The Temporary Wife (BongLeni)

Chapter 6

It was Sunday morning, and Bongbong lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, his expression hard as stone. He'd checked his phone, where multiple notifications awaited him. Camille had texted and sent a link to an article. Apparently, a photographer had caught them together, showing him holding her hand, opening her car door. Now it was everywhere online—people speculating, headlines buzzing with their so-called romance.

He clenched his jaw. It wasn't supposed to be public yet. He'd told Camille to keep things under wraps until they could formally announce it. But now, here it was, plastered across every tabloid and social media feed. Bongbong felt his blood simmer with irritation as he tossed his phone aside.

Without a second thought, he called Leni. She'd fix this mess.

***

Leni was sitting at her tiny kitchen table, nursing a cup of coffee, scrolling through her own feed. Photos of Bongbong and Camille popped up like an endless stream of headlines. She could hardly keep herself from rolling her eyes at the images—him opening her door, Camille looking smitten. Typical. Just when she thought her day would be calm, she knew Bongbong was bound to come calling about this.

She put her coffee down and, with a steadying breath, started making calls to her media contacts. If there was one thing the Marcos family still controlled, it was the media. It wouldn't be easy, but she could at least negotiate a partial blackout.

After a series of tense back-and-forth calls, she managed to arrange for most outlets to either pull down or bury the story. The photos might still circulate online, but the fire was somewhat contained. She finally leaned back in her chair, relieved, when her phone buzzed with Bongbong's name on the screen.

"Tell me it's already handled," Bongbong's voice came through, cold and sharp.

She stifled a laugh, leaning back with a smirk. "Sure, just give me a second while I conjure up a magic wand. You want the photos erased from the internet too?"

"Leni, enough. Are the photos contained or not?" His voice had an edge of impatience, one that most people might find intimidating.

Leni didn't. "Yeah, it's under control. I've already reached out to media contacts. They'll start pulling them down."

He let out a quiet sigh. "I don't want to see that photographer's name anywhere again. Got it?"

"Oh, of course. Let's blacklist a guy for taking a photo. That's definitely the best solution," she replied dryly. "You ever think about just ignoring it?"

"No, Leni, I don't ignore problems. I remove them."

"Charming. I'm sure your future wife will love that about you," she replied, raising an eyebrow.

He didn't respond, but she could almost feel his stare through the phone, a chill that crept down her spine.

After a tense pause, he finally spoke, quieter this time. "I was only being polite with her. The media twists everything."

"opening her car door is 'just being polite,'" she retorted, sarcasm heavy in her tone.

"Think what you want. Just make sure the story stays buried," he said, dismissive.

She smirked, refusing to back down. "don't worry. I'll make sure you're not too famous for this one."

"Good. Now let's keep it that way." His voice had dropped to an icy calm.

"I'm not a miracle worker." She paused, then added, "And maybe try not to add to the mess by being...well, you."

He scoffed. "Spare me the advice, Leni. I'm not interested in your opinions on my personal life."