Chapter 2 Clean Break
1435 Words
Late at night, the lights still burned brightly in the Morgan Media headquarters. In the CEO's office, Leila lounged leisurely in a plush chair, scrolling through the trending topics on X.
#LeilaVsMorganMedia
#LeilaNewSugarDaddy
#LeilaBreachOfContract
The explosive news caught the public's attention immediately, and the comments section of X was ablaze. Some mocked her, others raged.
The media storm was already making waves, and the stock market reacted swiftly. As soon as Leila confirmed her break from the company, Morgan Media's stock plummeted.
Leila's agent, Aidan, stormed into the office, his face pale with fury. He slammed a stack of papers onto the desk. "Look at the mess you've made! It's all over the news—people are saying you betrayed Morgan Media for a new rich benefactor. Do you have any idea what this is doing to the company's image?!"
Leila lazily stretched on the luxurious leather couch in the CEO's office, a mocking smile playing on her lips.
"I'm about to leave, Aidan. Do you really think I care about your PR disasters?" She laughed softly, glancing up at him. "You guys at Morgan Media must really have something wrong with you. You love to blame everyone else for your problems."
Aidan's face turned ashen. "I know what you did! You tipped off Martin, didn't you? Don't you know he's been gunning for Morgan Media? By spreading this, do you think you'll leave and still have a career in this industry? You're throwing your future away!"
Leila laughed so hard it echoed in the room, her head thrown back. "Throw my future away? Who said that? Was it Nicholas?"
Just then, the door to the office swung open. Nicholas strode in, impeccably dressed in a sharp suit, his face dark with barely-contained rage.
Leila stood up, her red heels clicking sharply on the floor. She moved toward him slowly, her red lips curling into a seductive smirk. "What's this? A little breakup contract talk, and you decided to show up personally, Mr. CEO?"
Nicholas narrowed his eyes. "Don't forget who made you. Without Morgan Media, you'd be nothing."
Leila raised an eyebrow, a bitter edge to her voice. "Save it. The one thing I hate most in life is being used as someone's pawn. I spent three years with you, and I convinced myself it was all for love. But now, after you humiliate me and toss me aside, you want me to stay and keep helping you rake in the money?!"
She leaned in close, her lips brushing his ear, her words laced with venom. "Do you think you deserve that?"
The mocking tone in her voice made Nicholas' jaw tighten, his fists clenching at his sides. Three years. Three years he'd spent turning Leila from a nobody into a star, and now, just when he was ready to collect his rewards, she wanted out?
He couldn't understand. How dare she turn on him?
Before him stood a woman he didn't recognize. The obedient Leila was gone, replaced by a fiery, captivating seductress. Her makeup was flawless, her lips a striking shade of crimson, and her eyes glowed with defiance. The tight dress she wore hugged every curve, her figure now fully revealed in a way that both infuriated and mesmerized him.
Had their breakup driven her to this?
"Enough!" Nicholas snapped, his voice like ice. "Don't try to manipulate me with your games. I don't like women who play hard to get. Be a good girl, do your job, and I'll keep the resources flowing—double the pay, everything you want. But if you keep up this nonsense, don't blame me when I make your life hell!"
Leila rolled her eyes dramatically, throwing her hands up in mock surrender. "Please, save the threats. Sign the contract, and let's get this over with."
Aidan stood there, helpless, pacing back and forth. "Leila, please! Think before you act!"
Nicholas exhaled sharply, trying to regain control. "Last chance, Leila. Are you really going to do this?"
Leila met his gaze directly, her voice steady and cutting. "I've paid my termination fee. I'm done with Morgan Media. I'm done with you, Nicholas. After everything—this is a clean break. No strings attached."
The air in the room seemed to freeze.
Nicholas' hand tightened around the pen, his knuckles white. It was clear he was struggling to contain his anger, but the office setting held him back from doing anything reckless.
Leila stood her ground, her eyes holding nothing but cold defiance. She wasn't scared. She wasn't the woman who had once pleaded for his love. She wasn't going to let him intimidate her.
Finally, Nicholas gritted his teeth and walked over to the desk. "Fine."
He snatched up the pen and signed the contract with brutal strokes, his signature a harsh, final statement.
He dropped the pen and looked at her with venom. "But remember today, Leila. Cuz you'll regret this."
Leila didn't even spare him a glance. She grabbed the contract and turned toward the door, her heels clicking sharply with each step.
Just before she walked out, she paused and turned back, a sneer on her lips. "Oh, and here's your black card. Even if I end up begging on the street, I won't need your pathetic money."
She threw the card onto the floor without a second thought and walked out, leaving Nicholas to seethe in his office.
As she walked away, Nicholas' voice followed her, a low growl. "Spread the word—Leila is officially blackballed. I want to see how far she can go without Morgan Media."
Meanwhile...
Leila stood outside the company building, looking up at the towering structure that had once symbolized all her dreams.
Now, it felt like nothing more than a prison.
Her hand instinctively went to her forehead, where the fresh wound from earlier throbbed under her hair. She gripped her phone with one hand, the other hovering over the screen, unsure whether she was ready to make the call.
Suddenly, her phone lit up. She jumped, startled, and saw it was a call from Sophia.
"Sophia," Leila said, her voice tinged with exhaustion, "come get me."
"What's going on, babe?" Sophia's voice crackled through the phone, full of concern. "I just wrapped up with a client. What happened?"
"I ended things with Morgan Media," Leila said simply.
There was a pause on the other end, and then Sophia's excited voice broke through. "Oh my God, you did it! You're free! You finally got rid of Nicholas!"
Half an hour later, a sparkling, diamond-encrusted Ferrari pulled up, and Sophia jumped out, full of energy. She pulled Leila into a tight hug.
"So, what's really going on?" Sophia asked, cutting straight to the heart of it.
Leila took a deep breath and told her everything—what had happened, the breakup and the contract terminating.
Sophia's eyes flared with anger. "That bastard! How dare he treat you like that? I'll have people deal with him."
"Don't get too worked up," Leila said, trying to calm her down. "I've got my revenge already. The breakup from Morgan Media is just step one. But there's something else I need to focus on."
"What's that?"
Leila hesitated for a moment. "Three years ago, when Nicholas 'saved' me, I wasn't just lost—I fell off a cliff. It was an accident... or at least, that's what I thought. I lost my memory after that. And then... I fell in love with him."
Sophia sucked in a sharp breath. "Wait—are you telling me your memory is back?"
Leila nodded. "When Nicholas shoved me earlier, I hit my head on the steps. That's when it all came rushing back. Three years ago, I was rock climbing when I suddenly lost my footing and fell. But I've climbed that route dozens of times before—it's never been dangerous. Now that I think about it... I don't think it was an accident at all."
Sophia's gaze flickered with suspicion. "Could it have been Nicholas? I mean, what are the odds that he just 'happened' to be the one to find you?"
Leila shook her head. "I don't know. But judging by his reaction today, it doesn't seem like he was involved. Anyway, I need to find out the truth."
Sophia pulled her into a tight hug. "We will. And when we do, we're gonna make sure whoever did this pays." Then, after a beat, her lips curled into a mischievous smirk. "But before that... I think we need to let off some steam. What do you say? Something wild?"
- Writer
