Chapter 72: Trending!

The question slipped out before Kristoff could stop it. The moment he heard it, even he realized how unreasonable it sounded. Yet he couldn’t take it back.

His jaw clenched.

"I am giving you a sincere compliment, and yet you are acting as if I am going to do something bad to you."

Isobel frowned.

The pressure around her wrist was becoming painful.

"Please let go, Mr. Dalton."

Her voice remained calm but her eyes reflected discomfort.

"You’re hurting me."

The words hit him like a bucket of cold water.

Kristoff cursed inwardly. Immediately, he loosened his grip.

But for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to release her completely.

His fingers remained wrapped around her wrist.

As though letting go would somehow widen the distance between them even further.

...

Charlotte watched everything unfold before her eyes, and she hated every second of it.

Every glance Kristoff directed at Isobel felt like a knife twisting deeper into her chest.

Every word he spoke to her, every flicker of admiration in his eyes.

Every touch...each one was a fresh torment.

The small victory she felt earlier when the wine drenched Isobel’s dress evaporated.

The humiliation...the embarrassment. The whispers that would surely follow.

For a brief, glorious moment, it had felt like she had suceeded in her revenge.

But now that satisfaction had completely vanished. A cold, creeping panic spread through her chest, wrapping itself around her heart.

Something was changing. And she could feel it slipping beyond her control.

For years, Kristoff had remained indifferent to women. No matter how beautiful they were. No matter how openly they pursued him. He had always kept his distance.

Kristoff had barely spared any woman a glance. Yet now, even with Charlotte standing right beside him, his attention seemed magnetically drawn elsewhere.

To Isobel.

His eyes sought her out again and again. As though he couldn’t help himself. As though he had suddenly begun seeing her.

And that realization terrified Charlotte more than she cared to admit.

Because she knew better than anyone that indifference could be overcome. Hatred could be challenged.

But once a man started noticing a woman... Once he started paying attention... Everything could change.

The realization terrified her.

"Kristoff..." her voice emerged weak and trembling.

Both of them turned toward her.

Charlotte pressed a trembling hand against her abdomen. A soft gasp escaped her lips.

The color drained from her face as she swayed unsteadily.

"Kristoff..." she whispered. "My stomach hurts..."

The moment the words left her mouth, Kristoff released Isobel’s wrist, as though burned.

His attention shifted completely. In one swift movement, he wrapped an arm around Charlotte’s waist and steadied her before she could fall.

"Charlotte!"

Concern instantly filled his voice.

"What happened? Are you alright?" The gentleness in his tone was unmistakable. The same gentleness he had reserved for Charlotte for years.

The same gentleness he had once shown Isobel during their borrowed time together.

DING.

The elevator doors slid open. For a brief second, nobody moved. Then Isobel stepped out. She didn’t look back.

The oversized coat draped around her shoulders swayed as she walked down the hallway toward the suite Morgan had prepared for her.

Behind her, Kristoff’s gaze followed her retreating figure. Unconsciously. Almost unwillingly. As though something inside him didn’t want her to leave.

Charlotte noticed. Of course she noticed!

Her heart lurched. The panic she had been fighting suddenly exploded inside her chest.

Without warning, her legs gave out. This time, she truly collapsed and did not feign it. If Kristoff hadn’t been holding her, she would have hit the floor.

"Charlotte!"

His alarm echoed through the hallway. The sound reached Isobel just as she rounded the corner.

Her footsteps faltered but only for a second. A sharp pain spread through her chest.

She lowered her gaze and clenched her fists so tightly her nails bit into her palms.

Why?

The question rose bitterly inside her.

After all this time... Why does it still hurt?

She had already accepted reality. Accepted that Kristoff’s concern, his tenderness, his affection none of it belonged to her.

But time and again, she saw him so gentle by Charlotte’s side...

And when she heard that panic in his voice...the wound opened all over again.

A humorless smile touched her lips.

"Kristoff," she thought bitterly, forcing herself to keep walking, "why do you keep appearing in my life only to trample on my heart?"

This time, she didn’t pause again.

She entered the room.

...

By late afternoon, the internet was in complete chaos.

What had begun as a technology summit had somehow transformed into the hottest topic across every social media platform and entertainment news outlet.

Photos. Videos. Clips from different angles.

Everything was being shared at a terrifying speed. And at the center of it all were two people.

Morgan Foster and Isobel Lancey.

"Billionaire CEO of Aioryx Captivated by New Singer?"

"Who Is the Woman That Caught Morgan Foster’s Attention?"

"Love at First Sight? Morgan Foster’s Protective Actions Spark Dating Rumors."

The headlines grew more outrageous with every passing hour.

Netizens dissected every second of that interlude.

One viral video showed Morgan rising from his seat the instant the drinks were thrown at Isobel. Another showed him draping his suit jacket over her shoulders.

A third clip zoomed in on his expression while she sang on stage.

Thousands of comments flooded the internet.

"Tell me that’s not the face of a man in love."

"The way he looked at her? No boss looks at an employee like that."

"Forget the song. I spent the entire performance watching Morgan watch her."

"He looked ready to murder whoever spilled those drinks."

"Am I the only one who thinks they’re already dating?"

The rumors only intensified when someone uploaded a high-definition photograph taken moments after the accident.

In the picture, Isobel stood wrapped in Morgan’s suit jacket while Morgan leaned slightly toward her, his expression full of concern.

The image exploded online. Within hours, it had accumulated millions of views.

Fans gave them a nickname.

MOBEL.

Morgan and Isobel For Ever!

The hashtag began trending almost immediately.