The Ex Who Became His Obsession - Chapter 45: Chapter 45
You are reading The Ex Who Became His Obsession, Chapter 45: Chapter 45. Read more chapters of The Ex Who Became His Obsession.
Joseph had known since he was a kid that he wasn't the brightest guy around.
Back when they were kids, Leonard told Joseph to grab the hair clip from Alyssia's head, but being his clumsy self, he ended up taking Milena's by mistake.
Alyssia then led Milena, who was tearful, and a bunch of angry little girls to chase Joseph down, corner him in the ladies' room, and give him a good beating.
Leonard really couldn't stand Joseph. He'd rather hang out with other friends than include him.
Fortunately, Joseph was loyal enough to keep watch outside the Clairmont Estate gate every day, reporting Alyssia's whereabouts to Charlie. Little by little, he managed to win back Leonard's trust.
But in the end, it led to a major disaster.
Now, Joseph stood before Leonard, staring at the spiderweb-cracked phone screen. Once again, he thought he was really a hopeless case.
It was the same news about Alyssia. When Rocco reported it, he got Leonard's approval. But when Joseph did, all he got was Leonard's fury.
This was already the second time in just a few days that Leonard had smashed his phone right in front of Joseph.
After being dropped so many times, the phone seemed to grow stubborn—the screen stayed lit, and beneath the cracks, a glaring headline caught the eye.
[EXCLUSIVE: Vanguard Media entertainment reporter Alyssia's failed seduction attempt on Archer, retaliates with fabricated scandals.]
Rocco had already traced the source of the news. It was all orchestrated by Bright Orange Media, Vanguard Media's archrival.
Just as when Leonard previously sued Vanguard Media for defamation, Vanguard Media remained fiercely defiant, publicly declaring that their reporter had done nothing of the sort.
If Archer wished to sue, Vanguard Media was ready to face him in court and would simply await the summons.
Moreover, they would countersue Bright Orange Media for defamation and for damaging the reputations of both Vanguard Media and Alyssia.
But Bright Orange Media was far more ruthless than Leonard ever was.
They quickly published an exposé, laying out every sordid detail of Alyssia's alleged scheme against Archer.
First, Bright Orange Media presented evidence from Archer's camp, purporting to show that Vanguard Media had repeatedly and enthusiastically invited him for an in-depth interview, offering him carte blanche on the terms.
Since Archer happened to be in Elmbrook shooting a commercial and had some free time, he finally agreed, unable to resist their persistent invitations.
Vanguard Media then dispatched Alyssia.
However, upon arriving at the hotel, Alyssia immediately attempted to seduce Archer. After Archer sternly rejected her, a physical altercation broke out between the two.
Alyssia struck Archer on the forehead with a stun device before fleeing the scene.
Subsequently, Archer experienced severe physical distress, including dizziness and vomiting.
Since Vanguard Media was a major player with significant influence in the national media industry, Archer didn't dare risk antagonizing them and chose to swallow his anger over the incident.
However, after he gave an interview to Bright Orange Media, with Vanguard Media's backing, Alyssia bribed several young women to launch a large-scale smear campaign against him, spreading malicious rumors as an act of retaliation.
Currently, Archer had sent a legal notice demanding compensation from Vanguard Media and Alyssia for all damages incurred and gathered evidence with the intention of filing a police report.
Rumor had it that Alyssia was willing to seduce Archer just to land an interview with him.
That was exactly how the anonymous note Leonard first received described it.
Leonard rushed over and found Alyssia fleeing the hotel in a panic.
Later, doctors discovered traces of suspicious drugs in Alyssia's blood, which cleared her name.
Leonard was now convinced that the one with sinister intentions all along was Archer.
But now, Archer had gone public through Bright Orange Media, mounting a fierce defense of his innocence.
Milena had already promised Leonard to terminate Archer's contract.
Now, with his back against the wall, Archer seemed to have no choice but to desperately fight back, claiming innocence.
But Leonard remained silent.
