Chapter 141
Audrey’s POV
“This is ridiculous!” Astrid slammed her wine glass onto the bar top at The Underground. A birthday party two days late? Is he serious?”
I held my fruit juice, watching condensation run down the glass. The thumping bass here was nothing like the refined piano music we’d left behind at the Four Seasons. After Blake’s surprise “birthday party” revelation, Astrid had practically dragged me out to this familiar spot.
“Blake never cared about your birthday when you were married,” Astrid continued, her words slightly slurring as she took another gulp. “Now suddenly he’s Mr. Thoughtful Ex–Husband?” She laughed.
“Please!”
I stared at a green apple sitting in a bowl on the bar counter. Looking back, I should have seen the signs – Blake booking the venue a month ago, insisting I attend, all those birthday decorations. I’d been so convinced by Thalia and Olivia’s engagement talk that I never questioned it. But mixing up my birthday date? That might be the most absurd mistake he’d ever made.
“Three years together,” Astrid ranted, “and he doesn’t even know when your actual birthday is?”
My phone buzzed with an unknown number. I frowned and answered.
“Hello?”
“This is Andrew Jensen, the lawyer. Miss Sinclair, do you remember me?” The voice sounded tense,
formal.
I paused, trying to place the voice. “Yes.”
“We have an urgent situation,” Jensen explained rapidly. “My client had a disagreement with her boyfriend. She’s pretending to be ill at Mayo Clinic, and we need your assistance with patient vital
signs.”
He continued without pause. “This is an emergency. She’s offering substantial compensation. Her boyfriend is looking for gastric cancer specialists for her. For your future collaboration, I strongly suggest you help.”
I tapped my fingers against the bar. “Alright.”
When I put down my phone, Astrid was watching curiously.
“I need to go,” I said, gathering my things. “A colleague is in the hospital.”
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Astrid’s expression fell. “You’ve worked there what, three days? And they’re already calling you hospital visits? What kind of place is this?”
I smiled, steadying her as we walked to the exit. “I’m just that likable, I guess,
The cool night air hit us as we stepped outside. I quickly hailed a taxi for Astrid, making sure she was safely inside.
“Text me when you get home!” I called as the taxi pulled away.
Once Astrid’s car disappeared, my smile faded. I took a deep breath and raised my hand for another
taxi.
“Mayo Clinic, please,” I told the driver.
At Mayo Clinic’s entrance, I spotted a familiar figure near the doors. Blake stood with his phone pressed to his ear, his posture rigid.
What is Blake doing here? Shouldn’t he be with Laurel?
Frowning, I approached, his voice becoming clearer.
“The source of that message was from a male dormitory at NYU, correct?” His tone was pure CEO – commanding and cold.
He paused. “Sports Science Department… alright, I understand.”
I froze. NYU? Sports Science? Those details matched what Ethan had mentioned about himself. A cold feeling settled in my stomach.
Blake looked up, his eyes meeting mine. His expression hardened as he ended his call.
“I’ll call you back.”
He stared at me. “What are you doing here?”
I’d changed into black athletic wear, Raising an eyebrow, I approached him. “I could ask you the same thing. Shouldn’t you be proposing to Miss Rose right now?”
At the mention of “proposing,” Blake’s brow furrowed deeply. He turned to leave.
“Wait,” I called, stepping toward him. “I heard you mention NYU Sports Science Department just now… what were you talking about?”
Blake stopped, turning back with a cold smile.
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“You don’t know?” he asked mockingly. “Surely you’re aware of what that young man has been doing
online?”
Confused, I pulled out my phone and began searching frantically. “What happened to Ethan?”
Blake watched my reaction, something shifting in his eyes. His phone rang again, but he rejected the
call.
“My team has traced the IP addresses,” he said coolly. “One from the NYU male dormitory, another from the Sports Science Department training facility.”
Without another word, he walked away, leaving me alone.
I focused on my phone, scrolling through news feeds and social media. With each swipe, my eyes widened and my heart sank.
Oh no. Ethan has published all the evidence about Laurel’s online smear campaign against me!
The internet was ablaze with outrage directed at Laurel Rose. Screenshots of payments, internal communications, detailed accounts of the coordinated attacks on my reputation were spreading everywhere. The footage of Laurel’s humiliation at what she thought was her proposal ceremony only added fuel to the fire.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. Ethan and I collected this evidence for a lawsuit, not for public exposure. Publishing it like this not only jeopardizes any legal case but has enraged Blake… and who knows what he might do to Ethan in retaliation.
God, Ethan is so young! He has no idea what kind of storm he just unleashed!
Just as my anxiety peaked, my phone rang again – Jensen calling back.
“Miss Sinclair, have you arrived?” he asked urgently.
“Yes, I’m here.”
“Take the stairwell from the first floor to the eighth floor through the back entrance,” he instructed rapidly. “The situation is critical. The client’s boyfriend has already arrived and is speaking with the attending physician. If you don’t come now, the ruse will fall apart.”
“I’m on my way,” I promised, hurrying toward the stairwell entrance.
My mind remained fixated on Ethan and the trouble he’d likely created for himself not someone who forgave easily, especially when it came to defending Laurel.
ke Parker was
The stairwell was quiet, my footsteps echoing as I climbed. Upon reaching the eighth floor, I paused at the sound of a familiar voice from above. Looking up, I spotted Jennifer Carson, Laurel’s agent,
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standing at the ninth–floor landing in an intense phone conversation.
*Rest assured, Mr. Parker is handling everything,” Jennifer said, her voice sharp with anger. Hell definitely track down everyone responsible and make them pay! Whoever dared to mess with fratre must have a death wish!”
I pressed myself against the wall, listening. Jennifer shifted position, leaning against the railing as she continued.
حد
“They’ve already identified the culprit – it’s Mr. Parker’s ex–wife’s lover. Ha! That ex–wife? Just some country bumpkin who doesn’t know anything. We’ll see both of them in jail soon enough. That would certainly fulfill one of Laurel’s wishes…”
My hands clenched into fists, anger surging through me.
Lover? They think Ethan is my lover? These people are unbelievable!
Suddenly, Jennifer stopped. “I have to go,” she said quickly. “Someone’s here.”
Realizing I’d been discovered, I swiftly entered the eighth–floor corridor.
The moment I stepped into the hallway, I spotted Jensen pacing nervously. When he saw me, relief washed over his face as he rushed forward.
“Thank God, you’re finally here!” he exclaimed, grabbing my arm.
Before I could respond, Jensen signaled to a waiting nurse and practically pushed me onto a hospital bed that had been wheeled over.
“Her boyfriend is already talking to the department head, asking to see her vital signs,” he explained urgently. “If you hadn’t shown up, everything would have been exposed!”
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