Chapter 4

Keegan and Reyna were trending online. The next morning, I was still asleep when my best friend's relentless calls jolted me awake.

"Karla! Check Twitter! That jerk Keegan and that sneaky homewrecker got caught by the paparazzi," she shouted.

I rubbed my eyes and opened Twitter. The top trending topic was: [Armstrong Group CEO Spotted Sneaking Out with His First Love Late at Night—Marriage on the Rocks?]

Clicking on it, I saw a bunch of crystal-clear paparazzi shots.

In the photos, Keegan and Reyna were standing outside an upscale restaurant.

Reyna had her head down, seemed to be crying, and Keegan reached out to wipe her tears, then pulled her into his arms.

Their body language was so intimate that they looked like a couple head over heels for each other.

The comments section was already blowing up.

[I always said there's no real love in those billionaire marriages. Just look at Mr. Armstrong's eyes. He's totally smitten.]

[Poor Mrs. Armstrong. This isn't cheating, it's like she's getting absolutely wrecked.]

[Why feel bad? She's loaded. If my husband gave me tens of millions, he could hook up with whoever he wants.]

I read the last comment and totally agreed. I gave it a like without even thinking.

In my previous life, I saw this scandal blowing up online too.

I was so pissed I marched right into Keegan's company and called him out in front of all the top execs.

What happened? Security dragged me out, and I became the butt of every joke in Kingston.

This time, I didn't even feel like getting out of bed. After lazily freshening up, I ordered myself a luxurious brunch.

I'd barely taken a couple of bites when Keegan's call came through.

I hit answer and put it on speaker.

"Karla," Keegan said, sounding tired and just a little nervous. "Did you see the trending topic?"

"Yeah, I saw it," I said, talking with my mouth full. "The photos are super clear. Reyna's dress was actually pretty cute."

There was a brief silence on the other end.

"Don't you have anything to ask me?" Keegan's voice dropped, sounding a bit tense.

"Ask what? Where you two went last night? Or how far things went between you two?" I took a sip of milk, sounding totally chill. "Mr. Armstrong, we have an agreement.

"As long as you don't have any illegitimate kids that would damage the Armstrong family's reputation, your private life is none of my business. I won't interfere."

"Karla!" Keegan suddenly raised his voice, anger practically dripping through gritted teeth. "Are you crazy or something?

"I'm your husband. You see me trending with another woman, and that's how you react?"

"What else do you expect me to do? Cry, make a scene, and threaten to off myself?" I rolled my eyes. "Mr. Armstrong, the PR team should already be on it.

"Do you want me to issue a statement? Say we're happily married and it was a friendly dinner?"

"Don't bother!" Keegan snapped, cutting me off. "If you don't care, then let the trending topic stay up! Let's see how long you can put up with it!"

With that, he hung up.

I stared at my phone screen as it went dark, pursing my lips in annoyance.

Was this guy seriously nuts? Well, at least I didn't have to deal with PR. That saved me a headache.

After finishing my meal, with nothing else to do, I fired up my laptop.

The Armstrong Group was about to launch a new property, and with all this trending drama, why not use the buzz to hype up the project?

I dug up the PR manager's number and gave her a call. "Hey, Shannon? It's Karla. Don't bother taking down the trending topic.

"Let's ride the wave and stir things up. Get some influencers to steer the conversation toward the Armstrong Group's new property.

"Yeah, say Mr. Armstrong reserved the best penthouse in the building to make his lady smile. A billionaire love triangle plus a CEO spoiling his wife? That's gonna blow up for sure."

Shannon was left speechless on the other end. "Mrs. Armstrong, is this really okay? What if Mr. Armstrong gets wind of it..."

"Relax. If anything blows up, I'll handle it. Just go ahead and do it," I replied.

After hanging up, I smacked my hands together, feeling pretty pleased with myself.

Honestly, as Mrs. Armstrong, helping the Armstrong Group rake in profits. I was absolutely killing it.

By evening, the trending topic totally exploded like I expected.

All that free publicity sent interest in the Armstrong Group's new property through the roof, and the number of people signing up for tours multiplied several times over.

I was scrolling through Twitter, enjoying the drama, when suddenly someone kicked the villa door open.

Keegan stormed in, icy and furious, clutching a printout of a viral influencer post.

"Karla! Look what you've done," he shouted, slamming the printout down on the coffee table in front of me. His eyes were so red, it looked like he could bleed.

He snapped, "Who gave you the right to have the PR team push out these viral posts without asking me? Do you even respect me as a man?"

I picked up the printout and took a quick look. It was exactly the narrative I'd told Shannon to spread.

"How am I not treating you like a man?" I looked up at him with an innocent face. "Mr. Armstrong, I'm doing you a favor here.

"Your thing with Ms. Goodwin got a boost, and the Armstrong Group's new development is flying off the shelves. Isn't that a win-win?"

"You!" Keegan was shaking with rage, his hand trembling as he pointed at me. "You're a heartless monster. You seriously don't even have a heart."

I watched him lose it, then couldn't help but laugh. "Keegan, you have no right to say I don't have a heart."

I stood up and locking eyes with him. "You stomped all over my heart, again and again. And now you're mad I don't have one? Don't you think it's a bit late for that?"