Antony Raymond walked into his office with a long, firm steps, he felt the pressure of the gamble he took pressing on his shoulder. He had made his move by announcing the wedding and it has been a daring move. He believes Ariana won't be able to do anything than accept it.
Since he announce it, all social media and news headlines will be talking about it and Ariana won't want to spoil her family reputation as everyone knows she and Anthony are engaged for a long time and even after rumors about her and her cheating scandal, Anthony still didn't break the engagement he was even helping her father's company in the public eyes.
In Anthony's mind, he still believes he his in control.
His eyes was looking at the large window overlooking the city horizon, but his mind was elsewhere. His fingers were tapping rhythmically against his desk as he waited. The silence in the room was suffocating.
"Kim," he called, snapping his fingers. His secretary, Kim George, jolted upright and immediately rushed forward.
"Yes, sir," Kim responded, a noticeable tension in his voice.
"Monitor the media response," Antony instructed. "I want every single detail on how people are reacting."
Kim hesitated. That slight pause just a fraction of a second was enough to set Antony's nerves on edge.
"What is it?" he demanded.
Kim cleared his throat and handed over a tablet. "Sir, the responses...they are not what we expected."
Antony's brow furrowed. He snatched the tablet and glanced at the trending news headlines.
BREAKING: ARIANA CAMELOE REMAINS SILENT – DOES SHE EVEN KNOW ABOUT THE ANNOUNCEMENT?
BUSINESS MARRIAGE OR HOSTAGE DEAL? INDUSTRY EXPERTS QUESTION ANTONY RAYMOND'S MOTIVES
FANS DEMAND CLARITY: DOES ARIANA WANT THIS WEDDING?
Antony's jaw clenched. Instead of showing his position and making himself appear as the rightful future husband of Ariana, he was starting to look like a man desperate to force a woman into marriage.
He gritted his teeth. This was supposed to make Ariana come to him. Why was it looking like he his desperate?
"This is just temporary," he muttered, as he put the tablet down with more force than normal. "Once Ariana makes an official statement, everything will be fine."
Rachel, who had been sitting on the edge of his desk, swung her legs playfully and let out a light chuckle.
"Then let's make sure she has no choice but to accept," she said, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
Antony turned his gaze to her, intrigued. "Go on."
Rachel smirked, adjusting the hem of her expensive silk dress. "you should announce an official engagement party and invite the medias. Use a high end hotel let it look glamorous that even Ariana will have no choice but to come."
Antony's lips curled into a slow smirk. "That might just work."
Rachel leaned closer, lowering her voice. "She may be playing smart now, but she's still too soft when it comes to her family's image. If we make this a huge social affair, she won't dare embarrass the Cameloe name."
Antony nodded. "Do it. Prepare everything. Make sure it's the event of the year."
Rachel clapped her hands together, her excitement barely contained. "Leave it to me."
___
Meanwhile, in a smooth polished, modern office on the other side of the city, Ariana Cameloe was sitting in her chair as the deputy CEO, her fingers elegantly tracing the rim of a porcelain teacup. A large screen in front of her displayed the latest news, each headline more ridiculous than the last.
Leo Feng, her trusted confidant, leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "He really went ahead with it," he mused, shaking his head.
Ariana smirked. "He thinks he's clever."
Leo snorted. "More like desperate."
She finally placed her teacup down and stood, stretching her arms gracefully. "I guess he has almost recovered from the last investment," she murmured. "Let's make sure he doesn't crawl out of it this time."
Leo walked over and placed a thick file on her desk. "You wanted dirt on Antony? Well, here it is. Turns out his AI company wasn't the only bad investment he made."
Ariana arched a brow. "Go on."
Leo flipped open the folder. "He has been using illegal offshore accounts, using shell companies to move money in and out without detection."
Ariana's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "Perfect. Send these to the right people."
Leo hesitated. "You want this to leak immediately?"
Ariana smirked. "Not yet. I want to time it with the engagement party."
Leo chuckled. "You're ruthless."
Ariana's smirk widened. "It's called playing the game."
___
At the headquarters of Ren Industries, Jesse Ren leaned back in his leather chair, a glass of whiskey in one hand as he scrolled through the headlines.
Lincoln Park, his trusted secretary, stood nearby. "She hasn't made a move yet."
Jesse chuckled. "She is waiting."
Lincoln hesitated. "Should we interfere?"
Jesse swirled his drink thoughtfully. "Not yet."
Lincoln nodded. "Understood."
Jesse's eyes darkened slightly. "Antony Raymond is playing with fire. Let's see how badly he burns."
___
Three days later, the media exploded once again.
BREAKING: ANTONY RAYMOND AND ARIANA CAMELOE'S ENGAGEMENT PARTY ANNOUNCED – GRAND GALA EVENT IN TWO WEEKS
The invitations were sent to the c country elite. Every powerful businessman, politician, and socialite received a personal invite.
Rachel beamed with pride, lounging on Antony's couch with a self satisfied smirk. "Now she has no choice but to show up."
Antony buttoned his suit jacket, exuding confidence once again. "And once she does, I will use her to take control of the Camelo company."
They didn't expect what was coming at them.
Ariana was about to turn their celebration into their worst nightmare.
___ ___
On the night of the announcement, Ariana sat in her penthouse, gazing out at the city lights. Her phone vibrated. A message from Leo.
Everything is in place. Just give the word.
Ariana smiled as she typed back.
Let them think they have won a little longer. Then we destroy them.
Jesse Ren's phone buzzed at the same time. A single message from Lincoln.
She is about to make her move.
Jesse smirked, taking another sip of his whiskey.
Good. Let's watch the show.
As the city buzzed with anticipation for what they thought would be the biggest engagement of the year, they had no idea they were about to witness something else entirely....
The fall of Antony Raymond.