Chapter 317

A familiar figure swept past the doorway, her perfume wafting into the room. Latisha instinctively held her breath.

Yesenia was here. As a regular visitor, no one at the front desk dared to stop her. She had already spoken to the new CEO, Greyson, who had pointed her in the right direction.

Yesenia pushed open the door to the chairman's office and strode inside. She found Clifford sitting behind his desk.

“Clifford!” she exclaimed, her voice a mixture of relief and indignation. She was relieved he hadn't been fired after all, and furious that he had lied to her. If she hadn't been so devoted, so certain of her love for him, she might have broken things off for good.

Clifford looked up. "What are you doing here?"

"You told me you resigned! I came to see for myself, of course! And I find out you lied to me!"

She marched up to his desk and slammed her handbag down on it.

She was probably the only person in the world who would dare to speak to Clifford

like that, let alone slam things on his desk. For her, it was normal.

Clifford leaned back in his chair, unbothered. "What did I lie about?"

"You said you resigned!"

"I did."

That stopped her for a second. "And you said you owed the company tens of billions!"

"That's also true."

Yesenia's arguments deflated. He hadn't really lied, she realized. He'd just conveniently left out the most important parts. Her anger subsided, replaced by a softer tone. She leaned against his desk, her voice turning gentle as she reached out to touch his arm. "Then why didn't you tell me you're the chairman now?"

He didn't push her away. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her waist. "You never asked," he said with a faint smile.

"Fine," she sighed. “Let's not argue. I'm just happy to see you're okay."

Clifford watched her, waiting for what he knew was coming next.

"Actually, Clifford," she began, "there was something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Go on."

"You've seen the news, right? Someone leaked those photos, and now I'm getting dragged through the mud online. You have to do something to fix this.”

She looked up at him, pouting her red lips in a practiced, coquettish way.

Clifford raised an eyebrow. "And what do you want me to do?"

"It's simple" she said with a bright smile. "My new show is having a

is come with menustet

press conference. All you have to de

appearance, that's it."

Her reasoning was clear: she needed everyone to see that they were in a legitimate relationship, not some sordid sugar daddy arrangement. If Clifford showed up, the rumors would die down immediately After all, why would he attend a press conference with her if they weren't a real couple?

Yesenia watched him expectantly, waiting for his answer.

"A press conference?"

"Yes! Please, come with me."

Clifford picked up a cigarette and lit it, his eyes distant as he exhaled a plume of smoke.

"I can't," he said finally.

The smile vanished from Yesenia's face. "Why not?"

"There's no why. I've told you before, don't play these little games. You don't just

want me to 'make an appearance,' do you?"

He had seen right through her.

Yesenia's expression faltered. She had planned it all out. Once he was at the press conference, the

their relationship. He would be cornered. He would either have to acknowledge her as his girlfriend or deny it, canfirming the rumors and humiliating her publicly. And Clifford, she knew, would never do that.

reporters would inevitably ast