One Night Stand With Alexander Blackwood-Chapter 79 — Seventy-nine

The next two days passed by eventless. Rhea finally let her guard down after two days seeing that neither Alexander nor Serena made a move apart from pressing charges against the murderer.

Currently, she was at a press conference for her new movie. She basked under the spotlight and the praises.

"Rhea, what are the promises your new novel promises to give?"

"Are you really going on a hiatus after this movie finally airs?"

"Rhea, there have been online claims that you are responsible for the end of various actresses’ careers. Do you have something to say about this?"

Rhea’s gaze darted to the reporter who had asked the questions. Her hands tightened on her laps and the manager behind her panicked.

"What do you mean by this? You know you could be sued for false news, right?" She glared at him, but the reporter didn’t back out.

"Didn’t you know? Several evidence has been brought forward. You were the one behind Elizabeth Taylor’s scandal which drove her to her untimely death. You were jealous because she got the lead role you’ve always been waiting for." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Rhea’s eyes widened as she exchanged glances with her manager who had sweat trickling down his forehead. He knew what the reporter was talking about.

"How does he know about this?" The manager leaned down, and whispered into her ears.

Rhea didn’t reply. She didn’t need to dig deep before she knew who was behind this.

"Alexander..." She forced out through gritted teeth.

Her manager was confused. What did Alexander have to do with this?

"I need to be somewhere." Rhea said and shot up to her feet.

The manager signaled for the guards to protect her.

The reporters noticed that she was about to leave. Of course, they couldn’t let her leave without the scoop.

"Rhea, is the internet saying the truth?"

"Are you responsible for the deaths of actresses you consider your rival?"

"Answer."

They pushed the microphones to her, causing chaos.

"Back off," Rhea glared at the reporter who was responsible for this.

"Do you admit to hiring someone to murder an innocent lady’s mother figure?"

"You..." Rhea trailed. His question only solidified her thoughts. This was Alexander’s doing.

Anyways, with the help of the guards, Rhea forced her way through the reporters. She finally heaved a sigh of relief when she was in her car.

She picked her phone, scrolled through the trending topics and she noticed that the top 5 spots were occupied by her only.

#famous actress jealous.

#Rhea get out of the entertainment industry.

#famous actress responsible for the deaths of several other actresses.

#popular actress responsible for murder

#two-faced top actress, Rhea.

Rhea read all the articles and her eyes burned with fury. She had lost half of her fans, the remaining ones berated her badly. It was clear what they aimed to do — ruin her reputation and it was obviously working. The public opinion had turned on her.

"What’s the company’s PR doing about this?" She demanded loudly, frightening her poor manager.

"I just got off the calls with them." The manager hesitated. "They said..."

"Spill it!" Rhea yelled. "What did they say?"

"The management said you’ve offended someone big. They also said they can’t help you in this situation." He paused, her hands trembling by her side. "They have no choice than to drop you. They said they can’t afford to offend who you crossed. You’re no longer the favoured actress in the company."

"Rhea, who did you offend? It’s over for all of us." The manager asked quietly, silent tears streaming down his face. "Is it possible you plead with this bigshot?"

Rhea took a deep breath. "How could he be this cruel? Did the times we spent with each other not count?" She muttered under her breath, further confusing her manager.

"Girl, what are you talking about?" The manager asked, his eyes filled with uncertainty while feeling perplexed about her mutterings.

"Drive to Blackwood Industries. I have something to ask someone." She instructed and leaned back, closing her eyes as tiredness threatened to overtake her.

Her manager looked at her and sighed. Tig wouldn’t be happening if she had listened to him... not getting her hands dirty.

------------------------

Blackwood Industries.

When the car finally pulled up at the building, Rhea snapped her eyes open. The manager hastily rushed to open the door for her.

"You wait here, I only need a few words with someone." Rhea ordered, exhaustion evident in her voice.

"No, girl!" He rejected her order without any hesitation. "You are now one of the hated celebrities. We never can tell what fans are hanging around. It would be awful if you are hurt today."

Rhea smiled as she took hold of her Manager’s hands. "It seems you’re the only one who still cares about me."

"Girl, you’re my saviour. And I said I’ll always protect you." He smiled, wiping a lone tear from her left eye. "Let’s go in."

The revolving glass doors of Blackwood Industries slid open with a soft hiss.

Rhea lifted her chin instinctively, schooling her expression into practiced composure as she stepped inside.

This was her territory too, or at least, it used to be. Heads had turned for her once. Admiration, envy, reverence.

But now?

The marble-floored lobby was filled with indifference. The people who used to happily welcome her barely spared her a glance.

People glanced at her, then looked away just as quickly. A few whispered while a few openly stared. Her heels echoed loudly against the floor with each step amplifying the unease crawling beneath her skin.

She walked straight to the reception desk.

"I’m here to see Alexander Blackwood," Rhea said coolly. "Tell him I’ve arrived."

The receptionist didn’t smile. She didn’t bother to hide the scoff that escaped from her. She recognized Rhea.

Instead, she calmly typed something into her system, eyes flicking briefly to the screen before returning to Rhea’s face.

"I’m sorry, Miss Rhea," the receptionist said. "You don’t have an appointment."

Rhea scoffed. "I don’t need one." She folded her arms as she stared straight into the receptionist’s eyes.

The receptionist folded her hands neatly on the desk. "I was instructed to deny you entry regardless. And also, everyone needs an appointment to speak with the CEO. You are not his girlfriend, neither are you his wife."

Rhea stiffened. "Instructed by who? And you don’t get to speak with me that way."

The receptionist rolled her eyes, but still answered regardless. "Mr. Blackwood himself."

The words landed like a slap. Her manager took a sharp breath behind her, his gaze darting around.

Rhea leaned forward, lowering her voice. "You tell Alexander I am here to talk. He knows exactly why."

The receptionist met her gaze without flinching. "Mr. Blackwood also instructed that if you insisted, I should inform you that any further attempts to contact him will be treated as harassment." The receptionist’s voice was loud... really loud.

A murmur rippled through the lobby.

Rhea straightened slowly, her nails digging into her palms. "You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?" she hissed.

"I’m doing my job," the receptionist replied smoothly.

"And besides, Mr. Blackwood hasn’t worked from this building in weeks. Since the acquisition, the CEO has been operating primarily from the subsidiary. You won’t be able to see him today even if you tried.

Rhea’s eyes widened as she looked at the receptionist who offered her a small, polite smile.

"Security has been alerted. I suggest you leave, before you face further embarrassment."

Just like the receptionist said, the security guards were already approaching.

For the first time, Rhea felt the real choking humiliation. She had never experienced any of this sort before.

She turned sharply, her heels stumbling just slightly as she walked away while her manager scrambled after her.

Just one thought crossed through Rhea’s mind; Alexander was really bent on destroying her.