The Ex Who Became His Obsession - Chapter 28: Chapter 28

"Nothing serious," Alyssia said with a smile, turning to Cian. "The legal team will handle it. I trust the company."
The office was so quiet that any tiny movement could be heard. Those who hadn't left yet were either absorbed in their phones or immersed in paperwork, pretending not to have heard anything.
Only once Alyssia walked away did the hushed whispering return, bubbling just beneath the surface.
One said, "She really knows how to say the right things."
Another added, "If I had a thing with Charlie, I'd feel confident enough to confront Clairivera Group too. I could probably get interviews with anyone I wanted and grab exclusives anytime."
"Shhh, don't say that out loud. Walls have ears," someone warned them.
The first girl retorted, "I never said any names. If someone wants to take it personally, that's on them."
Cian chimed in with a smile, "Guys, don't be so harsh."
Another girl scoffed, "Harsh? Since she's bold enough to do that, be bold enough to face it."
"She's just lucky," someone said while shaking her head. "She's got Charlie shielding her, so she can afford to stir things up with Leonard. If it were any of us, we wouldn't even know what hit us. We don't have her ability. We better not try."
"Her ability?" A girl snorted. "You mean her ability in bed?"
A ripple of mean-spirited laughter rose and fell across the office.
By now, most of the staff in the entertainment department had already left. The ones who stayed huddled together to gossip.
"Damn!" The same woman who started the conversation slammed a folder onto her desk. "I've been working overtime for three days prepping for Archer's interview. I dug through everything. And in the end, some 'connected' rookie swoops in and takes it? Are you kidding me?"
That remark hit everyone's nerve, and more people joined in to complain.
A man shrugged. "Same here. I even called his old school to chase down anecdotes. Who could have thought this? What a joke."
Someone else snapped, "If anyone else in this room had gotten the chance, I'd have accepted it. But her? A total newbie? She hasn't even set foot in this industry properly. She's just using her face to—"
A woman cut in, "Enough, how far can looks really get her? Let her ride that wave for now. Charlie's not going to fight Clairivera Group forever. She's just a plaything. Once he's bored, she's out."
"Hey, do you think she will try something... else? Like seducing Leonard to settle things?" one asked.
Someone sneered, "Leonard? He's got Milena. Like he'd look twice at a nobody."
Another person replied, "You never know. Maybe she's desperate. Sleep with one guy or two, doesn't matter. A few nights could solve the problem. Why bother struggling like the rest of us?"
"Let her sleep her way through then," came a snide laugh. "Just don't be surprised if one of us leaks it to the press..."
Alyssia walked briskly down the street. She left the office early today because she had an appointment with a realtor.
Charlie took it upon himself to cancel her lease last night and even gave her the keys to one of his own apartments.
Alyssia couldn't accept something like that, but she couldn't be without a place to stay either. So she could only scramble to find a new house.
Honestly, for a hardworking journalist, they just needed a place to crash for a few hours. Most of her time would either be spent pulling long nights at the office or out chasing stories on the road.
Charlie's perfectionism and stubborn insistence were something Alyssia didn't quite understand.
Deep down, she knew he still didn't fully trust her that she could stay strong and stay away from Leonard. He feared that scarcity or hardship might drive her back.
But Charlie should've known better by now—Alyssia wasn't some delicate hothouse flower that couldn't survive in the wild. A little wind and rain weren't going to kill her.
Suddenly, a familiar voice cut through her thoughts, halting her in her tracks. "Ms. Clairmont."
"Joseph?" Alyssia blurted out, caught off guard.
Joseph rushed toward her, his eyes filled with anxious sincerity. "Ms. Clairmont, please, just stop making trouble. Mr. Rivera was hospitalized just yesterday, and now you've pushed him to check himself out today. What more do you want? What will it take for you to go back?
Alyssia could never quite understand Joseph's way of thinking. Leonard was the one who ended things, yet she was now being blamed for not going back.
She'd long known that whatever she did would be seen as wrong, but she hadn't expected things to become this absurd.
Joseph pressed, his tone tight with urgency. "Ms. Clairmont, even if you feel nothing for Mr. Rivera anymore, surely you still have some gratitude for the Rivera family, right?"
Joseph thought bitterly, 'After everything the Rivera family has done for her, how can she just turn her back like this? Everyone knows how good they've been to her. Does she have no conscience at all?'
"Have some gratitude?" Alyssia let out a soft laugh.
She scoffed inwardly, 'From Leonard to his men all seem to think I owe the Rivera family the world. Yes, they were kind to me all these years. But that kindness came at the cost of my parents's lives.
'If I could trade it all back, I'd give anything to have my parents alive and well, even if that meant the Riveras never so much as treated me.'
"Please move. I have somewhere to go," Alyssia said, no longer interested in wasting breath on Leonard or anyone related to him. She was completely tired of dealing with them.
If Leonard hadn't explicitly told him not to, Joseph might have grabbed Alyssia by the arm to stop her.
Seeing that Alyssia was leaving, Joseph was desperate. "Ms. Clairmont, wait. Mr. Rivera is just waiting in his car over there. Please, don't turn around. He told me not to tell you, but he's watching."
Leonard passed Vanguard Media's lawsuit to Rocco. Joseph didn't know exactly what Rocco did, only that once Rocco came back and gave his report, Leonard ignored the doctor's orders and discharged himself from the hospital, waiting in his car outside Alyssia's company.
His car followed Alyssia's every move from the moment she left the building. Joseph watched long enough and finally offered to intercept her. Leonard simply nodded.
Alyssia said, glancing at the time, "Joseph, I really do have things to take care of."
She honestly didn't know what Leonard wanted, and she had no desire to find out.
"Ms. Clairmont, why don't you just apologize to Mr. Rivera? You don't need money. Why did you have to join Vanguard Media and make him angry? His health can't take any more stress."
Joseph stood his ground, determined not to budge.
Alyssia looked at his exasperated, pleading expression for a long beat. Then she murmured, "You don't even let me turn around to look at him, and yet you want me to go back?"
Joseph froze upon hearing those words. Before he could respond, Alyssia had already turned.
She just cast one glance backward, and she saw a black Maybach across the street. The back windows were tightly shut, but Alyssia knew Leonard was watching her.
She found it almost surreal. Over the past seven years, she had lived at Rosewood Manor. But even then, Leonard was always out of reach. He was always busy with meetings, business trips, negotiations, or dating Milena.
If she wanted a glimpse of him, she had two options: wait like a fool at home, hoping he might return, or swallow her pride and go to Clairivera Group to see him.
Everyone at Clairivera Group's executive office knew who she was. They'd greet her with polite smiles whenever she dropped by. Even Rocco was always courteous.
But looking back now, she realized it was all just surface-level decency, like Luna, who smiled at her up front but was actually scornful underneath.
And Leonard? He had never once shown her a smile. Whenever she went to him, he barely acknowledged her. Most of the time, he left her sitting alone in his office like she was invisible.
At home, she waited in silence. At the office, she waited still with the same longing.
Even on the rare days she caught him in the middle of work, he wouldn't spare her a glance.
She'd sit across from him with unwavering attention, her eyes clinging to him like he was the last thing keeping her grounded.
And on the rare occasion when he happened to glance in her direction—just briefly—she'd light up inside, as if that one fleeting moment was worth everything.
But now that they had broken up, he even showed up to see her more than once.