Doreen was about to shut down herptop and head home for some much -needed rest when a news notification caught her eye.


    Once she saw Stes name, she impulsively clicked on the alert, leading her to an article written by a tabloid journalist.


    Doreen pointed to herptop screen and told Ste, Look, the journalists caught you and Sanford at the hospital, and… and they took pictures of you both holding hands.


    Upon hearing this, Ste frowned deeply and quickly moved to see Doreens screen.


    The images were zoomed in, clearly disying both her and Sanfords faces, with Sanford gripping her hand.


    The scene indeed looked quite intimate.


    Although Doreen didnt believe Ste would fall for someone else, the provocative headlines and contents made her question whether Ste might have feelings for Sanford.


    Ste and Matthews rtionship had been rockytely, and Sanford had been showing her attention.


    It seemed natural to Doreen that Ste might be moved by this.


    Stes expression darkened as she took in the content of the photos. She was dismayed that a mere hospital visit had drawn media attention.


    It was really unfortunate.


    Seeing Ste remain silent, Doreen gently suggested, Should we reach out to the media to have them take down the article? Its spreading rapidly online, and the images are being circted as proof.


    It seems everyone is taking the rumors at face value.


    Ste clenched her jaw and said, Ill try contacting them.


    With that, Ste turned and walked briskly to her desk.


    She picked up the phone and dialed the number of the media outlet that had initially published the news.


    However, the call abruptly ended after just a single ring.


    Overwhelmed with anger, Ste trembled, feeling a headache surge through her.


    She copsed into her chair and took deep breaths to suppress her mounting fury.


    Just then, her phone buzzed. It was Sanford calling.


    Over the phone, he reassured her.


    Ste, dont stress over it.


    Ive seen the news.


    Ill issue a statement to rify things for you.


    Disheartened, Ste responded, Forget it.


    People will cling to their beliefs regardless.


    No exnation from us will change their minds.


    Sanford quickly reassured her, saying, Dont stress about this.


    I take responsibility for todays mishap.


    Ill take care of it. After hanging up, Sanford was initially determined to quash the trending topic right away to limit the incidents impact.


    However, remembering Dens earlier advice, he opted to let the online chatter persist for a bit longer, hoping it might strain the rtionship between Matthew and Ste.


    Then, he would step in to clear the air.


    Meanwhile, Matthew was caught up in a long and dreary meeting thatsted until the evening.


    During the meeting, both Matthew and Fernando remained entirely focused on work, leaving no opportunity to check their phones.


    As Matthew stepped out of the conference room, he immediately noticed the strange way everyone was looking at him.


    Their gazes carried a mix of curiosity, sympathy, and an indescribable unease.


    However, whenever Matthew returned their stares, they quickly averted their eyes, as though they had all silently agreed to avoid his scrutiny.


    The behavior stirred an inexplicable wave of anxiety within him.


    Frowning slightly, Matthew chose to say nothing and walked straight to his office.