The Ex Who Became His Obsession - Chapter 46: Chapter 46

Aboard the private jet, Joseph, after going to great lengths to investigate, reported his findings. "Mr. Rivera, the cleaning lady was telling the truth.
"Ms. Clairmont did go to the hotel. She gave the cleaning lady 150 dollars, claimed to be Archer's fan, and gained access to his room."
"But," seeing Leonard's face darken instantly, Joseph hastily added, "The timing doesn't match up."
"What do you mean?" Leonard lifted his gaze, a storm of emotions raging and then subsiding in his eyes.
He wondered, 'I've told her time and again. She's just not cut out for working. Her petty schemes will only dig her own grave. But does Alyssia ever listen? No, she insists on going out and making a fuss.
'Does she really think that proving herself will make me think highly of her? Can't she just accept things as they are? Wouldn't it be better if she just obeyed? After all these years, I'm sick of her little tricks.'
He thought, 'Does Alyssia actually believe that becoming some successful woman will let her stand openly by my side? Dream on. In this lifetime, I'll never acknowledge her, never marry her.
'She simply isn't worthy. Being my mistress at Rosewood Manor is already the greatest mercy I can show her.'
Leonard gave Alyssia a ten-day deadline. He wanted her to face reality, come back to Rosewood Manor, and restore the balance between them, no more embarrassing scenes.
But instead of reflecting on her actions or showing any restraint, she only made things worse.
"Mr. Rivera, the timing of Ms. Clairmont's hotel visit wasn't what everyone assumed," Joseph said hastily, noticing Leonard's darkening expression. "The cleaning lady never specified the exact date.
"Everyone just connected it with that drug patch and assumed she'd gone there beforehand to plant something in the vent."
However, everyone, including Joseph, knew that Alyssia couldn't possibly have placed the drug patch herself. No one would intentionally poison themselves.
Joseph continued, "But actually, Ms. Clairmont went there later. Don't you remember? The day after she was hospitalized, she begged Mrs. Rivera to take her shopping.
"My investigation shows she went to the hotel that day. The incident the cleaning lady mentioned happened then, right after Archer had checked out."
Leonard paused, momentarily taken aback. Then he called Beatrice to verify.
"That's right, Alyssia and I went to the hotel. She went upstairs to handle something, and I waited for her in the lobby. Why? Is there a problem?" Beatrice replied in her usual laid-back tone.
"Haven't you seen what people are saying online?" Leonard sometimes felt that Beatrice's affection for Alyssia was a Schrödinger's cat kind of paradox, both there and not there.
Beatrice had protected Alyssia at every turn, but when Alyssia got herself into such a big mess, Beatrice stayed perfectly calm.
Beatrice drawled, her voice slow and stretchy, "I'm getting old. I just don't get young people these days.
"A bunch of keyboard warriors who can't even make 300 dollars, spending all day trashing people who pull in millions a day? What's the point of these delusional victories?"
Leonard let out a sigh. "I'm talking about Alyssia here."
"Of course. Aly is my legal heiress. What's mine is hers, so naturally she's raking in millions a day. Got a problem with that?" Beatrice declared.
Leonard was stunned for a moment.
Beatrice mocked others for their delusional victories, yet she was just indulging in empty talk herself.
At least Leonard knew the truth. Alyssia was not the heiress of the Rivera family.
The Rivera family treated her well, and the role they had in mind for her was simply that of Leonard's wife.
Upon learning that Alyssia had gone to the hotel after the fact, Leonard's expression softened slightly. But in the next moment, his eyes darkened again.
'She really is stupid. How can she not come out and clear things up when it's so obvious? Or is she just that trashy? Does she actually enjoy being insulted?' he wondered.
Leonard could understand why she wouldn't want to clarify the drug patch incident. After all, she was drugged, and it'd be easy for people to use that against her.
If she really had the guts to speak up, even for the Rivera family's reputation, Leonard wouldn't just sit idly by.
Yet now, she was hiding at Vanguard Media, too scared to utter a word. And Charlie couldn't even handle this one simple thing for her.
"Rocco," Leonard commanded, "find out what the hell Bright Orange Media is up to."
With the Whitaker family now involved, crude tactics like deleting posts and suppressing voices were no longer an option.
