Chapter 974

Evelyn Sinclair perched elegantly on the opposite sofa, motioning for Harrison Blake to take a seat beside her.

"Harrison is the new face of Sterling Enterprises' latest product line."

The room froze. Lucas Sterling shot up from his chair, his expression darkening. "Excuse me?" His reaction bordered on theatrical.

Harrison remained unfazed by Lucas's outburst.

At this point, scandal was nothing new to him.

Dominic Kingsley, however, stayed composed. After the initial shock wore off, he studied Harrison with a calculating gaze, as if weighing unseen possibilities.

Evelyn exhaled sharply.

"It was an unexpected choice, but I'm exploring alternatives to terminating his contract."

Both Lucas and Dominic stared at her like she'd lost her mind.

"Damage control, perhaps?" Evelyn suggested. Lucas scoffed, rolling his eyes dramatically.

Dominic pinched the bridge of his nose. No wonder Evelyn came in person. This is a PR nightmare.

"Regardless, he's here now. Figure out how to rehabilitate his image before we announce the campaign." Evelyn shrugged.

Lucas leaned in, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Just pick someone else. The industry's crawling with fresh talent—exactly your type."

Evelyn shot him a withering glare. "If it were that simple, would I be here? Fix this. You're an A-lister—surely you have connections."

Lucas groaned. The last thing he wanted was to get tangled in this mess.

After a tense silence, Dominic cleared his throat.

"Let's hear Mr. Blake's side first. Tabloids twist everything. We need facts before strategizing."

Evelyn nodded approvingly. Dominic's a professional. Lucas is just decorative.

All eyes turned to Harrison.

His gaze dropped slightly, the sharp angles of his face accentuating his aloof demeanor. When he finally spoke, his voice was steady.

"Ever since that photo of me hitting someone surfaced, the rumors spiraled." A pause. "The person I struck was my ex-wife."

Lucas reclined, suddenly invested.

Dominic observed Harrison like a human lie detector.

"There was a reason, but I didn't defend myself. Explaining now would seem like desperate justification."

"Try us," Dominic pressed.

"I was on set when my mother called. She'd walked in on my ex-wife and a director... in our home."

Harrison's jaw tightened.

"By the time I got there, they'd pushed my mother down the stairs. I lost control. Went after the director in our lobby. My ex-wife intervened—that's when I hit her."

The air in the office turned glacial.

No wonder he'd rather tank his career than air that humiliation.

Harrison's interlaced fingers whitened. A vein pulsed near his temple, his expression rigid with suppressed emotion.

The man wasn't indifferent—he was barely holding it together.