A swarm of reporters jostled for position, shouting over one another to get a comment.
"Miss Taylor!" one reporter called out. "Rumor has it you played a major role in a new Jackson Group drug. Can you tell us what it is?"
The claim that Kaylee had developed a breakthrough for the Jackson Group caught Olivia completely off guard.
Stunned by the news, Olivia froze and turned her attention toward the broadcast.
On the screen, Kaylee beamed a perfect, sugary smile directly into the lens.
"I'm afraid that's a corporate secret," Kaylee replied. "I can't share any details at this stage."
Out of nowhere, a reporter raised their voice and asked, "Miss Taylor, there are claims that the research behind this new drug was highly dangerous. It's being said that you've sustained permanent damage to your body and are now facing a terminal illness, with just one year left to live. Can you confirm if that's true?"
Kaylee's expression shifted instantly at the mention of her health.
After a brief pause, she lifted her gaze toward the camera. The smile remained, though now it carried a trace of bitterness.
"That's correct. But I refuse to let it defeat me. With the time I have left, I'll commit myself to one final research endeavor and give everything I have to see it through before I'm gone. Whatever remains of my life will be devoted entirely to the pursuit of science."
Her staged performance of selfless sacrifice immediately won over the entire crowd.
The reporters was suddenly buzzing with intense sympathy and admiration for her.
"And what about Mr. Jackson?" a reporter pressed. "People saw him carrying you home and buying you roses. Is there a romance blooming?"
Kaylee let a visible blush creep across her face. "Mr. Jackson and I are just colleagues. He's only looking after me because of my work for the company."
Despite her denial, her coy act and blushing face made everyone in the room certain that there was something more between them.
The crowd of journalists immediately devolved into frantic, low-voiced gossiping.
"What a tragedy! It's so obvious that Miss Taylor is head-over-heels for Mr. Jackson."
"And Mr. Jackson clearly feels the same way. Honestly, they look like a perfect match."
As the whispers intensified, Kaylee looked down, a spark of triumph dancing in her eyes. When she looked back up, her face was once again a mask of wide-eyed innocence as she rushed to explain. "Please, don't spread rumors. Mr. Jackson is married to my mentor, Olivia. She funded my entire college education and even secured my position at Jackson Group. It is only because of her kindness that I could join this new drug research team."
While speaking, she shot an apologetic glance at Callum, acting as though she had accidentally let a devastating secret slip.
"I would never be a home wrecker," she continued. "Knowing Mr. Jackson is a blessing. Whatever I have sacrificed for this project, I did so out of my own free will."
Her defense to the rumors was a calculated strike, dragging Olivia directly into the center of a public firestorm.
A reporter quickly picked up on the crucial detail and pressed, "So, it was Olivia who arranged for you to join Jackson Group for this research? If I may ask, before sending you to work on the new drug project, did she make you aware of the risks involved?"
The question set the crowd on fire as everyone suddenly connected the dots.
"Wait, didn't Olivia retire to be a housewife? She set this whole thing up before she left?"
"Isn't Olivia's behavior downright ruthless? She put on a facade of kindness, using minor acts of generosity to lure Kaylee into working for her, all while she stepped away to enjoy an easy life. As a professor, how could she possibly have been unaware of the risks involved in that research?"
Before the cameras, Kaylee's eyes turned red, as though the weight of the truth had only just hit her. She wavered, nearly losing her footing, and then managed to steady herself long enough to speak one last time. "Creating this new drug has always been Mr. Jackson's greatest ambition. Even though I've only now come to understand that the risks in its development led to my terminal condition, I have no regrets."
The live comment section became a toxic storm of hatred and vitriol.
"So Olivia kept her in the dark!"
"Olivia is a monster!"
"She needs to pay for what she did!"
Kaylee made a theatrical exit, claiming she was too weak to continue.
Throughout the entire character assassination, Callum remained perfectly, hauntingly silent, never once defending his wife.
Olivia stared at the screen, a suffocating tightness crushing her chest as the reality of the betrayal hit home.
She was stunned by the staggering coincidence. Kaylee, mirroring Olivia's own tragic history, had developed a terminal condition while working on pharmaceutical research for the Jackson Group.
Despite the lack of specific details regarding the project Kaylee had been assigned to, Olivia's thoughts immediately drifted toward the proprietary formula she herself had submitted to the company.
A dark, unsettling suspicion began to take root in her mind.
Driven by a need for clarity, she drafted a message and hit send. "Investigate the specific drug Kaylee was developing. I need the exact details."