During the flight from Ravendale to Elmbrook, Leonard efficiently handled his pending business matters.
By the time the plane landed at Elmbrook Airport, Rocco had already brought Leonard the latest developments.
"Mr. Rivera, no need to check with Bright Orange Media anymore. Ms. Clairmont's problem has been taken care of. They've already come over and apologized in person," said Rocco.
Leonard was taken aback. But he was far from pleased. "Did Charlie step in?"
"No," Rocco replied, hesitating. "A paparazzi agency leaked the footage."
Diana leaned over Brianna's computer as they opened the latest trending headlines together.
"A video? There's actually a video?" Diana gasped. "How did they even get this?"
The exposé came from a paparazzi agency specializing in celebrity stalking. Its owner, a former employee of a major media outlet, later went independent and scored some minor coups.
But given their current capabilities, it was virtually impossible for them to get their hands on such exclusive footage.
The video was about Archer. It also featured a female personal assistant who worked closely with him.
The current leaked version had been masterfully edited. Not a single extraneous detail remained, yet every critical point was preserved with precision.
First, white text appeared sequentially on a black background, narrating the facts. [The drug patch was placed by Archer's staff. He admitted it himself.]
The video feed cut to Archer standing in the room, captured by a low-angle shot. He ordered his assistant, "Make sure to remove the drug patch before you leave, in case she calls the police or anything. We can't leave any traces behind."
White text on a black background reappeared. [It was Archer who harbored sinister motives.]
The scene shifted again. Archer lounged on the couch, showing his assistant his forehead. "Damn it, not only did I fail to get her, I almost got disfigured."
His assistant tried to reassure him. "You won't be disfigured. The doctor said it was nothing serious. We'll arrange some cosmetic work, and the styling designer will give you a bangs style before the Bright Orange Media interview. No one will notice."
"Let's not get into that right now." Archer grabbed her, pulling her close. "Help me first."
The female assistant feigned resistance. "So you couldn't get that female reporter, and now you come to me? What am I to you?"
Archer pulled her into his arms. "What are you? Aren't you my full-service assistant?"
"You know I have a boyfriend," the female assistant said.
"Don't play innocent. It's not our first time," Archer smiled.
The female assistant hesitated. "No, I might get pregnant."
"If you do, I'll give you leave for the termination. Let your boyfriend take care of you," Archer promised.
She whined, "Last time you made him take care of me, I felt so guilty. I was carrying your child, and what did you give me in return?"
"I pay your salary, don't I? Isn't that enough? Which of those delusional fangirls gets to make love with me?" he said.
"Yeah, right. How many fans have you slept with? Should I spill about your little fan selection?" the female assistant snorted.
"That's on those bitches for being pathetic. What does it have to do with me? They should be grateful. This is the biggest favor they'll ever get from me," Archer sneered.
Diana and Brianna stood there, jaws practically hitting the floor.
This video was a depth charge, utterly destroying Archer's reputation.
Contrary to his claims, Alyssia was actually set up by him; his predatory attempt on her failed.
Besides, Archer was having an affair with his female assistant. She had a boyfriend, yet had an abortion for him.
He even openly admitted to sleeping with fans, calling them bitches and delusional fangirls.
Any one of these would be enough to bury him.
"H-How could this be?" Brianna slumped onto her stool, murmuring in disbelief. "How did they get their hands on this footage? Where could they have hidden a camera?"
Diana had already picked up on this, her breath catching. "It must have been tucked in the crevice of the sofa, at that angle from the armrest down to the cushion. Isn't that exactly how our latest pinhole cameras work?"
A notification suddenly flashed in the executive group chat.
Having seen the video, Charlie immediately summoned all department heads to the conference room.
"Explain yourselves," Charlie demanded, scowling as he pointed at his phone. "Bright Orange Media has been pressuring us since last night. What exactly have you all been doing during this time?"
He kept his phone aimed at the group, the screen playing the footage everyone had already seen. "Did any of you even bother to investigate the truth?
"The footage was shot five days ago. In these five days, has a single one of you brought me any relevant intel? No. You're a complete disgrace to Vanguard Media."
Charlie's gaze lingered pointedly on Diana for a full second. "Ms. Reed, this is your department. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Usually, Diana threw her weight around the office, but now she didn't dare utter a word, head hung low.
