"What is it?" Ava asked when she saw Chryston's distorted expression.
She stood up and rushed to his side, but the moment she saw the news on his phone, her calmness disappeared and the color drained from her face.
"How did this get out?" Ava asked.
"How am I supposed to know?" Chryston replied in distress.
Before Ava could say anything, Chryston's assistant called back.
"Boss, why did you end the call? The investors are already at the company causing a scene."
Chryston inhaled sharply and said, "I'll be there soon."
"Okay, please be fast," the assistant replied before ending the call.
Chryston stood up.
"I need to head to the office."
"What about the news online?" Ava asked anxiously.
"I'll be back soon. Let me deal with the investors first," Chryston said hurriedly.
He rushed off to get dressed.
Ava picked up her phone and searched for the news online.
She didn't even need to look for it. The top trending topics were all about her, Chryston, and Tania.
The comments were filled with hateful remarks directed at her and Chryston, while netizens overwhelmingly supported Tania. As an A-list actress, Tania's fans had flooded every comment section.
They called Ava a homewrecker, a husband stealer, and countless other insults.
Some even called Chryston a fool for abandoning Tania.
The comments were so outrageous that Ava's face twisted with anger.
She became so consumed by her rage that she didn't even notice when Chryston left the house.
Unable to continue reading, she smashed her phone onto the floor.
Her hand gripped the armrest so tightly that it looked as if she might break it.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
Bella peeked at her mother curiously.
Even though she was a child, she could sense that something was wrong.
Ava took a deep breath and forced a smile.
"Nothing, dear."
She didn't want to worry her daughter.
But Bella wasn't easy to fool.
"Mom, you're lying to me," Bella said with a frown. Then she added, "Is it because of that woman from yesterday?"
Ava's ears practically perked up.
She knew Bella meant Tania.
Thinking about it, no one would benefit more from this situation than Tania.
"That witch," Ava muttered.
She needed to tell Chryston.
"Chryston!" she called.
But there was no response.
"Dad already left," Bella said.
---
Chryston arrived at Golden Entertainment Hub with fear gnawing at his heart.
His suit was mismatched, and the buttons on his sleeves were left undone.
The moment he entered the meeting room,Mr Kane mocked,
"You look miserable."
Chryston ignored the sarcasm and sat down.
Immediately, the investors began shouting.
"We want to withdraw our investments!"
"You're not worthy of being the company president!"
The noise gave Chryston a headache and only added to his misery.
He rarely dealt directly with the investors. Most of the time, Tania handled them.
He had never realized they were this troublesome.
For the first time, he found himself wishing Tania were here.
Then he wouldn't have to deal with all this stress.
"Everyone, please calm down. I have a solution," Chryston said.
But they didn't even let him finish.
"What solution?"
"The company's stock has already fallen this far, and you say you have a solution?" one investor said, pointing at the large screen displaying the company's stock prices.
Chryston rubbed his temples.
"I can—"
A loud notification interrupted him.
An investor had received a message.
The moment he checked his phone, his face lit up.
"Everyone, look! Someone is willing to buy our stocks at a good price."
The other investors immediately checked their phones.
The news was true.
A mysterious buyer was acquiring shares.
"I'm selling mine right now," Mr Kane, the biggest investor declared.
The others quickly echoed him.
Chryston also checked his phone.
The information was true.
Still, he said urgently,
"This price isn't worth your shares. Why are you selling them?"
He tried to persuade them.
He may have relied heavily on Tania, but he wasn't stupid.
He could tell someone was trying to acquire the company.
Unfortunately, the investors weren't listening.
"Phew, I already sold mine."
"Me too."
Chryston finally lost his patience.
He slammed his hand on the table.
"All of you, stop right now and listen to me! We can revive this company together."
Mr Kane sneered.
"Revive the company together? The stock is already heading toward rock bottom. If we don't sell now, we'll be the ones going bankrupt."
Chryston was left speechless.
Before he could respond, the investors began leaving one after another.
No matter how hard he tried to persuade them, they refused to stay.
Soon, the meeting room was empty except for Chryston and his assistant.
He punched the wall and loosened his tie in frustration.
"What do we do now?" his assistant asked nervously.
Chryston took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"Find out who bought those stocks."
His assistant immediately turned to leave.
However, he stopped when the door opened.
An unfamiliar man stepped inside.
Before Chryston could ask who he was, the man placed a laptop on the table.
"I did."
A cold voice came from the screen.
Chryston looked down.
His jaw dropped.
"Lucifer..."