The negotiations had reached an impasse—neither side had gained any ground.

Later, when Amy uncovered the truth about Mr. Pendleton, any possibility of a productive discussion between them evaporated entirely.

And now…

It turned out Celeste had been Amy all along.

The revelation didn’t just leave Alexander stunned—even Gregory, who prided himself on his composure, felt a sharp tension building behind his temples.

As the car glided down the boulevard, Gregory glanced at Alexander and finally broke the silence. "Since Ms. Sinclair is Celeste, I doubt she’ll agree to compose for Ms. Langley now. Should we start searching for another composer?"

Alexander’s lips parted slightly. "Celeste…"

He repeated the name, his dark eyes distant, lost in thoughts Gregory couldn’t decipher.

Gregory waited, but no response came. After a long pause, he cleared his throat and tried again.

"Mr. Blackwood, should we arrange for a new composer for Ms. Langley?"

"That won’t be necessary." Alexander snapped out of his thoughts, his voice firm. "She’ll agree."

The next morning, Amy had just dropped Oliver Kingsley off at preschool when her phone buzzed. It was Samantha.

"Celeste! Have you seen the headlines? Benjamin’s trending again!"

Amy tightened her grip on the steering wheel. She hadn’t had time to check the news.

"What happened to Benjamin?"

"Someone leaked damaging information about him. I’m handling the PR, but it’s not working—whoever’s behind this has solid evidence. They’re waiting for the public outrage to peak before dropping everything at once."

Benjamin was now a bona fide celebrity.

With his striking looks and undeniable musical talent, he had amassed a legion of devoted fans—particularly young women. While not quite at the very top of the entertainment industry, he was close enough to mingle with the A-listers.

"Where is Benjamin now?" Amy asked.

"I told him to stay in his apartment. Canceled all his appearances for today."

Amy turned the car around. "I’m going to check on him."

When Amy arrived at Benjamin’s building, she found a crowd gathered outside—neighbors and strangers alike, murmuring among themselves.

"I heard Benjamin got a woman pregnant and abandoned her," someone whispered.

"They say she’s been struggling with depression ever since."

"Her parents ran into him recently—now they’ve come to confront him."

Following the crowd’s gaze, Amy spotted the commotion at the center—a middle-aged couple, faces flushed with fury, had Benjamin by the collar.

Behind them stood a young woman in her twenties, clutching a small child. Her voice trembled as she pleaded, "Benjamin, please… just look at our child."

Benjamin shoved her away coldly. "That’s not my kid. You’ve got the wrong person."

At that, the woman’s mother erupted, tears streaming down her face as she screamed, "Benjamin, you monster! If you hadn’t taken advantage of my daughter, how would she have ended up like this?! You promised to marry her—lied so we wouldn’t go to the police!"

"And now you think you can just walk away? Not a chance! If you don’t give us answers today, I’ll make sure the whole world knows exactly what kind of man you are!"

She turned to the crowd, voice rising. "Everyone—look at him! Benjamin Carter, the man who seduced my daughter, tricked her into silence, then abandoned her! Take his picture—post it everywhere! Let every girl out there see the truth so no one else falls victim!"