Madeline ran into her office, her heart pounding in her chest, tears spilling down her cheeks. She shut the door behind her and slid to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. “What should I do now?” she whispered to herself, her hands trembling. “No one believes me...”

Suddenly, the door swung open, and a figure stepped inside. Madeline looked up to see Natalie Woods, another model at the company, standing there with a smug expression plastered on her face.

Madeline’s tears turned to fury. “Why, Natalie?” she choked out.

Natalie gave a cold, heartless scoff. “Did you really think I’d let you move forward in your career and block my path to success?” Her lips curled into a wicked smile. “Now no one will suspect me, and tomorrow’s headlines will be all about your downfall.”

Madeline wiped her tears as anger replaced her sadness. “If I’m taking the fall, I want the photos and videos first,” she demanded, trying to hold on to the last bit of control she had.

Natalie’s eyes sparkled with malice. “Kneel and beg me,” she whispered slyly.

Swallowing her pride, Madeline dropped to her knees, hatred burning in her chest. Natalie chuckled, savoring the sight. “This is so good to watch,” she sneered. “But... I’ll think it over.”

With a final smirk, Natalie turned and strolled out of the office, leaving Madeline behind, broken and defeated. Once alone, Madeline’s anger and despair overwhelmed her. She refused to let Natalie destroy her life—and if her life was ruined, she would rather end it on her own terms.

With shaking hands, she grabbed a mirror from her desk, smashing it against the wall. She picked up a sharp shard of glass, her hands trembling. “I loved you, Kai. I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice filled with sorrow. She pressed the shard against her wrist, ready to take her life.

“Madeline! Are you mad?!”

Eva’s voice rang out, and Madeline felt the glass shard being wrenched from her hand. Eva knelt in front of her, grabbing her arms and guiding her gently to the couch.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Eva whispered fiercely, holding Madeline’s hands tightly.

Madeline sobbed, her whole body trembling. “I just... I can’t face what’s coming... I can’t.”

Aurora burst into the room, her eyes wide with concern. “Eva, what happened?” she gasped, taking in the shattered glass on the floor and Madeline’s tear-streaked face.

“She tried to...” Eva whispered, her voice breaking as she trailed off.

Without a word, Aurora ran to fetch the first aid kit. She returned moments later, gently cleaning Madeline’s wrist and the small cuts on her fingers.

“No, let me die...” Madeline sobbed as Aurora carefully wrapped her wrist in a bandage.

Eva cupped Madeline’s face, forcing her to look into her eyes. “Maddy, listen to me. I overheard Natalie. I know what she’s doing to you, and I promise, we’ll deal with it. You’re not alone.”

Madeline’s sobs slowed, but her face remained etched with pain. After a moment, Eva spoke softly. “What photos and videos was Natalie talking about?”

Madeline hesitated, then whispered, “My... my nudes.”

Her voice broke as she explained. “Natalie called me to the warehouse and gave me three bags to place in the storage house. She said if I did what she asked, she would give me the photos and videos and delete everything.”

“But she lied.” Madeline’s voice grew bitter. “Now she’s framing me... and blackmailing me.”

Eva’s expression hardened. “You can trust me, Maddy. I’ll make sure this ends. We’ll figure this out together.”

Aurora squeezed Madeline’s shoulder, offering her quiet support as Eva stood. She gave Madeline one last reassuring look before heading toward Andrew’s office.

Eva entered Andrew’s office, finding him sitting at his desk, lost in thought. She knocked lightly to get his attention, but he didn’t stir. His eyes remained fixed on the wall, distant and blank.

“Andrew?” Eva tried again, moving closer. Still no response.

Finally, she tapped his shoulder. Andrew jolted, as though snapped out of a trance. “What?” he said coldly, rubbing his face. “I’m not in the mood.”

Eva took a deep breath, gathering her courage. “It’s important,” she said quietly. “Madeline is innocent. She’s being blackmailed by another model.”

Before Andrew could respond, Natalie entered the office without knocking.

Andrew’s cold gaze landed on her. “Knock next time,” he said, his tone sharp.

Natalie plastered on a sweet smile. “Sorry, sir. I just wanted to inform you that the lip brand ad shoot needs a replacement model. Since Madeline can’t do it, I was hoping I could fill in.”

Eva’s stomach twisted in disgust. What a two-faced bitch. She fought to keep her composure as Natalie batted her lashes innocently.

“I’ll think about it,” Andrew replied coolly. Natalie nodded and turned to leave, throwing one last smug glance in Eva’s direction.

As the door closed behind her, Andrew turned to Eva. “What was that glare about?”

“She’s the reason for the whole mess,” Eva snapped. “And you declared Madeline guilty without doing a proper investigation.”

Andrew’s eyes darkened, but Eva didn’t back down. She pulled out her phone, showing him the voice recording she had taken of Madeline’s confession.

“I did the investigation myself since you wouldn’t,” she said bluntly, watching Andrew’s expression shift from anger to intrigue.

Andrew leaned back in his chair, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Oh, my wife has been busy.”

Eva glared at him. “I just don’t like seeing innocent people suffer.”

Moments later, Evander, Edward, Eva, and Andrew gathered in Andrew’s office to discuss the situation.

“We can’t just punish Natalie outright,” Andrew said, his voice cold and calculated. “We need to find out who’s pulling her strings. There’s someone bigger behind this.”

“We’ll also need to speed up production for the launch,” Edward added. “We’ve lost a lot of time.”

Andrew nodded and pulled out his phone, giving orders to have Natalie’s movements tracked and her call logs pulled.

Then, with a gleam in his eye, he looked at the group and said, “We’ll need to play a little game of role play.”

Eva raised a brow, crossing her arms. What on earth is he up to now?

“Role play?” Evander repeated, confused. “What are you planning?”

Andrew’s smirk deepened. “It’s simple. We draw Natalie out—and whoever she’s working for—with a little deception.”

Eva narrowed her eyes. “What kind of deception?”

Andrew’s gaze locked with hers, full of mischief and danger. “You’ll find out soon enough, Mrs. King.”

Eva groaned inwardly. Why do I feel like I’ve just been roped into another one of Andrew’s twisted games?

Andrew’s voice was smooth, almost teasing. “Get ready. This is going to be fun.”

And Eva knew, without a doubt, that whatever plan Andrew was cooking up—it was going to be anything but fun.