell over the conference room after Rocco finished his words.
The legal team at Vanguard Media sat stunned, processing what they'd just heard.
The lead counsel finally said, "So your offer is basically this—either Alyssia takes the fall for everything alone, or the company takes the blame and pays the penalty?"
It was a brutal but accurate summary.
Rocco didn't respond directly. His eyes remained fixed on Alyssia, the unspoken pressure in his stare unmistakable. "Ms. Clairmont, what's your position?"
He especially mentioned that Leonard was hospitalized. Alyssia understood the subtext clearly.
Leonard's message couldn't be clearer: He wanted Alyssia to leave Vanguard and apologize to him, or Vanguard Media would suffer the damage they once suffered five years ago.
The threat in his tone was real. If they'd tried to destroy Vanguard once before, they could do it again.
Suddenly, everyone in Vanguard Media felt a strong humiliation. A global media house was being treated as if it were no more important than a junior reporter. As if her decision alone could determine their fate.
They couldn't help but think, 'How petty can Leonard be? He did all this over a gossip piece? Even if his love life is private, Milena is a public figure. Her fame is built on public exposure. What privacy is there to violate?'
Alyssia lifted her chin slightly and met Rocco's gaze head-on. "I can resign, and I'll leave journalism forever. But I won't apologize to him. I won't say I made anything up."
Her eyes narrowed, her voice unwavering. "You can tell Leonard that if he wants to sue me, go ahead. And he better be ready for court and dress for it."
Hearing that, Rocco didn't look shocked, though this side of Alyssia was new to him.
Since Leonard pulled the case from Joseph's hands and gave it to him, Rocco did his homework for it.
Rocco thought to himself, 'Boss is right. Joseph is not suited to handle this. He would've turned into a sobbing mess, begging Alyssia to go back and make peace with Mr. Rivera.
'And with that kind of emotional chaos, everything Mr. Rivera wants kept quiet—the entire affair, and more importantly, his carefully built public image—would've gone up in smoke.'
"Alright." Rocco nodded and stood up. He had worked for Leonard long enough to recognize the disappointment in Alyssia's eyes.
Leonard, who was in the middle of it, was blinded by the situation; while Rocco had a clear view of it all. From where he stood, he could see painfully clear that Alyssia was leaving Leonard for good.
"I'll relay your stance," Rocco said, offering Alyssia a faint, courteous smile. "Though I sincerely hope, Ms. Clairmont, you won't change your mind."
Clairivera Group's legal team had arrived in force, yet less than an hour later, they left—leaving behind a room full of Vanguard Media lawyers who all wore the same dazed expression.
Someone thought, 'Wait a minute... Why does it feel like, despite this being a legal negotiation, none of us were actually the point?'
Alyssia stepped out of the legal department and found Charlie already waiting in the hallway.
"No need to resign," Charlie said firmly. He watched the entire so-called negotiation unfold remotely.
Charlie thought it wasn't a negotiation at all. It was a pretext for Leonard to throw one more threat at Alyssia.
Charlie said as they walked slowly down the long hallway, "It might get messy from here, but Alyssia, listen—"
He stopped walking and turned to face her. "Don't beg him again. If it gets to the point where you really can't stay here..."
He cut himself off. The silence between them stretched.
"It won't come to that," Alyssia said, sensing his worry. She lowered her eyes and added, "I've got work to do, so I'll go back now."
Charlie stood there and watched her figure, holding back the words he'd nearly let slip. He finally muttered, "I'll take you away."
'Alyssia, we'll leave together,' he said in his mind.
Back at her desk, Alyssia found herself the center of attention again—only this time, whispers floated all around her.
Seeing Alyssia come back, Lauren threw her arms wide dramatically. "Alyssia, you're my miracle girl. You know what? Archer's manager just called. He personally requested you for his first in-depth interview. Can you believe it?"
Archer was the breakout star of the year—6'1'', long-legged, and effortlessly magnetic. According to the fandom, he earned the title of "the most perfect man in the universe".
He just exploded in popularity after a hit drama and now held endorsement deals for luxury fashion, high-end cars, and even national heritage brands. Behind closed doors, sponsors were calling him the ultimate marketing goldmine of the year.
Every major publication had to queue up to secure a feature interview. But Archer's schedule was booked solid. Up until now, he hadn't accepted a single exclusive invite.
Lauren shoved a lollipop into Alyssia's hand and smiled, "Good luck often wears the mask of disaster, and disaster often brings luck. Leonard suing you might've turned your name into gold. Without that mess, we wouldn't have stood a chance."
Archer's first big interview had been the target of an all-out internal battle. Teams within Vanguard Media had been tripping over themselves trying to win it.
Everyone had played their best cards—networking, pitch decks, flattery—but in the end, the golden opportunity landed in Alyssia's lap.
When Alyssia was assigned to interview Milena, her colleagues only wished her luck with genuine warmth. But now? More than a few pairs of eyes looked at her with jealousy and even hostility.
When the stakes were low, everyone was a teammate. But once real benefits were involved, all of them became wolves behind smiles.
Lauren leaned in and said in a serious tone, "The magazine shoot will be arranged first. Before that, your job is to deep-dive into Archer and have a basic idea of how the interview will proceed.
"You studied journalism, right? Hope you didn't give all those classes back to your professors."
Alyssia nodded, mentally recording every instruction like a checklist.
As she packed up for the day, her teammate Cian called her over in a low voice, his eyes darting around. "Hey, Alyssia, what exactly did Clairivera's legal team want..."