Chapter 1222:

Within the given deadline, she transferred the money to the account the blackmailer had provided. The next day, a package arrived for her. Inside was a small SD card. She plugged it into her laptop—and there it was. Image after image. Every photo was of her and Duran. But it didn’t comfort her. She knew better. There were definitely more copies. This couldn’t be all of it.

And that wasn’t the only thing bothering her. Who was this person? The photos were taken near Galant. That meant it had to be someone who was either part of the staff… or a patron. On the surface, it seemed like a straightforward case of blackmail for money. But if that were true… it likely wouldn’t end here. Hadley knew better than to think this was a one-time demand. Greed didn’t stop. It only grew. She stared at the screen, jaw tight. When would Ernest come back?

The next morning, in the quiet hospital room, Eric was jolted awake by the vibration of his phone. He turned his head toward the bed. Joy was still fast asleep, curled beneath the blanket. Sliding out of bed carefully, he stepped into the adjoining room and answered the call. “Hello?” It was Phillips—his tone edged with urgency. “Mr. Flynn!” Phillips’ voice crackled through the phone, tense and urgent. “You need to check the online news—right now!”

Eric rubbed at his eyes, still half-asleep. “What?” he asked, confused. “Alright, hold on.”

He didn’t hang up. Instead, he pulled up Twitter. And just like that, the fog cleared from his mind.

Hadley’s name was everywhere. “Hadley—Infamous Before the Fame?”

“Scandal After Scandal: What Is Hadley Hiding?”

and Her Ex—True Love or Just Temporary

knitted tight as he scrolled through the headlines and clicked on one popular article, his expression growing darker with

figure in the photos. Even with the pixelation, there was no mistaking

his

Eric could process what to do next, the hospital room door

in her hands. She wore a soft smile,

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his lips barely moving, his Adam’s apple rising and falling with the weight of

hesitated, his eyes locked on her face, struggling to find the

faded. His

Something happened?” she

nodded, the weight of the truth too heavy to

out his phone. “See for

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