Love's Bitter Edge (Eva and Leonard)

"Eva, are you still listening?"

"Yes, I'm with you," I quickly answered, snapping out of my thoughts.

Fresh out of the shower, Astrid entered the room and burst into laughter when she saw my flustered expression.

I coughed loudly, trying to cover up my nervousness. "I didn't drink alcohol. It was just juice. Anyway, I'm hanging up now if there's nothing else. Talk later!"

I hastily ended the call, feeling guilty. Astrid flopped onto my bed, laughing even harder. "Seriously? My brother's that nitpicky? I used to think he didn't care about anything, but it turns out he's not so indifferent, after all. Look at him, getting jealous!" "Don't make things up," I said, my face flushing red. I was unsure how to respond. The more I tried to deny it, the worse it seemed.

"I'm not making this up! My brother's a bit of a blockhead, sure, but when he cares about someone, he really cares. So, stop worrying about the photos. Jack's got it handled."

I nodded, knowing Jack was capable of pulling strings, but I couldn't shake my unease. In today's digital age, completely erasing something from the internet was next to impossible.

That night, when I checked the company forum again, the post had already been removed. Even the trending topics and photos online had disappeared.

Astrid sent me a text from the guest room, "Sidney hacked into several platforms to scrub the photos clean. It's all taken care of. Sleep tight!"

Finally, I let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like the storm had passed.

...

But the next morning, when I checked a news site, I found a blurred version of the photo of Zack and me still circulating. While it was pixelated enough to obscure my face, I could tell it was me. Astrid noticed it as well and frowned. "This is like a wildfire that won't die. I'll let my brother know-"

"No, it's fine," I interrupted, shaking my head as I closed the app. "It's blurred. No one can tell it's me."

The photos wouldn't disappear entirely. As long as I wasn't easily recognizable, it wouldn't matter. Thankfully, the Boyd family didn't have many connections in Erewhon, and Zack himself wasn't a

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well known figure. The story would lose traction soon enough.

Astrid pulled me aside at the office before I could settle at my desk. "Stay away from Zack for now. The more you two meet, the higher the chances Leonard gets suspicious. We're low-key, so no one knows who we are. But Zack? He's different. If a reporter connects the dots..."

I nodded, understanding the risks. Over the past few years, the Boyd family had made waves in the business world, and their recentContent © copyrighted by NôvelDrama.Org.

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projects in Manovia had put them in the spotlight. Zack often appeared in financial news, and any woman spotted with him could easily become a topic of gossip.

Avoiding contact with friends seemed like the safest choice for now.

When I arrived at the office, I noticed something off about the atmosphere. My colleagues' stares lingered on me, full of curiosity and speculation.

Mackenzie walked in with a cup of coffee, deliberately bumping into me. "Oh no, sorry about that, Rinatta. Didn't see you there."

"No, you didn't see me," I said dryly, brushing myself off. "After all, your eyes are only for rich boys."

"Mackenzie, did you forget your meds this morning?" Astrid snapped, glaring at her.

Mackenzie didn't look pleased but quickly forced a smirk. "Well, if Rinatta wasn't cozying up to wealthy men, there's no way those photos would've disappeared so quickly. I underestimated her. No wonder she closes so many deals."