Painted

Chapter 21

“Where the hell did they get these?” Rebecca’s voice was sharp, laced with disbelief. “We were careful, Freen. How did they even...”

Richard shook his head, his face dark with frustration. “It doesn’t matter how they got them,” he said firmly, sitting down beside them, his voice low and serious. “What matters now is what we do about it.”

Looknam, though typically the playful one, was quieter than usual as she took in the scene, her eyes flicking between the two of them. “I’m not gonna lie, this looks bad,” she said with an almost reluctant honesty. “But we’ll figure this out, okay?”

Sarocha looked at Rebecca, her face a mirror of the shock that Rebecca felt. “These were taken down the street from your condo,” Sarocha murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. “Were we followed?”

Irin’s brow furrowed. “It could have been someone following you, or even a careless moment when you didn’t realize a camera was around. The important thing is how you handle it now. The journalists are going to hound you. You've officially entered the spotlight."

Rebecca clenched her jaw, her mind already racing through the implications of everything. “The worst part is that my parents are going to see this,” she said, her voice low, the reality of it finally setting in. “They’ll think I’ve betrayed them, and that—” She took a shaky breath. “That’s going to be the hardest part.”

Sarocha’s expression softened, and she reached out to squeeze Rebecca’s hand. “You didn't betray them... You just didn't have time to tell them first."

"They're going to lose their minds. I've just soaked the family name in scandal." Rebecca shut her eyes tightly, the pounding headache forming behind her eyes taunting her with every throb.

Sarocha frowned, her heart clenching uncomfortably in her chest as she considered Rebecca's words. "Our relationship is not a scandal. It shouldn't be considered as such."

A deep sigh escaped Richard, worried eyes flicking from his sister to Sarocha as she spoke. His head shook woefully, "It's not about your relationship itself. The board will be facing the wrong sort of attention— sensationalism surrounding their project leads that has nothing to do with their professional achievements."

"He's right, I'm afraid," Looknam added, concern lacing her features and softening her tone of voice. "The whole industry will now focus on your private lives. What was supposed to be a prestigious cultural development has now become the backdrop to what they're framing as..." She paused and lifted one of the tabloids, scanning the cover page with clear disdain, "a 'Salacious love affair, straight from the boardroom."

"Mom and Dad will say I've ruined the family's reputation." Rebecca whispered hoarsely through the fingers that had settled over her face. Her heart hammered in her ears, her parents' furious faces flashing before her eyes.

The reality of the situation settled in with a heavy undercurrent of uncertainty. The group sat there, the morning sunlight streaming in, but everything felt much darker. The tabloids sat in front of them, an inescapable reminder of the world that they would now have to face, no longer hidden, no longer shielded by their quiet, private connection.

The weight of the situation continued to settle in like a heavy fog, thick and unyielding. The room felt smaller, the air thicker as the group tried to make sense of the catastrophe unfolding in real time. No one had to say anything to know that things were about to get even more complicated.

The first sound to break the tension was the buzzing of phones. Rebecca's phone went off first, the screen lighting up with a name that made her stomach twist in a fresh wave of dread—her mother.