"Mr. Rivera, calm down for a moment," Rocco advised. "Remember, last time we looked into it, we found out that the Whitaker family might be behind Bright Orange Media."
In the past, Rocco wouldn't have breathed a word when it came to matters involving Alyssia. But now, he came up with such a bold suggestion.
Seeing Leonard's expression softened slightly, Joseph burned with envy. 'If only I were as sharp as Rocco,' he thought bitterly.
Joseph was stupid. Every single time, he just ended up making Leonard fly into a rage. He really wanted to ask Rocco for some advice, but he was afraid Rocco would look down on him.
Leonard had a business meeting scheduled that afternoon. He told Joseph to keep an eye on things. With his temper somewhat subdued, Leonard went to take care of business.
Joseph dutifully monitored the news updates, only to be met with even worse developments.
The bitter public feud between Bright Orange Media and Vanguard Media finally reached its climax. Bright Orange dropped a bombshell, unveiling both a key eyewitness and physical evidence.
The key eyewitness was a hotel cleaning lady from where Archer had been staying. The physical evidence was a medicated patch retrieved from the ventilation system.
The cleaning lady, her face pixelated for privacy, gave an interview to Bright Orange Media. "That day, I was cleaning the presidential suite, yeah, the one where that big star Archer was staying.
"This really pretty girl gave me 150 dollars. She was a fan of Archer's and just wanted to go in and take some pictures to see what a celebrity's room looked like.
"So I let her in. I didn't follow her. I still had cleaning to do. Not long after, she came out and said she was done. I checked quick, made sure nothing was missing, then let her go."
The reporter from Bright Orange Media showed the cleaning lady a photo of Alyssia and asked, "Is this her?"
"Yes. That's definitely her," the cleaning lady exclaimed.
The reporter pressed, "Are you absolutely sure?"
"Absolutely. A girl that beautiful—you only need to see her once to remember her forever. She was so stunning, I honestly thought she was a celebrity," the cleaning lady insisted.
Her glowing description actually sent the internet into a frenzy, with people eager to find out just how beautiful Alyssia really was.
But Joseph had a rare moment of brilliance. He gave all the major platforms a heads-up, strictly forbidding them from leaking any photos of Alyssia.
For reasons unknown, even Bright Orange Media kept her image under wraps.
Thanks to that, Alyssia managed to keep her mystique intact. But the next piece of evidence threw her into an even bigger crisis.
The medicated patch was retrieved from the ventilation system. Tests revealed it contained dangerous levels of banned substances.
The toxic drug components disclosed by Bright Orange Media left Archer's fans outraged and horrified.
By the time Leonard finished his business, both Vanguard Media and Alyssia had been cyberbullied to the point where police intervention was required.
Diana summoned Alyssia into her office. "Alyssia," she demanded, "do you really have no solution for this? Just last night I was singing your praises to the other managers, and now you pull this on me?"
Alyssia countered softly, "Did I ever ask for your praise, Ms. Reed?"
Diana was stunned for a moment. She had only just met Alyssia in person, not expecting her to be secretly a master of veiled sarcasm.
Her tone was gentle, soft to the very core, and with that flawless face and those genuinely smiling eyes, it was almost impossible to believe she was actually throwing shade.
"So what now? Vanguard Media is still covering for you, but you can't just do nothing. You know how vicious these fans are. Since Charlie's keeping your photos under wraps, they've gone and photoshopped our company into a funeral parlor for you," Diana added.
Archer's fans were now replaying the same attacks they once used against Bright Orange Media. Only this time, they were going even further.
Alyssia didn't even have a personal Instagram account, surprisingly enough.
So her haters set up dedicated fan groups and trending threads, keeping both Vanguard Media and Alyssia at the top of the trending lists with their relentless attacks.
[Bitch, is your damn company dead? Are your parents even alive? Are you some kind of walking corpse or a goddamn zombie?]
