Melting Her Cold Heart
Chapter 34: Hers To Control

Chapter 34: Hers To Control

It didn’t take long after the scandalous article was released for Malerie to discover it. Her face contorted in anger as she read the content. Even though no names were mentioned and the images were blurred, she knew it was about her and Adam. But how had anyone found out?

Although Adam’s name wasn’t explicitly mentioned, the reference to a "Crawford" being involved made her heart race.

As she pondered who could have leaked the story, her thoughts drifted to Olivia, and her frown deepened. That brat hadn’t been too friendly during their first meeting, and the hurtful names she’d thrown at her still stung.

"Could it be her?" she whispered to herself, making sure no one else could hear. She glanced around and saw that the other secretaries were absorbed in their work. Relieved that no one else seemed to have noticed the article, she exhaled.

"Ha, they wouldn’t understand it even if they did," she muttered, but stood up from her desk and made her way toward the CEO’s office.

Malerie entered the office without knocking, striding confidently toward Adam’s desk. Her face was set in a stern expression, and Adam, with his head down, busily working, knew immediately who had walked in. The distinct sound of her heels and the familiar scent of her perfume gave her away—besides, no one else would dare enter without permission.

Adam raised his head, setting his pen down on the unfinished document, and glanced up at her. He attempted a smile, but it quickly faded when he saw the look on her face.

"What is it?" he asked, feeling a surge of irritation. He was growing weary of all the drama women seemed to bring into his life lately. At home, it was his sister and mother constantly badgering him to convince his father to show mercy to Olivia. And now, it seemed Malerie had caught the same tantrum-throwing bug.

"We have a problem, Adam," Malerie said, unusually addressing him by his first name, something she rarely did, and Adam noted the change in tone. "I don’t know who’s behind it, but someone is out there stirring up trouble." She handed him her phone, the screen displaying an article. Though it was an anonymous post, it had already garnered significant attention.

Adam’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the post’s headline, his frown deepening with each word he read. His expression grew darker as he scrolled down, absorbing the contents.

"How long has this been up?" he asked, searching for the time, date, and the number of views and comments the article had already amassed. Whoever had posted it must have a significant following, judging by how quickly it had gained attention.

"Eight minutes," Malerie answered just as Adam found the timestamp at the bottom of the article.

In just eight minutes, it had garnered over a thousand reads and nearly five hundred comments. Adam couldn’t believe how fast it was spreading. Someone had to be pushing it, or perhaps trolls were fueling the fire.

He clenched his fist but quickly released it, mindful not to crush the phone in his hand. The last thing he needed was to replace Malerie’s phone on top of this mess.

"Do you have any idea who might be behind this?" he asked. It was clear that whoever had posted the article had a vendetta against them, though they lacked concrete evidence. Adam suspected the images weren’t genuine—if they were, they wouldn’t have been blurred.

""No idea," Malerie replied, though the urge to blame Olivia was strong. But then another thought struck her, and her eyes widened. "Could it be your ex? She’s the only one I can think of who would want to slander you like this," she said, watching Adam’s frown deepen.

Adam didn’t want to believe that Sara was behind this, but there wasn’t any other clear explanation for what was happening. And yet, if it was Sara, she might have actual evidence of their scandal. After all, she had witnessed them together, and they hadn’t even noticed her. What if she had taken photos?

A cold sweat began to form on Adam’s skin as the gravity of the situation sank in, sending a chill down his spine. Everyone knew Sara as his fiancée, and if she was responsible for this article, there was very little he could do to stop her now. Before, he could have used the threat of calling off their marriage to control her—it had always worked in the past. But now...

"I’m not sure it’s her," he said, against his better judgment. He didn’t want to believe Sara was capable of something like this. "It can’t be her," he uttered, trying to convince himself.

Malerie frowned, feeling a wave of irritation at how quickly Adam defended his ex. If he knew Sara so well, why had he cheated on her? Why had he done so much to break her trust? If he still believed in her, did he still have feelings for her? And if so, what was Malerie to him?

"Then do you have any other enemies who’d do something like this? Someone who would stoop so low as to stir up a scandal, besides a jealous, vengeful woman?" Malerie asked pointedly. She had intended to help him figure out how to take the article down, but now, her frustration was growing. She was starting not to care about the damage the post might cause. In fact, she entertained the thought of reposting it herself to draw even more attention.

Adam went silent after her counter. He couldn’t think of anyone else and as much as it pained him to think, he was starting to believe that it was indeed Sara who had done that. Remembering how unbothered she was that night at his place when she walked out on them, he thought this was her plan all along.

To ruin him and make him unable to get back on his feet again.

"Give me some time to take it down," Adam uttered and picked up his phone to make a call.

Malerie nodded but grinned inwardly. It didn’t matter whether it was Sara or that little brat, Olivia. Adam was hers to control and that was it.