I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 200

Sitting in the back of the car, Hayden's mind replayed the image of Garrett protecting Zoe on a relentless loop.

He rubbed his temples, his voice dropping into a low murmur.

"What exactly do you see in him?"

Thinking Hayden was speaking to him, Colin glanced in the rearview mirror, only to find his boss sitting there with an emotionless expression. He figured he must have imagined it.

"Are you certain we bought back all those manga volumes?"

Things shouldn't have escalated this far.

Colin hesitated, knowing he couldn't hide the truth.

"We bought all the official copies. But the moment the publisher we acquired shut down, pirated versions flooded the market. It was impossible to contain. And honestly..."

Colin swallowed hard, a cold sweat breaking out on his neck.

"What?"

"Right now, practically every young woman in the city owns a copy. Even if we bought them all back, they've already read the story."

The veins at Hayden's temples throbbed violently.

He let out a cold scoff. This was all Zoe's doing.

It was no wonder the fans had tracked her down.

"What are they saying online?"

"Photos of you and her were leaked. Your face was blurred out, but hers wasn't. They're saying..."

Seeing Hayden resting with his eyes closed, Colin gathered his courage and continued.

"They're saying she seduced you. And that the real Zoë is actually Sienna."

It took a long time before Hayden opened his eyes, watching the city blur past the window.

"Complete nonsense."

Colin wasn't sure if Hayden was referring to the online rumors or talking to himself.

Either way, he was just the messenger.

Hayden headed straight to the office.

Meanwhile, Sienna sat at her desk, scrolling through the online forums thread by thread.

Almost instantaneously, photos of Zoe being pelted with eggs were uploaded.

They were juxtaposed with panels from her manga.

Her screen practically vibrated with incoming messages.

There was shock, there were insults.

But mostly, people pitied Garrett.

"I heard Mr. Stone is almost thirty and completely single. He comes from a powerful military and political background too."

"These shameless women only ever target the rich and powerful. Ugh, why don't we have that kind of hustle?"

"Why would you ever want to be like her? I saw the news today—she got completely attacked in public, haha. Serves her right for stealing someone else's identity. Sienna, it's a total disgrace that you even have to call a woman like that your sister."

Sienna was extremely satisfied. It seemed her PR manipulation was working flawlessly.

If Zoe had just kept her head down and remained obedient like in the old days, Sienna might have tolerated her presence in the Thorne family.

But to provoke her so directly?

Zoe had left her with no choice but to throw sisterly affection out the window.

Back at Sterling Group.

Zoe headed to the executive restroom to clean herself up.