Chapter 31
Chapter 31
RAVEL
(PRESENT TIME)
Since my return from Seattle, sleep has eluded mepletely. It all started with a heated exchange
with Hazel, which lingered in my mind long into the night. And as if that wasn’t enough, my encounter
with David added to the turmoil, leaving me restless. Eventually, I decided to escape the situation and
headed straight to New York the next morning.
To my surprise, when I reached my office in New York, Rose was already there, waiting with a fresh
suit, having anticipated my arrival. Grateful for the thoughtfulness, I quickly changed into the new outfit
and delved into work without wasting any time. Hours stretched into the night, and I found myself
tirelessly working until the clock struck two am.
The incessant noise of my rm and ringing cell phone, now both ignored, was grating on my nerves.
Feeling exasperated, I buried my face into the pillow, attempting to drown out the persistent
interruptions. At this point, it seemed like any possibility of a peaceful slumber was a distant dream.
–
Exhausted and irritated by the early morning disturbance, I groaned into my pillow, cursing the time –
barely five o’clock! All I wanted was a mere three hours of peaceful sleep. Reluctantly, I reached for the
phone, swiped to answer the call, and pressed it to my ear, muttering a sleepy “Southwark.”
To my surprise, it was Rose on the line, and confusion clouded my just-awakened mind. We had only
met a few hours ago, so what could be so urgent to warrant such an early call? My patience wearing
thin, I asked impatiently, “Someone better be dying, Rose! Why the hell are you calling me this early?”
Her voice trembled with urgency as she replied, “We have a problem, sir! You need to go online
immediately. There’s a crazy video circting, and it’s not good at all.”
Suddenly wide awake, all traces of sleep evaporated from my eyes. I sat up in bed, the gravity of the
situation sinking in. Whatever was happening demanded my immediate attention.
My heart raced in my chest as I grabbed my tablet, hastily navigating to the inte. My finger trembled
with anxiety as I searched for the news, fearing the worst. To my immense relief, I didn’t find the
dreaded video I had expected. Instead, it was a video of me relentlessly hitting David.
Taking a deep breath, I realized I’d rather face the consequences of this video than the other possibility.
With a heavy sigh, I’ refocused my attention on Rose, who had been frantically exining on the other
end of the phone. “When was this uploaded?” I inquired urgently.
“Thirty minutes ago!” Rose eximed, her voice filled with disbelief. “And it’s already garnered over ten
million views! I can’t believe the speed it’s spreading!”
I ced the call on loudspeaker and dropped the phone on the bed while I focused on my tablet,
ying the uploaded video. It showed the intense moment when I pinned David to the concrete floor
and delivered blows relentlessly.
I clicked on thements and reviews to gauge the audience’s reaction. “What’s the negative
response rate?” I asked.
“Over seventy percent,” she replied with frustration evident in her voice. “This is going to have a
detrimental impact on the exhibition.”
Raymond tried to warn me about this. “What are the social media team and strategists doing?” I
inquired, desperate for a solution. That ba stard told me he fights dirty; I guess he wasn’t joking.
Unfortunately, hitting David’s finances wasn’t an option due to his connection with Hazel. “Can they fix
this?”
“They’re working on it and they assured me that they’ll fix this.” She sounds so unsure of what she’s
saying. If really they are doing something about this, I shouldn’t even be able to ess this video.
“I want that video taken down,” I hissed, my annoyance palpable. I paid my social media team
handsomely precisely to handle situations like this promptly, and their sluggishness was uneptable.
“Tell Jasper I’m going back online in the next five minutes,” I instructed firmly, “And when I do, that
video better not be anywhere in sight.”
Rose’s tired sigh resonated through the phone as she tried to exin the situation. “They’ve been
doing their best, sir. It seems like whoever uploaded the video is intentionally targeting you” She
snapped at someone in the background before continuing, “Within thirty minutes, Jasper and his team
have taken down the video ten times, only for it to be re-uploaded.
ten times.”
Frustration boiled within me, realizing that the uploader had ulterior motives to make the video go viral.
“That da mn ba stard!” I seethed, pondering various ways to retaliate against David. However, I knew
any actions against him would indirectly affect Hazel, which only added to my annoyance,
As Rose kept talking, her voice bringing me back to the current situation, she suggested, “You’ll need a
press conference to address this before it esctes further. I’ll send you the speech before you leave
for work.”
Acknowledging the need for damage control, I agreed, “Keep me updated on the situation at the office.”
This ordeal was far from over, and I had to stay vignt to protect my reputation and business interests.
“Yes sir.” She muttered right before I disconnected the call.
Feeling overwhelmed, I ended the call with Rose and just as I thought I could have a moment to
myself, Anne’s name popped up on my screen. Not wanting to deal with herints, I declined the
call, and instead, I decided to seek sce in liquor.
In the living room, I found Raymond anxiously pacing while on a call, clearly trying to handle the
situation to protect the exhibition. He noticed me behind him and stopped abruptly. “I need positive
reviews,” he snapped into the receiver, “I don’t care how many fake ounts you create, just defend
him!”
Raymond disconnected the call and angrily tossed the phone onto the sofa. The weight of the situation
was evident on his face, mirroring my own emotions. It was clear we were both grappling with the
magnitude of the problem, and the pressure to salvage my reputation for the sake of thepany and
exhibition was immense.N?velDrama.Org owns this.