[How dare she drug Archer and even scratch his face? If you're that desperate for a man, there are plenty of tramps who'll make you scream bloody murder. Do you think you deserve my Archer? Pathetic bitch.]
[Paying top dollar for any photos, phone number, ID, or home address of that bitch Alyssia.]
[Staking out Vanguard Media with sulfuric acid. Let's see if she still dares to seduce Archer. Just between us, I'm actually—]
[That cleaning lady said she's pretty? She clearly has no taste. Here's proof. Alyssia is actually an ugly hag.]
Alyssia's haters somehow dug up a random girl's photo, photoshopped it into a grotesque caricature, and claimed it was Alyssia.
Then they scrawled all sorts of vile, unspeakable insults across the image in bright red.
Diana just couldn't believe Alyssia really had nerves of steel. There was no way she wasn't affected at all.
Unless she actually had a guilty conscience and was too afraid to face the public.
Diana couldn't contain her frustration. "Where's your backbone, Alyssia? I'm tearing my hair out over here."
Alyssia looked earnestly at Diana and said, "Diana, we can call the police."
Diana was practically gasping for breath.
Of course, the legal department was already handling the police report and cease-and-desist letters.
But what Diana needed to discuss with Alyssia right now was crisis PR management.
For a top-three national media conglomerate to be publicly humiliated by a competitor, this wasn't about justice anymore. It was a matter of professional pride.
After Alyssia left, Diana found an excuse and slipped over to Brianna's office.
Diana said, "I'm sure of it now. She's got nothing left up her sleeve. She can't come up with any way to clarify the evidence Bright Orange Media put out. At this point, she's just pinning all her hopes on the legal department."
"Legal department?" Brianna crossed her arms. "By the time they finish all the paperwork, it'll be too late. Just look at how far Vanguard Media's stock has tanked today."
But instead of being angry, Brianna looked positively gleeful and smug. "Let's see if Charlie can bail her out this time."
Diana was just about to chime in when her phone rang. She answered in a hushed tone, "What is it? What—"
Her voice suddenly erupted, "What did you say? Say that again. W-What happened to Alyssia?"
Back when they were kids, Leonard told Joseph to grab the hair clip from Alyssia's head, but being his clumsy self, he ended up taking Milena's by mistake.
Alyssia then led Milena, who was tearful, and a bunch of angry little girls to chase Joseph down, corner him in the ladies' room, and give him a good beating.
Leonard really couldn't stand Joseph. He'd rather hang out with other friends than include him.
Fortunately, Joseph was loyal enough to keep watch outside the Clairmont Estate gate every day, reporting Alyssia's whereabouts to Charlie. Little by little, he managed to win back Leonard's trust.
But in the end, it led to a major disaster.
Now, Joseph stood before Leonard, staring at the spiderweb-cracked phone screen. Once again, he thought he was really a hopeless case.
It was the same news about Alyssia. When Rocco reported it, he got Leonard's approval. But when Joseph did, all he got was Leonard's fury.
This was already the second time in just a few days that Leonard had smashed his phone right in front of Joseph.
After being dropped so many times, the phone seemed to grow stubborn—the screen stayed lit, and beneath the cracks, a glaring headline caught the eye.
[EXCLUSIVE: Vanguard Media entertainment reporter Alyssia's failed seduction attempt on Archer, retaliates with fabricated scandals.]
Rocco had already traced the source of the news. It was all orchestrated by Bright Orange Media, Vanguard Media's archrival.
Just as when Leonard previously sued Vanguard Media for defamation, Vanguard Media remained fiercely defiant, publicly declaring that their reporter had done nothing of the sort.
If Archer wished to sue, Vanguard Media was ready to face him in court and would simply await the summons.
Moreover, they would countersue Bright Orange Media for defamation and for damaging the reputations of both Vanguard Media and Alyssia.
But Bright Orange Media was far more ruthless than Leonard ever was.
They quickly published an exposé, laying out every sordid detail of Alyssia's alleged scheme against Archer.
