Chapter 13
Chapter 13:
The mention of Alden’s name froze Helena.
Clearly, Eleanor had been talking to Rylan. That was Alden’s younger brother.
Helena couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Rylan wanted to send in a demolition crew? And the target was the care center, filled with elderly people and kids? They were completely innocent. This wasn’t just reckless—it was cruel.
Her whole body tensed, and a cold feeling settled in her chest. She let go of the car door handle without realizing it. The sound caught Eleanor’s attention, and she quickly ended the call.
In a few quick steps, she was out of the car and standing directly in front of Helena.
With a sharp, bitter glare, Eleanor snapped, “What did you hear p>
Helena didn’t flinch. She held out the revised script. “We’re minutes away from going live, and you haven’t even looked at this? You do realize there’s no teleprompter today, right? You’ll have to rely on your own words p>
Eleanor rolled her eyes and flicked the script to the ground. “I’ve been the face of Nine O’clock News for three years. I don’t need your coaching p>
Helena had no choice but to bend down and pick the script back up, her palms slick with cold sweat.
It was obvious now. Eleanor had prepared a different script, one that matched Rylan’s dirty plan.
Once the demolition team arrived, the situation would explode. Innocent lives would be in danger, and Alden’s efforts in rebuilding that part of the city would be wiped out in one messy broadcast. Panicking, Helena pulled out her phone and dialed Alden’s number. She had never reached out to him before. This wasn’t for her sake, though.
To her surprise, he picked up almost instantly.
“What’s going on?” His voice was steady, and for some reason, just hearing it made everything feel a little less out of control.
Without skipping a beat, Helena repeated everything she’d just heard between Eleanor and Rylan.
“I’m already on-site. If there’s anything you need me to do, I—” But Alden cut her off. His voice turned cold. “Stay out of it, Helena p>
𝓐𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓬𝓴 𝓼𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓬𝓮 𝓪𝓽
Helena was momentarily stunned.
Never once had he spoken to her like that before.
His voice carried a chill, as if she were nothing more than a stranger. No, even less than that.
It was as if she had become an inconvenience. A problem to be cleared out of his way.
Alden said emphatically, “Don’t cross the line. This has nothing to do with you p>
Twice now, he had pulled her out of dangerous situations. She had thought that meant something.
Clearly, she had read too much into it.
What they had wasn’t a relationship. It was an arrangement. A cold, calculated deal between two people who had nothing real tying them together.
A thick knot formed in her throat. His words hit her deeper than they should have.
“Alright,” Helena replied quietly before ending the call.
Still, walking away didn’t sit right with her.
She wasn’t going to stand idle while vulnerable people were left at risk. Her fingers trembled as she called the police.
Unfortunately, the development area was remote, and the police wouldn’t arrive in time.
Not long after, the production crew finished setting up, and Eleanor stepped into the camera’s view, waiting silently for her cue.
Helena felt utterly on edge.
She needed to act. Her whole body screamed for it. Yet Alden’s warning still echoed loudly in her head. “Don’t cross the line p>
Nine o’clock struck, and the broadcast rolled on without delay. Still, no sign of the police. Without missing a beat, the male anchor at the studio connected to the development area, and the camera panned to Eleanor.
“Let’s check in on the Wilson Group’s redevelopment efforts in the old district and see how things are unfolding on-site.” Eleanor faced the camera with poise, smoothly directing it to pan toward the workers in the background.
The seconds ticked by—one, two, then thirty. Behind her, the workers moved with calm precision. There was no uproar. No confrontation. None of the spectacle Rylan had planned.
Eleanor’s face froze mid-broadcast. Her eyes widened in disbelief, her mind blank. She had no idea what to say next.
She had memorized every word of a completely different segment. The one where the Wilson Group tore down a public center in full view of the nation.
So where the hell were Rylan’s people? What was she supposed to do with this silence? Had she known it would play out like this, she never would have tossed Helena’s script.
Then a sharp voice cracked through her earpiece. The on-site director snapped, “Eleanor, get closer to the crew! Say something! Don’t just stand there like a statue p>
“I’m here at the Wilson Group’s…” she stammered, stepping forward, her thoughts a tangled mess.
Maybe it was the biting cold. Maybe it was panic. Her legs shook so hard she couldn’t stay upright. The stilettos offered no help, and she fell.
Although the cameraman reacted quickly and switched the feed, the damage had already been done.
For just a moment, the entire audience saw her sprawled helplessly on the ground. It was a disaster.