Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 106: Adding Fuel to the Fire

Chapter 106: Adding Fuel to the Fire

In a dilapidated office building, a woman, her face half-hidden behind large sunglasses and a scarf wrapped around her, followed the instructions on her phone to press the designated floor in the elevator.

Navigating through a maze of hallways and turns, she finally located the unmarked office she was searching for.

Just as she was about to knock, a man with glasses and a mole beneath his eyebrow opened the door.

"Miss Fia?" he inquired.

Sophia Greenwood, still wearing her sunglasses, entered and nodded, "Yes, it’s me."

Inside what was called an office, Sophia scanned the room, noticing a handful of people in a corner who continued their work indifferently upon her arrival, showing little enthusiasm.

The man gestured for her to follow deeper into the office, "Miss Greenwood, please, this way."

Caught off guard, Sophia removed her sunglasses, "What did you call me?"

Noticing her reaction, the man glanced at a few employees behind her. Sophia, lowering her voice, followed him into his office.

Annoyed, Sophia tossed her sunglasses onto the desk, "How do you know who I am?"

The man boasted, "After all these years in the industry, how could I not recognize you? If I couldn’t, wouldn’t you doubt my capabilities even more?"

He had seen the skepticism in Sophia’s eyes the moment she entered, understanding that anyone would question whether this place really was the workspace of the influential blog "Alex’s Insider."

"Are you confident you can impact the Sterling Group?"

Alex, modest yet confident, stroked his short beard, "Impacting a company like Sterling Group directly is ambitious, but causing a small stir? Certainly. You know, enterprises and celebrities are different. A celebrity’s influence is personal, but any negative news about a corporate CEO directly affects the stock market."

"That would be ideal," Sophia snorted. Market fluctuations could very well prompt the Sterling family patriarch to confront Damien Sterling.

"So, what information have you brought?"

"The information is standard, but with a bit of embellishment, I believe the effects could be significant," Sophia plotted, as Alex looked at her, their gazes meeting in a silent understanding.

"Miss Greenwood, if you ever decide to leave your current line of work, my door is always open to you. Your ability to craft narratives is truly admirable," he complimented.

Alex praised Sophia Greenwood, worry clouding his eyes, "The truth is, we’re not entirely sure who the Sterling family is planning to marry. We’ve scoured the ranks from A-list to Z-list celebrities and even obscure models, but her identity remains elusive."

"Your efforts will be futile no matter how far down the list you go. That woman has no ties to the entertainment industry whatsoever," Sophia Greenwood said with a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

Hearing this, Alex pulled up a chair and sat down, intrigued.

Sophia continued, "With the Sterling family patriarch above and Damien Sterling below, the Sterling family has always valued their reputation and quality too much to be transparent about such matters. Even the few times the patriarch mentioned her, he simply said she’s the daughter of a comrade, a long-time friend of Damien Sterling."

"Is any of that true?" Alex asked, knowing well that no one dared to cross the Sterling family. Any small rumor would be immediately quashed by them.

Who would risk their career? Alex, however, sought to defy convention, especially now that he was considering emigration. "Why not make a splash before I go?" he thought.

Sophia, with a mocking smile, beckoned Alex closer. She then loudly whispered in his ear, "Of course, it’s... all fabricated!"

Alex laughed heartily, "Miss Greenwood, you really know how to keep one in suspense."

Sophia’s eyes roamed thoughtfully, "I came to you because of your unique situation. If I could offer you a one-time deal to make enough money to leave, would you take it?"

Alex nodded vigorously, "If I could make enough in one go, why would I stay? I’d live freely abroad in a heartbeat."

"The headline for tomorrow’s story is up to you then."

Sophia stood up, tossing a disk onto the table in front of Alex. It was labeled Sterling Group.

An assistant knocked and entered with a laptop, "Mr. Sterling, I found this gossip about you online early this morning."

"Gossip?" Damien Sterling scoffed, uninterested. Such rumors were a dime a dozen each month.

"Yes, Mr. Sterling, but this one is different from the rest."

Different? How could it possibly be?

"Which minor celebrity is it this time?" Damien Sterling asked, reminiscing about the times he would casually dine, sing, and drink with stars.

However, since Emma Hart entered his life, despite her apparent lack of entertainment skills and her tendency to maintain a serious demeanor even during meals, Damien found her company intriguing.

"This time it’s not about a celebrity; it’s Miss Emma," the assistant said, with a concerned expression, placing the laptop on the desk.

"Moreover, this news is linked to your marriage. Given the public’s keen interest in your wedding and bride, it has understandably caused quite a stir."

Previous reports were trivial, but this gossip seemed aimed at threatening the Sterling family, all of it negative.

"Emma Hart?" Damien raised his head, setting down his pen, his attention shifting to the laptop.

A tweet from Alex had topped the trending charts, with a headline that couldn’t be more provocative: Cinderella Cheats on Her Prince!

What was this about? Cinderella, obviously referring to Emma Hart’s status, and the prince, undoubtedly Damien Sterling himself.

But Damien was most concerned about the implication of infidelity.

Opening the photos Alex posted, Emma’s face was somewhat blurred, but Damien could immediately tell it was her from her figure.

Who was that man leaning so close to her, looking overly familiar, and why was it captured in photos?

Damien, scrolling through the images, grew increasingly furious.

"Find out what’s going on with her, right now!" he demanded, slamming the laptop shut and sternly instructing his assistant to also investigate this Alex.

The assistant nodded respectfully and exited.

Rumors about the Sterling Group spread wildly within a day, eventually reaching the elder Sterling.

In the sprawling executive office covering an entire floor, with its well-defined functional areas, the most spacious part of the company was now the scene of an unusual gathering.

Seven bodyguards surrounded the elder Mr. Sterling as they approached the private elevator.

The assistant, unaccustomed to such a grand entrance, hurried forward to greet them.

Recognizing the patriarch, some who knew of the Sterling family’s grandfather hastily retreated, pulling clueless colleagues aside, whispering, "That’s Mr. Sterling’s grandfather!"