CEO’s Regret After I Divorced (Serena and Ryan) novel Chapter 155

Chapter 155: Chapter 155 The rumour of being two-timing

Author’s POV

Back at LUXE Jewelry Company, Georgina was frantically reworking her competition piece. She’d consulted several colleagues and finally felt satisfied with her design.

After tidying up her workspace, she checked her phone, scowling at the latest news about Serena. The competition organizers had apparently arranged special activities and interviews for me, and pictures showed me looking radiant, surrounded by admirers.

Georgina bit her lip in frustration and immediately called her assistant.

"Didn’t I tell you to dig up dirt on this ’Lazuli’ woman? Have you found anything yet?" she snapped.

Her assistant trembled slightly. To the outside world, Georgina was a gentle, sophisticated designer. Only those close to her knew about her volatile temper and how she leveraged her family’s connections to boost her career.

"I’m sorry, Georgina, but her past is incredibly well-guarded. I couldn’t find anything substantial."

Georgina glared at her assistant. "You can’t even handle this simple task? How am I supposed to clear my name without something to take her down?"

She checked the time, realizing Serena’s interviews must have concluded. A malicious idea formed in her mind.

"Contact the reporters who interviewed Serena today. Buy a negative trending topic about her."

She explained her plan in detail. "Do you understand?"

Her assistant nodded. "Yes, completely."

"Then get to it! I want to see those negative topics trending by tonight. The semifinals are the day after tomorrow, and I’m running out of time."

After her assistant hurried out, Georgina took several deep breaths to calm herself. She gathered her design drafts and headed to Ethan Quinn’s office.

"Knock, knock."

Ethan didn’t look up, still focused on his work. "Come in."

Georgina entered with a practiced smile. "Mr. Quinn, it’s me."

Ethan glanced up briefly. "Do you need something?"

Georgina nodded, pushing her draft toward him. "I’m worried about embarrassing the company in the semifinals, so I wanted you to review my work first. If anything doesn’t look right, I can still fix it."

Her voice was honey-sweet as she leaned closer to him while passing the draft.

Ethan scanned the design and his expression darkened. "Review it? For what purpose exactly?"

Oblivious to his displeasure, Georgina began explaining her design. "Mr. Quinn, for this piece, I drew inspiration from—"

Ethan impatiently tapped the desk, cutting her off. "Do you realize what you’re doing? I’m a judge for this design competition. Showing me your draft beforehand is completely against the rules."

Georgina’s smile froze, but she scrambled for an excuse. "You misunderstood, Mr. Quinn. I just wanted to share my ideas with you. After my poor performance in the preliminaries, I feel so guilty..."

"Enough, Georgina. As a designer for LUXE, can’t you use your brain for once?"

Georgina’s eyes welled with tears, looking wounded. "Mr. Quinn, you’re misunderstanding my intentions..."

"Take your draft and get out of my office."

Ethan coldly dismissed her, returning to his work. Georgina sniffled but didn’t leave immediately.

"Are you disappointed in me, Mr. Quinn? You used to praise my work."

Ethan sighed wearily and looked up at her again. "I’ve praised every designer at LUXE. If you lacked talent, you wouldn’t be working here."

"Georgina, are you reading too much into things?"

Ethan wasn’t stupid. Georgina constantly found excuses to visit his office, making small talk. There could only be one explanation – attraction.

"Unless it’s work-related, please stop coming to my office. I’m busy. Now leave."

Georgina’s expression turned ugly, her facade of sweetness crumbling completely.

Ethan had always been cordial to her before. It was all because of this damn competition! If she hadn’t participated, she wouldn’t be in this position now!

Georgina returned to her office with her head down, tearing her draft to shreds. If Ethan didn’t appreciate her work, what was the point in keeping it?

Her phone rang – a message from her assistant.

[Georgina, I found the reporters, but the organizers have deleted all photos and videos from the interview.]

Georgina immediately called back. "What do you mean ’deleted’?"

"The entire interview with Serena Quinn – no photos or videos were kept. The organizers seem to have scrapped it completely."

Georgina laughed coldly. "You idiot, don’t you see? If there wasn’t something sketchy happening, why would they delete everything?"

"Some reporters keep backups. If the price is right, we can get it."

Her assistant promised to try again, and Georgina hung up with a sinister smile.

Eventually, her assistant couldn’t find the complete video, but managed to purchase some clips and photos from an entertainment reporter at a steep price.

"This is all I could get," the assistant said, handing over the material.

Georgina watched the video eagerly. The first few minutes contained standard official questions, but around the three-minute mark, there was a turning point.

In the footage, she visibly tensed when asked about remarriage. Georgina paused the video and gestured for her assistant to come look.

[Remember to blur faces. Don’t let anyone trace this back to you.]

She then transferred the agreed payment.

The trending topic appeared at midnight when most involved parties were asleep, though bored internet users were still active. Ryan’s and Ethan’s faces were blurred – they were too powerful to target directly.

Serena was the main target, with numerous paid trolls piling on with malicious comments:

[She’s got it made – catching men even while heavily pregnant.]

[Why blur the faces? That’s obviously CEO Blackwood and the Quinn heir.]

[An ex-husband and a current flame? Serena Quinn, you’re living the dream!]

[Can’t you read? The headline says she’s two-timing. Did you even finish elementary school?]

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Serena’s POV

When I finally checked my messages after breakfast, I was already trending online—for all the wrong reasons.

"What now?" I muttered, scrolling through my notifications until I found the gossip headline:

[Lazuli caught two-timing, shows diva behavior during interview. Her brain-dead fans still defend her.]

I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as I skimmed through the comments. Surprisingly, most people were actually defending me against these accusations. Still, the "two-timing" part left me genuinely confused.

"Ryan," I turned to him as he sipped his coffee across the breakfast table, "have I developed some secret love life I’m not aware of?"

Ryan glanced up from his phone, his eyes cool but amused. "What about Ethan Quinn? Doesn’t he count?"

I burst into laughter at the absurdity. "These people are unbelievable! Ethan and I barely know each other. Wonder what he’ll think when he sees this nonsense."

I tossed my phone aside, completely unbothered by the malicious rumors. They didn’t deserve my energy or attention. Ryan’s expression remained neutral, clearly not threatened by these ridiculous claims either.

I suppose this is the price of sudden internet fame—people inventing drama where none exists. The worst comments were already being buried under supportive ones anyway.

Ryan didn’t comment further, but I caught him sending a quick text.

Knowing him, he was probably already having someone trace the source of this hit piece and let his people handle the investigation quietly.

Whatever desperate person started this rumor clearly didn’t know who they were messing with.

Between Ryan’s resources and my growing supporter base online, this would blow over faster than yesterday’s interview fiasco.