The Cursed Proposal

Chapter 12: The Pulse of Uncertainty

"Can't sleep?" A voice interrupted Kaya's thoughts. She turned to see Sebastian leaning against the doorframe of the backyard. She knew Sebastian's plan would work, but it would likely bring him more trouble than he already faced.

The previous plan was to gather information about Hannah Doyle and Jade Alonski before Sebastian's company event. Jade was easy to investigate since Alex had done that before firing her. However, Hannah was clean; her only animosity towards Kaya stemmed from their competition for this year's journalist award. To ensure Alex's statement was concrete and unassailable, they needed to convince Hannah that she was being manipulated by Jade. Unfortunately, Hannah refused to listen to Kaya, despite Kaya presenting her with evidence linking Jade to the crime.

To make matters worse, during a press conference meant to clarify the scandal, Hannah trapped Alex into making damaging statements. He struggled to respond to her accusations about a toxic work environment and the supposed favoritism towards Kaya. Now, the only way to restore Kaya's reputation was to create a scandal even more spectacular than this one.

"Can we not do this? We can just let it die down, I mean it is a petty game. They hate me because I'm just being, me." Kaya said, her eyes filled with guilt. Sebastian walked over to her and with every step he took, Kaya's heart pounded uncontrollably between feeling amazed by Sebastian or guilt drowning her. Sebastian looked almost angelic with the moonlight casting a glow on him as he approached her, folding his arms and looking thoughtful before stopping just a few steps from her.

"You know this 'petty game' cost you your job, Kaya. And now your parents are so worried, they're thinking of giving you a new identity—what was it? Elspeth Morris?" Sebastian said while shaking like he was shivering from the name. Yes, Kaya kept her parent updated about what happened, her father, who used to work in a government office, had suggested the drastic measures, and Kaya was stunned by their overreaction.

"But, will the plan work? Why is Jade willing to tell the truth? Even Alex had already done his best and now his position as CEO of the Titan's Ink Press was in danger because of it," Kaya was frustrated. She hated Alex, but she didn't want him to lose his job because of this. Kaya could see the sympathy on Sebastian's face. It was like he was the one who felt sorry about all of this while Kaya thought that this was all her fault, giving Sebastian more things to clean up.

Kaya never felt this desperate in her life before, not even when she was heartbroken when Dimitri left. Now, she was a leech, a parasite that feeds from Sebastian, a man who was like an angel. She couldn't find a new job, she couldn't go home to her house, and she was pampered by Sebastian's staff like she owned the house. She felt unworthy of all this, but she couldn't do anything until the scandal left her body.

"Let's just go with the flow first, okay? Although Alex's Press Conference was a failure, not all failed. The reporters are more vague about what is true and false now. Also don't be too guilty about me, because of this new rumor we created I've got a chance to prove myself to the new investor at the gala tomorrow night. So, you being here with me is like a burst of sunshine after my stormy night." Sebastian said. Sebastian hugged Kaya tightly, offering her the support she desperately needed. Kaya didn't know what to say after what he told her, but one thing she knew about Sebastian was he was always there to validate her and make her feel safe no matter what, her own Wisteria Tree.

                                                                                           ***

Since plan A failed, they moved to plan B, creating a diversion. Sebastian had added a new twist to the scandal, claiming to the press that he was the one in a secret relationship with Kaya, not his friend.