First, Bright Orange Media presented evidence from Archer's camp, purporting to show that Vanguard Media had repeatedly and enthusiastically invited him for an in-depth interview, offering him carte blanche on the terms.
Since Archer happened to be in Elmbrook shooting a commercial and had some free time, he finally agreed, unable to resist their persistent invitations.
Vanguard Media then dispatched Alyssia.
However, upon arriving at the hotel, Alyssia immediately attempted to seduce Archer. After Archer sternly rejected her, a physical altercation broke out between the two.
Alyssia struck Archer on the forehead with a stun device before fleeing the scene.
Subsequently, Archer experienced severe physical distress, including dizziness and vomiting.
Since Vanguard Media was a major player with significant influence in the national media industry, Archer didn't dare risk antagonizing them and chose to swallow his anger over the incident.
However, after he gave an interview to Bright Orange Media, with Vanguard Media's backing, Alyssia bribed several young women to launch a large-scale smear campaign against him, spreading malicious rumors as an act of retaliation.
Currently, Archer had sent a legal notice demanding compensation from Vanguard Media and Alyssia for all damages incurred and gathered evidence with the intention of filing a police report.
Rumor had it that Alyssia was willing to seduce Archer just to land an interview with him.
That was exactly how the anonymous note Leonard first received described it.
Leonard rushed over and found Alyssia fleeing the hotel in a panic.
Later, doctors discovered traces of suspicious drugs in Alyssia's blood, which cleared her name.
Leonard was now convinced that the one with sinister intentions all along was Archer.
But now, Archer had gone public through Bright Orange Media, mounting a fierce defense of his innocence.
Milena had already promised Leonard to terminate Archer's contract.
Now, with his back against the wall, Archer seemed to have no choice but to desperately fight back, claiming innocence.
But Leonard remained silent.
"Mr. Rivera, calm down for a moment," Rocco advised. "Remember, last time we looked into it, we found out that the Whitaker family might be behind Bright Orange Media."
In the past, Rocco wouldn't have breathed a word when it came to matters involving Alyssia. But now, he came up with such a bold suggestion.
Seeing Leonard's expression softened slightly, Joseph burned with envy. 'If only I were as sharp as Rocco,' he thought bitterly.
Joseph was stupid. Every single time, he just ended up making Leonard fly into a rage. He really wanted to ask Rocco for some advice, but he was afraid Rocco would look down on him.
Leonard had a business meeting scheduled that afternoon. He told Joseph to keep an eye on things. With his temper somewhat subdued, Leonard went to take care of business.
Joseph dutifully monitored the news updates, only to be met with even worse developments.
The bitter public feud between Bright Orange Media and Vanguard Media finally reached its climax. Bright Orange dropped a bombshell, unveiling both a key eyewitness and physical evidence.
The key eyewitness was a hotel cleaning lady from where Archer had been staying. The physical evidence was a medicated patch retrieved from the ventilation system.
The cleaning lady, her face pixelated for privacy, gave an interview to Bright Orange Media. "That day, I was cleaning the presidential suite, yeah, the one where that big star Archer was staying.
"This really pretty girl gave me 150 dollars. She was a fan of Archer's and just wanted to go in and take some pictures to see what a celebrity's room looked like.
"So I let her in. I didn't follow her. I still had cleaning to do. Not long after, she came out and said she was done. I checked quick, made sure nothing was missing, then let her go."
The reporter from Bright Orange Media showed the cleaning lady a photo of Alyssia and asked, "Is this her?"
"Yes. That's definitely her," the cleaning lady exclaimed.
The reporter pressed, "Are you absolutely sure?"
"Absolutely. A girl that beautiful—you only need to see her once to remember her forever. She was so stunning, I honestly thought she was a celebrity," the cleaning lady insisted.
Her glowing description actually sent the internet into a frenzy, with people eager to find out just how beautiful Alyssia really was.
But Joseph had a rare moment of brilliance. He gave all the major platforms a heads-up, strictly forbidding them from leaking any photos of Alyssia.
