Chapter 11

The caption under Anne's post read, "Zachery and I broke up at the beginning of this month. There's no need to explain why, but that doesn't change the fact that we shared eight wonderful years together."

Anne's post quickly made it to the trending topics. Although it was ranked low, the view count was skyrocketing.

Mindy furiously replied to comments while clicking her tongue in amusement. "It turns out that you and Mr. Judd were actually dating, huh?"

Anne rolled her eyes. "Why? Did you think it was otherwise?"

Mindy replied, "I really thought you were his debt collector back then."

Anne leaned in closer with a smile. She watched as Mindy typed furiously, replying to one comment after another, yet they were quickly drowned by malicious comments.

"Her fans are doing comment control," Mindy said.

Anne asked, "What does that mean?"

"You wouldn't know since you don't follow fandom drama. Basically, it means they control the narrative—whatever they say goes, whether it's true or not," Mindy replied.

She got tired from all the typing and paused for a breather. "But this whole Sophia situation is blowing up. Thus, her industry rivals surely won't sit this one out. The fact that your post made it to the trending topics meant someone's pulling strings behind the scenes.

"Just wait. It's about to get real interesting."

Mindy scrolled back up and took another look at the photo.

It was a graduation photo with about ten people in it. Zachery, dressed in a graduation gown, stood in the front and center, while Anne stood next to him.

She hadn't graduated yet at that time, so she was wearing a white dress. They were holding hands as they stood facing each other with smiles, looking every bit like a couple.

On Zachery's other side was Sophia, who was forming a heart shape with her hand with the woman beside her.

Back then, they were fresh graduates who were full of ambitions and untouched by the harsh realities of life. Their eyes were bright and clear, and their faces were full of youthful energy.

"Your beauty is on another level, Anne. You're completely outshining Sophia!" Mindy clicked her tongue and continued, "Anyone could tell what kind of relationship you had with Zachery from this photo alone. It's clear who's the mistress and who's being framed now."

She grew more outrageous as she continued reading the comments. "Are they being serious now? They're actually saying that this photo was edited!"

Anne wasn't planning to stir up a massive controversy. She only wanted to force Sophia to clear things up for her.

"Oh, someone from the photo just commented!" Mindy quickly showed it to her. "She's saying that Zachery and you were the campus' golden couple back then—everyone knew the two of you were together."

Anne glanced at the commenter and saw that it was Jenny Lowry. She was actually Sophia's classmate and Julius' then-girlfriend, but she was closest to Anne.

"Someone commented under her post!" Mindy exclaimed.

There wasn't much of a comment—just three likes.

Anne tapped on their profile pictures and realized at once that it was Julius and Caesar.

Mindy backed out from the post and noticed that this trending post had climbed two more spots. "The marketing accounts are already sharing it. It's about to blow up!"

No sooner than her excitement, she found out that the trending topic was gone after she backed out from the post again. "Hey, where did it go?"

Mindy couldn't find it even after scrolling down her feed. "Oh, it seems like Sophia's team is quick in taking action."

Anne fell silent. She then clicked into her profile, planning to post another photo. However, she found her account being locked this time.

"They paid to silence you," Mindy said as she scrolled through her feed. "The marketing accounts are deleting their posts now."

Anne didn't get all the behind-the-scenes games. She only wanted to restore her reputation. Was that really too much to ask?

"What else can I do?" she asked Mindy.

Mindy patted her on the shoulders. "Forget it. We're just regular people. There's no way we can go up against celebrities and wealthy scions."

Just then, a call came from the director's office asking for Anne to go over.

As it was nearly the end of the workday, Donald was just stepping out of his office by the time she went over.

"Let's talk in the elevator," he said.

Anne followed him into the elevator. The two of them were the only ones inside.

Donald was a man in his 60s, balding in the front, with the rest of his hair completely white. He adjusted his glasses, pausing for a moment before he spoke, "You don't need to come in anymore starting tomorrow."

Anne frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Donald answered, "It's just a temporary leave. We'll talk about it again once the situation blows over. I hope you understand. The hospital has its own order to maintain, and its reputation matters. We can't afford to take hits over personal matters."

She said, "Everything online is just rumors!"

"Whether they're rumors or not, that's your problem. But the hospital cannot be affected," he replied.

Anne shot back, "I don't agree to this!"

Donald replied, "I'm not asking for your opinion. I'm informing you."

Anne clenched her fists. In the past, the hospital had always protected its doctors whenever things happened.

This was originally a personal matter, and the facts weren't even clear yet. It wasn't normal for the hospital to react so quickly.

She asked, "Is this Zachery's idea?"

Donald sighed. "I've warned you not to go against people like them. It won't end well for you."

Anne took a deep breath and said, "The hospital has no legitimate reason to suspend me. If I accept it, it'll be the same as admitting those rumors are true. So, I'll be coming in to work as usual tomorrow."

"You… You'd be better off apologizing to Mr. Judd!" Donald said.

Anne replied, "You're right. I should be looking for him!"

…

From the hospital, Anne went straight to Julius' bar. When the server saw her, he assumed they had an appointment and brought her over to Zachery's private room.

"You've gone too far this time, Zach!" It was Caesar's voice.

"Go away. This has nothing to do with you!" Zachery replied irritably.

Caesar said, "Anne was together with you for eight whole years! Yet, she ended up becoming the mistress and was cursed by the public. You're really too much!"

"Shut up!"

"I don't care! I'm with Anne this time!" Caesar said.

Anne exhaled slowly before pushing the door open.

The private room was rather dim, with only Zachery and Caesar inside. On the table before them were countless unopened bottles of wine—both red and white.

Caesar asked, "Why are you here, Anne?"

"I'm here for him." Anne turned to look at Zachery.

He looked up at her, but perhaps because he felt guilty, he immediately lowered his gaze after a quick glance.

"Were you the one who asked Mr. Greggs to suspend me?" she asked.

Zachery fell silent for a moment. "You can go back to work once this all blows over."

"And what exactly does "blows over" mean?" Anne scoffed.

"Is that when I'm completely dragged through the mud with no way of clearing my reputation? Or when Sophia's image of being the mistress to the victim is fully cemented? Or do I have to wait until I become a laughingstock when the two of you get married?" she asked.

Zachery just answered, "Think whatever you want."

Anne said, "I want you to step out and restore my reputation."

"That's impossible," he replied.

Anne stepped forward, took a bottle of wine, and smashed it against the corner of the table. The bottle shattered, sending glass shards flying as the white wine spilled across the floor.

Caesar jolted backward in surprise, while Zachery's eyes widened in shock.

Anne held onto the broken bottle before smashing it onto the ground under Zachery's gaze. "Do you think I'm a pushover?"

Zachery heaved out a breath. "If I were to clarify things now, Sophia's public image would be ruined, and her career would be over. So, you'll just have to bear with it."

She found it laughable. "'Bear with it'? Who do you think you are to ask me to bear with it? What gave you the right to order me around?"

"That's enough, Anne. Stop making a scene," he said.

Anne nodded. She had tried to save them their dignity, yet they refused to return the favor. She took her phone out and played a video.

Sophia's smiling face appeared on the screen. "Zachery is just like a car to me. I don't need to love him, but I can use him whenever I want. Whenever I turn the wheel, he follows. Although you're his girlfriend, he's always mine to control."