Chapter 15
MASON’S POV
I closed my eyes for a brief second, exhaling slowly.
I knew Florence and her sister weren’t close–hell, Florence never even mentioned her. Vague memories of Emily sitting in the Hart living room or walking around school pricked at me, but nothing was concrete. This didn’t prove much… but Jade’s sudden return, the bug in my room the media leak, and Daniel showing up… Florence was in the middle of all of it.
1 hated not knowing things.
“There’s something else…” she said.
“What?”
She simply handed me her tablet with a website open… the website claiming Eternity was entirely propped up by Whitehill Industries.
I hated the idea of Florence, once again, waking up alone. But this was critical…
“We need to go. Now.” I told my secretary. “Call the car.”
After the board meeting in the afternoon, I decided to have a quiet lunch and think over strategies when my phone rudely interrupted me.
Raiden’s name flashed on the screen.
I clenched my jaw and almost ignored it.
Almost
“What?” I answered.
“I know I’m the last person you want to hear from…” Raiden said. “But you’re still one of our agency’s top clients. We need to find a solution to this article problem.”
I rubbed my temple. Of course, he was right.
“Fine. I’ll be there in an hour.”
When I arrived at Blackwood PR, I regretted not arriving sooner.
Through the glass doors of the conference room, I saw Florence sitting with Raiden, leaning over some documents, her head tilted slightly as she pointed at something on the page.
Too close.
They were too damn close.
Florence smiled as Raiden said something to her, and then she slapped him on the arm playfully as she giggled. I clenched my jaw, burying the thought of punching him again.
But now wasn’t the time for this.
I pushed the door open, and both of them looked up.
Florence straightened immediately. “You’re b
Raiden, of course, toodud completely at ease, “Whatchill“, wdding
I ignored him and took the seat across from Floren
“We already started looking into the article,” she said, get straight to siess. “I called the site that uploaded it
“And?”
As expected, they refused to reveal their source
Of course, they did.
I watched Florence, my fingers curled against the cool surface of the table. She was different here Sharper. More alive.
Her voice was steady, her eyes focused, her entire presence radiating control. She wasn’t just speaking–she was leading. Every time Raiden or anyone else in the room added something, she was two steps ahead, refining redirecting, and shaping the strategy like it was second nature.
I had never seen her like this before.
She gestured toward the press reports on the table. “If we act fast, we control the story. But if we let this spiral, we’re letting them decide who you are, Mason.”
Η
Her confidence was unnerving Because it made me realize something I’d spent years ignoring
I had taken a woman like this and kept her locked in a house, waiting, I had made her believe she was nothing more than a wife–a role to fill, a presence to tolerate.
And she had been more than that all along
“We also need something stronger than just a statement,” she said. “We need visuals. If we can’t make the article disappear, we’ll drown it out with a bigger, better story.
I arched a brow. “You sound like you already have a plan.”
She smiled. “I do. It’s a family trip.
I frowned.
“A public one,” she clarified. “We bring in the media, let them see you with your family–show them unity. A few well–timed photos, an exclusive interview, and suddenly, people are less focused on messy family politics and more on how much you love each other.”
I hated the idea of involving my parents. But the plan made sense.
“Fine,” I muttered.
Raiden smirked slightly. “I’m impressed, Flo. PR really is in your blood.”
Florence flushed slightly at the praise, and for some reason, that irritated me more than him flirting with her.
“Send me the details,” I said, standing. “I’ll handle the family.”
As I drove to my parents‘ other estate in the mountains, I imagined repeatedly running over Raiden with my car.
Chapter 15
+25 BONUS
But the long and scenic drive also gave me some time to think. Florence wouldn’t have felt the need to get a job or work this closely with Ralden if I had just trusted her from the start.
I reached the estate, preparing myself for the worst conversation ever. But when I stepped Inside, the place was oddly… alive.
I first saw Jade. In a little white and blue sundress, sipping tea, laughing with my mother. My stomach twisted. Since when were they this close?
I spotted my father walk in from the gardens, a cocky sinile cross his face as if he’d been waiting for the day I would mess up.
“There you are,” my mother said. “I thought you’d forgotten where we lived.”
I ignored that. “We need to talk.”
“Yes, we do,” my father said. “Seems like you can’t handle tiny PR crisis on your own. It’s no wonder people think you’re using Whitehill International to run Eternity.
I clenched my fists. “It’s not even true, so your cruel words don’t make any sense.”
“You think they care about that?” my father laughed. “What they see is what they believe.”
“Dad… be nice.” Clarke’s voice cut in smoothly. “Mason can’t help but be overwhelmed. He is the baby brother, after all.”
“I’m not the one inheriting an established business instead of making one from scratch,” I responded. “Hi, Clarke, still living with mom and dad, I see.”
Clarke chuckled. “Someone has to care for them in their old age, brother. And it wasn’t going to be you.”
דן
“Enough,” my mother’s voice rang out. “This is critical. Clarke is about to inherit the business, his family cannot look unstable. What’s the plan?”
“Florence suggested a family trip. Something the media can photograph. Show us as a… functioning… family unit.” I sighed. “Maybe even happy.”
Π
Clarke leaned back in his chair. “We have that amusement park project opening under one of Whitehill’s subsidiaries. We can make that our ‘family trip.”
It was actually a good idea.
“Fine,” I shrugged.
“Great. How about tomorrow?” Clarke asked.
니다.
Before I could say anything else, Jade laughed lightly and clapped. “Oooh, this will be fun!”
I turned to her. “What?”
She smiled, feigning innocence. “I just mean… I’d love to see the park, too.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Jade, I don’t know if-”
Mother suddenly perked up. “Oh, absolutely she should come! Jade is practically family.”
I stiffened.
Jade beamed, and I realized too late 1 had walked into a trip.
My mother’s voice turned firm. “She’s coming.”
Chapter 15
And just like that, our PR stunt just became even more complicated.
+25 BONUS
