24Derek pulled her close, his hands resting on her hips as they swayed to the rhythm of the music playing softly in the background. “I told you, babe, I knew exactly what would hit him where it hurt.” she continued with a proud smile.Serena leaned her head against his chest, her voice dripping with satisfaction. “You should’ve seen some of the comments. They’re ruthless. People are making fun of him, saying things like ‘gigolo in a cheap suit’ and ‘just another pretty face with no brain.’”Derek chuckled, tilting her chin up for a kiss. “That’s what happens when you mess with the Hawthornes.”Serena smiled against his lips before pulling back slightly. “Oh, and that post about his sugar mama? That’s my personal favorite. Some girl even wrote that she saw him hanging around her salon like a lost puppy.”They both laughed, Derek spinning her around before pulling her back into his arms. “This is perfect. He’s going to be the joke of the town for a long time.”Serena’s eyes sparkled as
25Derek paced the room, his face twisted in frustration as Serena watched from the bed, biting her lip nervously. The glow of their earlier victory had completely vanished, replaced by a heavy cloud of panic."Calm down," Serena finally said, her voice attempting to sound soothing, though she was clearly unsettled herself. "Getting angry won't help us fix this."Derek spun around, his face flushed with rage. "How the hell am I supposed to calm down, Serena? Everything's gone! Vanished! This was supposed to ruin him, not us!"Serena flinched but kept her composure. "Yelling at me isn’t going to change anything. We need to figure out what happened.""And you think I don’t know that?" Derek snapped, his eyes blazing. "I swear, this can't be happening. All those comments, all that work—it’s all wiped like it never existed!""Then let’s do something about it!" Serena stood up, walking over to him and grabbing his arm. "Call them. Call whoever’s responsible for taking it down. We need answ
26Serena met his gaze, her voice firm. "We hire someone. A professional. If someone hacked us, we’ll find out how and expose them."Derek stared at her for a long moment before he finally nodded, his expression grim. "Fine. I’ll make some calls. But if we don’t get to the bottom of this, Allvar wins."Serena gave him a small, determined smile. "We won’t let that happen."But what neither of them knew was that Allvar’s hacker had already infiltrated their computer, collecting far more than just deleted posts. The real damage was yet to come.As Allvar sat at his desk, the glow from his computer screen casting shadows on his face, his fingers moved deftly over the keyboard. The hacker had done more than simply take down Derek's post. They had left behind a trail of digital breadcrumbs leading straight to Derek and Serena's darkest secrets.Allvar leaned back in his chair, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. The evidence of his ex-girlfriend's infidelity—texts, photos, and email
27After Allvar hit "publish," he leaned back, watching the notifications light up his screen. It didn’t take long for the post to spread across campus like wildfire. The comments began flooding in, each one harsher than the last.“Yo, did you see this?” a student in the Ridgeway University common room exclaimed, his eyes glued to his phone screen. “Allvar just exposed Serena and Derek!”His friend, Chloe, leaned over to get a better look. “No way. What did they do?”“Dude, read it. Serena’s been cheating on him with Derek, and turned out it was them who posted that anonymous post about him being a gigolo, and there’s actual proof. He posted everything—texts, photos, emails. It’s brutal.”Chloe gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as she skimmed through the post. “Oh my God. Everyone’s gonna see this.”Across campus, phones buzzed as students read the post. Groups huddled together, whispering and laughing at the scandal that was unfolding right before their eyes.“Did you hear about S
28Serena couldn’t believe what was happening. The whispers, the stares, the judgmental glares—she felt suffocated. It was more than a nightmare come true; it was a living hell. Her phone buzzed constantly with cruel messages, and everywhere she went, people seemed to turn their backs on her.As she walked through the quad, a group of girls nearby snickered loudly. One of them, a tall brunette with piercing blue eyes, caught her attention."Look who it is," the girl said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Serena, the campus slut. I didn’t think you'd actually have the nerve to show your face today."Serena froze, her chest tightening. "Excuse me?""Oh, don’t act all innocent," another girl chimed in, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. "We all saw the post. Cheating on Allvar with Derek? And what's more plotting against him? First with corrupting companies then with that stupid anonymous post. Pathetic.""I didn’t—" Serena started, her voice shaking, but they cut her off."Sav
29Allvar tossed his phone aside, a smug grin stretching across his face as he leaned back against his pillows. He felt a rush of satisfaction course through him, the kind of vindication he'd been craving for months. 'Serena is finally paying for everything,' he thought, his fingers drumming against the bedframe. Every lie, every betrayal—it was all coming back to bite her.He stood up and paced the room, unable to contain his excitement. His mind raced with memories of all the sacrifices he’d made for Serena. He’d given her everything: his time, his love, his loyalty. And how did she repay him? By plotting against him with Derek, dragging his name through the mud, and humiliating him in front of the entire campus. But now, she was the one in the spotlight, and it wasn’t flattering. The entire campus was laughing at her now.“Ungrateful bitch,” he muttered under his breath, his jaw tightening. Allvar thought back to the late nights he spent waiting for her, the arguments they had wh
30Derek ran a hand through his hair in frustration, pacing back and forth in the grand office as his father, Victor Hawthorne, sat behind his massive mahogany desk, watching him with a cold, calculating gaze. The silence between them stretched on until Victor finally broke it.“You’re getting sloppy, Derek,” Victor said, his voice low but sharp enough to cut through the tension in the room. “I told you before, we don’t move until the plan is airtight. Now look at the mess you’ve created.”Derek spun around, his expression defiant. “I had everything under control. Allvar was supposed to be dealt with. If it wasn’t for Tom screwing up—"Victor slammed his hand on the desk, cutting Derek off mid-sentence. “Enough with the excuses! You think you can pin this on Tom? This disaster is your responsibility, and now our family’s reputation is hanging by a thread.”Derek’s fists clenched at his sides. “Allvar had it coming! He’s been undermining us for months, playing everyone like fools. I co
31The next day, Allvar arrived at Waterfall Corporation, still shaken by the events of the last time he has been there. Marcus Vale's dismissal. He entered the sleek, modern building, feeling the weight of the rumors swirling around him. As he stepped into the elevator, he straightened his jacket, trying to focus on what lay ahead.When he reached the executive floor, Eleanor was already waiting for him in her office. She motioned for him to sit across from her. Her sharp eyes studied him closely, though there was a touch of warmth in her voice.“Mr. Falck,” she began, “I’ve been thinking about where you’ll fit best in this company. What kind of role do you see yourself in?”Allvar hesitated. “I don’t want anything too big, Ms. Westwood. Just something where I can contribute and grow, nothing that draws too much attention.”Eleanor raised an eyebrow. “Not too big? You’re selling yourself short.”He shifted uncomfortably. “I think it’s best, given... well, the circumstances. I don’t