My CEO Ex: Let Me Go.-Chapter 52

The netizens can’t hurt me. The only one who can is Alexander.

In my line of work, dealing with V&R and other projects, I often interact with the media, so I’m no stranger to how the majority of netizens blindly follow trends. They believe what they see, and what they see is usually what someone wants them to see.

Take today’s news, for example. Some media outlets stirred up trouble using their army of hired trolls, with Olivia throwing a knife in my back. There were people working hard to paint a specific picture for the netizens.

But what they didn’t want them to see—like my clarification post—was being closely guarded by Alexander. Not a single word would make it online. The moment I tried to speak the truth on Twitter, within three seconds, it would be flagged and taken down.

Julian had been sitting with me at the bar for a while.

I asked, “Didn’t you have work this afternoon?”

“Nope. If I did, my agent would’ve called me a dozen times by now. I’m free. Perfect time to sit with you for a bit. Hey, how about you come over for dinner tonight? I finally have a little free time.”

“Sure,” I said with a smile. “But I need to stop by the mall first to pick up some gifts for Uncle and Aunt Steele. I can’t show up empty-handed.”

“It’s fine, just come as you are.”

“That’s not okay, it would be rude.”

I stood up and started heading upstairs. I remembered there was a shopping mall on the floor above.

“I’ll go with you.”

“No, you’ll draw too much attention. I’m already in the spotlight. If they snap a photo of us together, you’ll get dragged into it too.”

I wasn’t bothered by the online comments. I knew for most netizens, it was just gossip to chat about during their downtime. Once the hype died down, they’d forget about it.

At most, Isabella’s fans might keep pestering me.

“Then how about this? You can ride in my car. I’ll wait for you in the garage.”

“Okay.”

I agreed and followed Julian to the underground parking garage. Once we were in the car, Julian drove us to a nearby mall. I got out and went straight to the stores.

Julian called out, “Don’t buy too many gifts. Just something simple.”

I waved dismissively. “I got it.”

I picked out two bottles of wine from one counter, a smooth, lustrous pearl necklace from a jewelry store, and a few other odds and ends. I placed the gifts in the trunk, closed it, and climbed into the front passenger seat.

“Let’s go.”

We drove to Julian’s villa.

After parking, we both grabbed the gifts from the trunk and went inside.

Julian called out to the living room, “Dad, Mom, guess who’s here?”

“Who?” Aunt Steele stood up from the sofa and took a few steps toward the door. When she saw me behind Julian, her face lit up. “Vivienne! Come here, let me hug you! Why did you buy so many things? Come sit down!”

“Aunt, it’s been a while.”

“Just the fact that you’re here makes me so happy. Put those down, the servants will take care of them. Come sit with me.” Aunt Steele pulled me over to the couch.

“I haven’t visited in a while. How have you and Uncle been?”

“Don’t worry, we’re both doing great. Julian’s always so busy, hardly ever comes home. Just you being able to make time to visit means so much to us.”

“I’ll make sure to come by more often.” 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Julian sat in a chair nearby, watching us chat.

Aunt Steele, being older, wasn’t particularly interested in the internet, but she kept an eye on online gossip because her son was a big star. If there was positive news about Julian online, she’d be thrilled; if they spread rumors about him, it upset her, and she’d even argue with people online—though she couldn’t win and would end up getting mocked: “You know Julian so well—are you his mom?”

Aunt Steele had seen the news about me online too. Over the years, as Julian’s career progressed, she had come to realize just how unscrupulous some media outlets could be—twisting stories, fabricating rumors, and taking things out of context.

She comforted me, telling me not to take it too seriously.

Aunt Steele told me she believed in me. After all, I’d known Alexander for years. If there had been anything between us, where would Isabella fit into the picture?

“Thank you, Aunt. Don’t worry, let them talk. I’ll just continue living my life. They can’t affect me, and I won’t take it to heart.”

“That’s great, exactly what I wanted to hear. But... with news like this, why hasn’t Mr. Alexander cleared things up? Isn’t he just letting you take the blame for no reason?”

I lowered my gaze and smiled. “Aunt, the media and netizens have already dug up my background. They know I’m an adopted daughter of The Hawthorne Dynasty, and that Alexander is my brother. But they’re still stirring things up. Clarifying won’t help. The best way to handle it is to let the heat die down. Once the buzz fades, we can just delete all the posts and it’ll be fine.”

If Alexander and I had nothing to hide, this would indeed be the best approach.

“You’re right. Mr. Alexander is so busy, he probably doesn’t have the energy to care about what the netizens think,” Aunt Steele nodded.

There were also rumors about Julian in the past, and their method was simply to ignore them. After a while, things naturally blew over, so Aunt Steele understood perfectly.

Julian and I stayed with Aunt Steele, chatting and laughing.

Soon, the sky darkened, and Aunt Steele insisted I stay for dinner.

After dinner, I sat on the couch for a while before getting up to say goodbye to Uncle and Aunt Steele.

Julian drove me home.

As I gazed out the window at the passing streets, I said to Julian, “Take me to Saint James Hospital.”

“Are you feeling alright? Why are we going to the hospital so late?” Julian asked, turning the car around.

“Pop-Pop’s in the hospital. He’s not doing well. We agreed yesterday that I’d visit him today.”

“Okay.”

The car pulled into the entrance of Saint James Hospital and stopped in front of the inpatient building.

I thanked Julian and got out of the car.

I had only taken a few steps when Julian caught up with me, clearing his throat. “How about I come up with you? Since I’m already here, and your grandfather’s sick, it wouldn’t feel right not to visit.”

Julian made a valid point, and I couldn’t turn down his kind offer.

I glanced at him. “Just make sure you wear a mask, so no one recognizes you.”

Julian’s face lit up, and he quickly nodded, putting on his mask before following me upstairs.

When we reached the door to the room, I knocked before entering.

Pop-Pop was half-reclining in bed, with Evelyn feeding him.

“Pop-Pop, Nana,” I greeted them.

It was only then that I noticed someone else sitting on the opposite sofa, leaning back with his legs crossed. It was Alexander.

Our eyes met, and I immediately looked away, my expression turning cold.

Julian, unaware of the tension between Alexander and me, nodded politely when he saw him.

“Vivienne’s here. Have you eaten yet?” Evelyn asked, noticing Julian behind me. “Who’s this, dear?”

“Pop-Pop, Nana, this is my friend, Julian Steele. He brought me here today.”

As I spoke, I suddenly felt a scorching gaze on my back. I didn’t need to guess who it was.