Hannah paused at the door, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes. Then she smiled. "Good. You don''t need to tell me the details."


    "Aren''t you curious who he is?"


    She shook her head. "If he has nothing to do with Sandra, then I was wrong about him. And if he does, are you really going to ask for my opinion before you act?"


    She walked back to him, her smile turning into a sardonic grin. "I don''t care if they''re connected or not. As long as it doesn''t interfere with my work, you two can handle your own mess."


    With that, she turned and left.


    Lionel watched her go, a sharp pain tightening in his chest. Had she known all along? Was that why she was so indifferent?


    That morning, his assistant had sent him the report, and it had taken him several minutes to process the truth. The photographer, a man named Ben Zade, had indeed met with Sandra privately. And he had been present at all three of the incidents that went viral. Aparison of his position and the angles of the published photos confirmed he was the one who had taken them. However, the IP address used to post them was from overseas.


    The realization that he had been caught in such an borate deception made him feel like a fool. He told his assistant to arrange a meeting with the photographer. He needed to hear it from the man himself.


    At 9:30 a.m., Lionel arrived at the café. Ben Zade was already there, looking nervous. The moment he saw Lionel, he shot to his feet, his hand outstretched and trembling.


    "Mr. Rosenberg, hello. I''m Ben Zade, a frence photographer."


    Lionel ignored the handshake, sitting down and tossing a set of photos onto the table. "Did you take these?"


    Ben recognized his work immediately. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He swallowed hard, his neck stiff with tension. "Yes," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I... I took them all."


    "Who hired you?" Lionel''s voice was dangerously quiet.


    Ben''s lips tightened. He wanted to say he was just there by chance, but seeing the evidenceid out before him, he knew lying was pointless. Lionel had clearly done his homework.


    He gathered the photos into a neat pile and pushed them back across the table. It was Ms. Woods,” he confessed Sandra She just asked me to take some candid shots of her. She never told me what they were for, and I didn''t ask."


    It wasn''t until the photos hit the news that he realized he''d been used. He had confronted Sandra, telling her he wouldn''t be a part of her schemes, but she had offered him a lot of money. He had just beenid off with a mortgage to pay and a family to support. So, reluctantly, he had agreed to do it a second time, and then a third.


    "Mr. Rosenberg, I know what I did was wrong, but I was desperate," Ben pleaded,


    his voice cracking. "I needed the money. I''m so sorry. I never imagined it would


    cause you so much trouble."


    His heart hammered against his


    ribs. Sandra had told him this would


    help her get closer to Lionel,


    promising him an even bigger once they were


    payday once they were together But as things escted, he realized not only would he never see that money, but he was also risking serious retaliation.