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Chapter 143
3:00 a.m. Out of nowhere, a bombshell post exploded onto the trending charts: “A–list actress Rosital EXPOSED as the Other Woman–Was She Always the Mistress?”
Attached were a handful of paparazzi shots–crystal clear, time–stamped, and obviously snapped by a pro–showing Stewart and Briony with Irwin, the three of them going in and out of Southcreek Manor. The photos spanned all seasons, leaving little room for doubt.
One gossip account spelled it out:
“Remember that tabloid scandal from last year? The woman in those leaked photos–Ms. Kensington–she’s the same one who publicly defended Stewart and Rosita back then. Now, looking back at how she tried to clear their names… connect the dots, people!
And to Rosita’s fans–stop making excuses. Stewart married Briony five years ago. Why the secret marriage? Why keep Irwin out of the spotlight? I think it’s time they address the rumors themselves!”
These days, insomniacs are everywhere–so even a post at 3:00 a.m. was enough to send the internet into a frenzy within half an hour.
Rosita’s Facebook page was a disaster zone.
Even with all the damning evidence, her diehard fans doubled down, flooding her with messages of support. But the public wasn’t buying it. The receipts were too convincing. The tide turned ugly, fast–most people were trashing Rosita and Stewart in the comments.
Briony woke to the shrill ring of her phone.
Half–asleep, she fumbled for it on her nightstand, pressed it to her ear, and hadn’t even managed a greeting before Stella’s agitated voice blasted through:
“Whatever you do, don’t leave the house today!”
Briony blinked, frowning in the dark. “What’s going on?”
“It’s huge!” Stella’s voice was practically buzzing. “But honestly, I don’t think it’s all bad.”
Briony rubbed her forehead, still groggy. “Just spit it out.”
“Somebody just dropped the hammer on Rosita–exposed everything. You and Stewart’s secret marriage, Irwin, the whole nine yards. It’s all out there!”
Briony froze.
James moved that fast?
“I mean, I’m kind of thrilled,” Stella admitted, “but you’re caught in the crossfire here. The press will do anything for clicks these days. I just–wait, what the hell-”
Classic Stella, always dramatic.
Briony yawned. “Now what?”
“It’s gone!” Stella shrieked. “The trending posts, the hashtags, everything–POOF!”
Briony: “…”
“I’m serious!” Stella’s voice dropped, almost defeated. “I give up…”
Briony’s grip tightened around her phone.
She knew exactly who was behind this.
“It’s disgusting! Not just Facebook–every platform wiped clean! Now the trending page is just flooded with some boy band breakup scandal. They’re burying it on purpose!”
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Chapter 143
This was exactly Stewart’s style. If it meant protecting Rosita, there was no one he wouldn’t use–or sacrifice.
“He must have paid a fortune for this!” Stella fumed. “Not only did he scrub the trending tags, he bought new ones to cover it up! Rosita always lands on her feet, doesn’t she?”
Lucky, indeed.
Briony felt nothing but disappointment in Stewart now. Hearing all this, her heart was numb.
“Bryn,” Stella softened, worried, “are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Briony said, rubbing her eyes. “Look, I need to call James. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Alright.”
Briony dialed James immediately. “Did you leak those posts online?”
James sounded half asleep, completely confused. “What posts?”
Briony pressed her lips together. That was all the answer she needed.
“Never mind. Go back to sleep.” She hung up.
Staring at the ceiling, her brow furrowed in frustration.
If it wasn’t James, then who was it?
By 8:30 a.m., Briony pulled her car out of Dolphin Cove, keeping an eye on her surroundings.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
And online, not a single trace of the scandal remained.
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