For reasons unknown, even Bright Orange Media kept her image under wraps.
Thanks to that, Alyssia managed to keep her mystique intact. But the next piece of evidence threw her into an even bigger crisis.
The medicated patch was retrieved from the ventilation system. Tests revealed it contained dangerous levels of banned substances.
The toxic drug components disclosed by Bright Orange Media left Archer's fans outraged and horrified.
By the time Leonard finished his business, both Vanguard Media and Alyssia had been cyberbullied to the point where police intervention was required.
Diana summoned Alyssia into her office. "Alyssia," she demanded, "do you really have no solution for this? Just last night I was singing your praises to the other managers, and now you pull this on me?"
Alyssia countered softly, "Did I ever ask for your praise, Ms. Reed?"
Diana was stunned for a moment. She had only just met Alyssia in person, not expecting her to be secretly a master of veiled sarcasm.
Her tone was gentle, soft to the very core, and with that flawless face and those genuinely smiling eyes, it was almost impossible to believe she was actually throwing shade.
"So what now? Vanguard Media is still covering for you, but you can't just do nothing. You know how vicious these fans are. Since Charlie's keeping your photos under wraps, they've gone and photoshopped our company into a funeral parlor for you," Diana added.
Archer's fans were now replaying the same attacks they once used against Bright Orange Media. Only this time, they were going even further.
Alyssia didn't even have a personal Instagram account, surprisingly enough.
So her haters set up dedicated fan groups and trending threads, keeping both Vanguard Media and Alyssia at the top of the trending lists with their relentless attacks.
[Bitch, is your damn company dead? Are your parents even alive? Are you some kind of walking corpse or a goddamn zombie?]
[How dare she drug Archer and even scratch his face? If you're that desperate for a man, there are plenty of tramps who'll make you scream bloody murder. Do you think you deserve my Archer? Pathetic bitch.]
[Paying top dollar for any photos, phone number, ID, or home address of that bitch Alyssia.]
[Staking out Vanguard Media with sulfuric acid. Let's see if she still dares to seduce Archer. Just between us, I'm actually—]
[That cleaning lady said she's pretty? She clearly has no taste. Here's proof. Alyssia is actually an ugly hag.]
Alyssia's haters somehow dug up a random girl's photo, photoshopped it into a grotesque caricature, and claimed it was Alyssia.
Then they scrawled all sorts of vile, unspeakable insults across the image in bright red.
Diana just couldn't believe Alyssia really had nerves of steel. There was no way she wasn't affected at all.
Unless she actually had a guilty conscience and was too afraid to face the public.
Diana couldn't contain her frustration. "Where's your backbone, Alyssia? I'm tearing my hair out over here."
Alyssia looked earnestly at Diana and said, "Diana, we can call the police."
Diana was practically gasping for breath.
Of course, the legal department was already handling the police report and cease-and-desist letters.
But what Diana needed to discuss with Alyssia right now was crisis PR management.
For a top-three national media conglomerate to be publicly humiliated by a competitor, this wasn't about justice anymore. It was a matter of professional pride.
After Alyssia left, Diana found an excuse and slipped over to Brianna's office.
Diana said, "I'm sure of it now. She's got nothing left up her sleeve. She can't come up with any way to clarify the evidence Bright Orange Media put out. At this point, she's just pinning all her hopes on the legal department."
"Legal department?" Brianna crossed her arms. "By the time they finish all the paperwork, it'll be too late. Just look at how far Vanguard Media's stock has tanked today."
But instead of being angry, Brianna looked positively gleeful and smug. "Let's see if Charlie can bail her out this time."
Diana was just about to chime in when her phone rang. She answered in a hushed tone, "What is it? What—"
Her voice suddenly erupted, "What did you say? Say that again. W-What happened to Alyssia?"
End of The Ex Who Became His Obsession Chapter 45. Continue reading Chapter 46 or return to The Ex Who Became His Obsession book page.