Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Malcolm
The world was on fire, but I was enjoying the warmth.
My office was a controlled storm of voices, phone calls, and rapid keystrokes as my PR team scrambled to "fix" what they were calling an unprecedented media disaster. I, however, was completely unfazed, leaning back in my chair as I scrolled through the headlines on my phone.
Billionaire Malcolm Sinclair Spotted on an Intimate Dinner Date with Mystery Woman!
Who is Summer Adkins? The Woman Who Stole Malcolm Sinclair’s Heart!
Malcolm Sinclair Confirms Relationship in Exclusive Interview!
I chuckled, tossing my phone onto the desk as I reached for my coffee. Across the room, Layla, my head of PR, was pacing furiously, snapping orders to her assistants while typing frantically on her laptop.
"Malcolm, I swear to god, if you don’t start taking this seriously?—"
I raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of coffee. "You’re making it sound like I set my company on fire."
Layla whirled on me, eyes flashing with frustration.
"You might as well have! Do you even realize how much traction this story has gained in the last few hours? Every major outlet is running it, social media is exploding, and if we don’t get ahead of this, your entire public image is going to shift from ‘business mogul’ to ‘celebrity billionaire playboy’ overnight! "
I smirked. "That doesn’t sound so bad."
Layla made a strangled noise, looking like she was one second away from throwing something at me. "Malcolm! This is not a joke. The media is already digging into Summer’s life. They’re trying to find every scrap of information on her. You of all people should know how dangerous that can be."
That made my smirk fade slightly. I knew Summer would hate this kind of attention.
She didn’t live in the spotlight like I did, didn’t have an entire team dedicated to handling scandals and public perception.
This wasn’t just some minor story that would fade in a day—it was the kind of thing that could follow her forever.
I set my coffee down, stretching out my legs beneath the desk. "So what do you suggest?"
Layla exhaled sharply. "We release a statement. Say the dinner was strictly platonic, clear up any misunderstandings, and move on before this spirals further out of control."
I tapped my fingers against the desk, considering. "And if I don’t want to do that?"
Layla narrowed her eyes. "Malcolm."
I met her stare evenly. "I never said we were dating, Layla. I never said a single word to confirm or deny it. The media assumed what they wanted to assume."
Layla threw up her hands. "Because you let them! You knew exactly what would happen the moment those pictures surfaced."
A slow smirk tugged at my lips. "Did I?"
"Malcolm, this is not the time for your games," she said through gritted teeth. "This is the first time you’ve ever been publicly linked to someone. People are going to run with this unless we put a stop to it now."
I glanced at my phone again, scrolling past the comments, the speculations, the wild theories about my ‘secret decade-long romance’ with Summer. Some of them were downright ridiculous. Some of them? Not that far from the truth.
Before I could respond, my assistant, Claire, knocked on the door and stepped inside, perfectly composed as always. "Mr. Sinclair, your interview with Finance Weekly is set to begin in five minutes."
Layla groaned. "Oh god. Please don’t make this worse."
I smirked, standing and adjusting my cufflinks. "Aren’t I always professional?"
Layla shot me a look of pure disbelief. "No. Not even a little."
I chuckled, giving her a mocking salute as I walked past. "Have some faith."
Layla groaned again, muttering threats under her breath, but I ignored her, heading toward the conference room where the interview was set up.
The journalist, Michael Carter, was already seated when I arrived. He was sharp, dressed in a tailored suit, his expression carefully neutral as he stood to shake my hand. I took my seat, leaning back in complete ease, my demeanor effortlessly calm.
The first half of the interview was exactly what I expected—questions about market trends, my company’s latest investments, the economy. I answered smoothly, my responses precisely calculated to give them just enough to print a solid article without revealing too much of my actual strategies.
Then, the inevitable happened.
Michael leaned forward slightly, an amused grin stretching across his face. "Alright, Malcolm. Let’s talk about the real reason people are obsessed with you today."
I arched a brow, pretending not to know what he meant. "Oh?"
He chuckled. "Come on. You can’t be that unaware. You and a certain beautiful woman were photographed last night, looking very… close."
I exhaled slowly, tilting my head. "Ah. So that’s what everyone really wants to know."
Michael laughed. "Can you blame us? You’re one of the most private billionaires out there. There’s never been a single woman publicly linked to you—until now. People are… curious."
I tapped a finger against the armrest. "Curiosity is dangerous, Michael."
His grin widened. "So you’re not denying it, then?"
I smirked. "Denying what?"
"That Summer Adkins is special to you."
The room went silent for a beat.
Then, with calculated ease, I leaned forward, looking him directly in the eye. "She’s always been special to me."
Michael’s eyes lit up.
I knew, at that moment, that the world was about to explode.
By the time I returned to my office, my phone was buzzing nonstop. The interview hadn’t even aired yet, but my PR team was already losing their minds.
Layla was waiting for me, arms crossed, a look of pure exasperation on her face.
"Tell me you didn’t," she said flatly.
I poured myself a drink, smirking. "I didn’t."
Layla clenched her jaw. "You absolutely did."
I took a slow sip, watching the ice swirl in the glass. "I said she was special. That’s not a crime, is it?"
Layla threw her hands in the air, pacing. "Malcolm, do you understand what you’ve done? You just confirmed the biggest relationship story of the year without actually confirming anything. The media is going to rip this apart."
I checked my phone again, scrolling through the latest headlines.
Billionaire Malcolm Sinclair CONFIRMS Romance with Mystery Woman!
Who Is Summer Adkins? Everything We Know About Malcolm Sinclair’s First Public Romance!
The Love Story No One Saw Coming! Childhood Friends Reunite After a Decade—Was It Fate?
I chuckled.
Layla stared at me like I had lost my mind. "Oh my god. You’re actually enjoying this."
I took another sip of whiskey, smirking. "A little."
She made a frustrated noise, but I wasn’t listening anymore. Because the only thing I could think about was Summer.
And how she was going to absolutely lose it when she saw this.
And that?
That was going to be hilarious.