The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 279

As he walked out of the alley, Garnett sent a quick text to Corinne:

[Keep an eye on the news regarding Lavinia's rescue last night. Monitor any fluctuations in the stock price.]

Corinne replied almost instantly: [Understood.]

Garnett paused and looked back at the small house. A wave of bitter loneliness washed over him.

All other complications aside, the mere thought of Lavinia finding someone else the second their divorce was finalized felt like swallowing glass.

He returned to the corporate headquarters and threw himself into a grueling day of work.

The torrential rain had wreaked havoc on several Harper Group properties. The underground parking lot at one of their luxury developments had flooded, resulting in angry homeowners demanding compensation. At another construction site, inadequate safety measures had caused a scaffolding collapse.

There was no shortage of negative press. Thankfully, it was entirely buried by the viral trending topic of Mrs. Harper braving the storm.

Right after the market closed, Corinne walked into his office carrying a summary report. "Mr. Harper, thanks to the positive PR generated by your wife's heroism, our stock price hit the daily limit up today."

She hesitated for a second before adding, "However... the public has started digging into your marriage. They've found some mentions of Sigrid..."

Garnett frowned slightly, quickly masking his irritation. "Tell the PR department to scrub any negative rumors immediately. At the same time, keep pouring resources into pushing Lavinia's trending topic."

He paused, his voice turning cold. "If Sigrid shows up, tell her I'm in a meeting off-site."

Corinne blinked, quickly nodding her compliance. As she walked out, she silently analyzed her boss's instructions.

It seemed the divorce was going on the back burner again.

The stock was performing incredibly well, and it was entirely due to the goodwill generated by his wife. If rumors of an impending divorce leaked now, the public backlash would be catastrophic.

When Corinne returned to the executive suite, she quietly passed down a new verbal directive: The CEO was extremely busy with highly confidential matters. From now on, no one was allowed into his office without an explicit appointment. Period.

"Don't do that, Mr. Harper," Lavinia shot back. "I'm not used to you talking to me like this. Weren't you always telling me I was childish and immature?"

Garnett choked on the rebuttal, but he didn't get angry.

When he spoke again, his voice was deeper, carrying a hint of genuine regret. "Can't you at least let me get to know you again? I was wrong about a lot of things before. Can we leave it at that?"

"Just tell me why you called," Lavinia demanded.

"Those influencers are probably going to camp outside your house for a few days. I'm worried about your safety. Why don't you come back to the Arden Estate for a while?"

"No thanks," Lavinia said flatly. "Judith called me earlier. She told me to come hide out at the Gilmore Estate. I'm packing my bags now."

"How are you getting there?"

"I ordered a rideshare."