Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 53

With that thought, Edmond's mood improved considerably.

He pinched out his nearly finished cigarette, deciding to wait for Nora to finish work so they could have a proper talk.

"Edmond!"

Suddenly, Ferris yelled from inside the car.

Edmond jumped at the outburst, glaring at him with a frown. "What are you screaming about?"

Ferris practically threw his door open and sprinted over. When he shoved his phone into Edmond's face, his hand was shaking so badly he nearly dropped it.

"Edmond, it's bad! Something happened at Starlight!"

Edmond snatched the phone, his eyes dropping to the screen.

It was a breaking news push notification. The headline was plastered in bold red font—

[Starlight Media General Manager Caleb Miller Arrested Under Suspicion of Sexual Assault Involving Multiple Female Artists]

Edmond's pupils contracted violently.

His finger stiffly tapped the notification. In the two seconds it took the page to load, a loud ringing filled his ears.

The detailed article popped up. It was far more graphic and fatal than he could have imagined.

Caleb Miller had been taken away by the police that morning. Somehow, the press had caught wind of it, and the moment the afternoon market opened, Starlight Media's stock nose-dived, hitting rock bottom within twenty minutes.

Rock bottom.

"Edmond..." Ferris's voice trembled. "Just with this one crash today, Starlight's stock has lost millions of dollars..."

Millions.

Millions of dollars down the drain.

Although Starlight Media was technically part of the Sterling Group, Edmond had been the one running it all these years.

When he had first taken over the mess from his father, Starlight had been a tiny, struggling firm. He and Nora had built it from the ground up to its current scale.

And Caleb Miller was the man he had personally promoted.

It was him...

Ferris nodded frantically, pulling out his phone to make the call.

"Yes, as soon as possible, first class... What? No first class left? Business class is fine, economy if you have to—"

"Hurry up," Edmond growled, his voice freezing over.

Ferris jumped, immediately barking into the receiver. "Book it now! Three tickets! Yes, the next available flight!"

Hanging up, Ferris cautiously glanced at Edmond through the rearview mirror.

Edmond leaned against the headrest, his eyes squeezed shut. His face was livid, his jaw clenched tight enough to crack.

His hands gripped his phone so hard his knuckles blanched. He looked like a wire stretched to its absolute limit, ready to snap.

Ferris looked away, sighing internally.

Starlight Media was Edmond's life's work. This sudden stock crash wouldn't just cost them money; it would destroy the company's reputation and investor confidence.

And the Caleb Miller scandal was even worse. Who knew how much rot would be exposed once the investigation deepened?