Page 26 of Obsessing Over His Favorite

“Mr. Cantrell,” Dillon said, handing over a tablet, voice calm but strained. “Someone posted misleadingly intimate photos of you and Ms. Jones on social media. It’s spreading fast. The news has already picked it up.”

Lucas’ brows furrowed as he took the tablet. He scrolled through the images.

This wasn’t the first time the media had linked him and Amelia. Journalists had long speculated, always twisting things with clever angles and headlines. Lucas had grown used to it.

These weren’t angled shots or paparazzi guesses. They were real. Intimate. Some were from just this morning—the very same ones Emily had held in her hands.

His jaw tightened as he stared at the screen, then he tossed the tablet back onto the desk and returned to the document in front of him.

“What happened? Did Emily call?” he asked, voice sharp. “Is she throwing another tantrum over this nonsense? Don’t tell me she showed up here. Where is she? Outside?”

Dillon hesitated, clearing his throat. “No, sir. She didn’t.”

Lucas narrowed his eyes. “Then where is she?”

Dillon hesitated again, reluctant. “Actually… Ms. Crawford is the one who sent the photos to the media.”

Lucas froze.

The pen slipped from Lucas’s fingers and hit the file with a dull thud.

His face shifted—annoyance wiped away, replaced by disbelief.

“What?”

***

That evening, Lucas arrived home a few hours earlier than usual, something that surprised the staff and everyone around him. He rarely left work early.

Inside, Emily was seated on the couch in the living room, casually watching the news coverage. Photos of Lucas and Amelia filled the screen as the anchors speculated about their "secret romance." She was tossing popcorn into her mouth with an amused smirk, completely unbothered.

The moment she heard the door, she grabbed the remote and switched the TV off.

But it was too late. Lucas had already seen it. His jaw flexed.

“Emily—” he started, stepping forward.

But before he could say anything more, Amelia came rushing in behind him. Her heels clicked sharply against the tile as she made her way straight to Emily, stopping just a few feet away.

“Emily!” Amelia called out, voice breathless as she stepped into the room.

Lucas turned to her, surprise flickering in his eyes. Amelia’s tense gaze shifted to him for a brief second before snapping back to Emily.

She stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Her voice was low, laced with guilt. “I’m so sorry, Emily.” she whispered. “I didn’t mean for it to get out like this. Those photos… they’re not what they look like. You’re misunderstanding everything.”

She clasped her hands nervously in front of her, eyes glistening.

“It’s my fault,” she continued. “Please, don’t blame Lucas. He didn’t do anything wrong. It’s all just a big mistake.”

She turned to Lucas for reassurance, then looked back at Emily. “Please believe me. There’s nothing going on between us.”

Emily looked at her, then at Lucas. He stood with his hands in his pockets, staring at her, saying nothing.

Amelia, on the other hand, looked like she was about to cry—nervously fidgeting with her fingers, glancing at Emily like she expected to be slapped at any second.

Emily shook her head at both of them dismissively, popping more popcorn into her mouth as she stood up. She swallowed and raised her hands lightly in front of Amelia, her voice calm but clipped.

“No, don’t say that. It’s my fault,” she said, her tone light, almost casual. “Amelia, I’m not suspicious. Not at all. It’s just… you and Lucas are so close. You know each other so well. You’re so comfortable and intimate with each other that you must feel like I’m standing right in the middle of something special. And I really don’t like the idea that I might be making you feel that way.”