Beside her, Brianna clenched her fists tightly.
Charlie continued, "We were humiliated and slandered by Bright Orange Media, and in the end, it was an obscure paparazzi agency that exposed the truth and cleared our name, along with Alyssia's.
"Throughout this entire scandal, aside from Legal and PR, everyone else at Vanguard Media has been utterly incompetent. Do we still have the nerve to call ourselves the nation's top media organization?"
He added, "Our reporter was drugged and hurt while on assignment, yet we just stood by and let the rumors tear her apart. Diana, as a department head, is this how you protect your staff?"
Vanguard Media had always had a creed, to fiercely protect every employee who risked everything for the sake of news.
But when Alyssia was set up by Archer and lost her credentials, the Entertainment Department spent all day spreading vicious rumors about her.
And when Archer turned the tables, they all just stayed silent, even pressing Alyssia to find a solution herself.
Charlie scoffed coldly, "This is what you call Vanguard Media self-awareness."
Charlie calmly announced the punishment. "Dock this month's bonuses for the entire Entertainment Department."
The reason for docking bonuses was simple. The devastating video that brought down Archer came from some no-name outfit named Sour Lemon Studios, while Vanguard Media's Entertainment Department, once the fiercest paparazzi in the business, didn't have a single person who uncovered it.
No, the real issue was, none of them even tried.
They all seemed to swallow Archer's story whole, actually believing that their twenty-something colleague would sell her body just to get an interview.
Everyone else just saw the Legal and PR departments' frantic denials as face-saving formalities for Vanguard Media.
The video went nuclear online, also leaving everyone in the Entertainment Department speechless.
Last night, they'd all feigned apologies to Alyssia, begging her forgiveness for their earlier verbal attacks. But now, hardly anyone dared to meet her gaze.
The entire office was so quiet one could hear people breathing. Even Diana came back with her head down, looking utterly devastated.
The entire department just lost their bonuses.
Charlie announced the punishment in front of all the department heads, deliberately humiliating Diana and making an example of her.
'Charlie must know all those rumors. Maybe he's even guessed more than I realize,' she wondered. A chill ran down Diana's spine. 'Brianna has a powerful father, and her family shares in Vanguard Media.
'What do I have? I'm just a regular worker. Why did I ever get involved with her?'
Archer was completely done for.
Sleeping with his assistant and fans could still be brushed off as a private scandal. But attempting to assault a female reporter during an interview was a crime.
Even worse, he turned the tables, accusing the reporter of trying to seduce him and inciting his fans to cyberbully her.
Vanguard Media made no bones about reporting the matter to the police.
They promptly posted the official case filing receipt on their website.
Then the domino effect hit hard. Archer's social media accounts were immediately suspended, and his official fan club announced its disbandment.
All of Archer's endorsement brands swiftly and publicly severed ties with him.
Anyone still hanging on as a fan was now being mocked as a zombie stan.
The whole internet was joking: [Anyone around you is still stanning Archer. If so, for your own good, steer clear of them.]
Of course, some people were intensely curious about what Vanguard Media's entertainment reporter, Alyssia, actually looked like.
After all, in the leaked video, Archer repeatedly mentioned her, each time with profound disappointment.
For a top-tier idol like him, who had seen countless beauties in the industry, the fact that he couldn't get her out of his mind meant she was definitely not plain-looking.
For the first time, Vanguard Media's headquarters were swarmed by rival journalists.
Reporters eagerly set up cameras all around, hoping to snap a shot of Alyssia as she left work.
Others also went to Bright Orange Media to ask around.
But after swiftly apologizing, Bright Orange Media became fully compliant, vowing never to release any photos of reporter Alyssia.
So some people online started speculating that Bright Orange Media never actually had any photos of Alyssia, and the whole thing with the hotel cleaning lady was just a staged act.
After all, with Archer being exposed as a serial liar, the cleaning lady's claims had almost none of credibility.
Alyssia descended into Vanguard Media's underground parking garage and, for the first time, voluntarily got into Charlie's car.
She did so only because he had a private garage with direct elevator access, allowing her to completely avoid the prying lenses of rival reporters.
"Here, this is for you," Charlie said, handing her an envelope.
The moment Alyssia opened it, she froze in shock.