chapter 8

Fiona dismissed the bodyguards and ordered Leander to deal with the Juniper problem once and for all, and to give me a proper explanation.

Leander complied. He took the initiative to prepare a press conference, planning to publicly clarify the rumors to the media and finally put the matter to rest.

But things often changed faster than plans.

On the very day of Leander's press conference, Juniper started a live stream.

"Leander and I were truly in love, forced to break up," she cried, her voice choked with tears.

The number of live viewers quickly soared past one hundred thousand. A wave of abuse flooded in, with people calling her a homewrecker.

Meanwhile, Leander was facing the media, stating that Juniper was a part of his young and reckless past, and that I was his present and future.

The live chat mocked Juniper for throwing herself at Leander.

She gave a tragic smile and then—pulled out a bottle of pills she had prepared in advance.

She said, "Without Leander, my life has no meaning anyway.

"There's no need for someone as dirty as me to be in this world."

Juniper began swallowing the pills on camera.

The live chat went wild.

Some viewers were calling the police. Others were musing about her "sacrifice for love."

Public opinion even began to flip, turning against Leander for his heartlessness and against me for being petty and "driving Juniper to suicide."

"Maybe I shouldn't say this, but even if Juniper looks like the other woman, she's sacrificing herself for love. She's a victim too. I'm on her side this time."

"Exactly! Leander's just trash. He can't make up his mind, playing both sides."

"Trash? This isn't on Leander. Olivia is the petty one. She stole someone else's man, and now she's pushing Juniper to her death."

"Yeah, Olivia is the man-stealer here."

At the press conference, an entertainment reporter showed Leander the live feed from Juniper's stream. He froze midsentence instantly. Then, in front of all the media and viewers, he got up and left without hesitation.

Public opinion erupted.

And I, without even leaving the house, had a front-row seat to the whole circus—both the chaos of Leander's derailed press conference and the drama of Juniper's live stream, all on my screen.

In that moment, a life was on the line.

No one cared if Juniper was the other woman.

No one cared if Leander was another woman's husband.

Everyone was waiting for the hero to save the beauty, for the picture-perfect happy ending. Countless comments encouraged Juniper to be brave, to hold on, assuring her that Leander was on his way.

They said they believed in love again.

When Leander burst through Juniper's door and pulled her tightly into his arms in front of the camera, the scene reached its peak.

Boom...

Countless fireworks blossomed outside the window, as if celebrating the lovers' reunion.

And as the outsider in this story, it was time for me to exit stage left.

The phone rang. I answered.

"Olivia, are you absolutely sure about this?" Her voice was gentle on the other end. There was no attempt to dissuade me, only respect.

"I've never been more sure." I looked at the screen, my eyes holding no more attachment, only the resolve to escape.

After the whole circus died down, Leander came home. He tried to explain himself carefully. "It was a life-or-death situation. I couldn't just stand by and let Juniper kill herself. I'd be haunted by guilt for the rest of my life if I did."