Chapter 921 Company Gossip
Phoebe headed to the office, where the buzz from last night's news had finally settled after Patrick announced his relationship.
The entire office had been buzzing about it all day.
"Patrick is dating Ms. Croix? When did that happen? There was no hint at all. Could it be that Ms. Croix is stepping up to take the heat off Ms. Ziegler?" whispered an employee in the break room.
Another employee chimed in, "Oh, come on. Ms. Ziegler and Patrick have nothing to do with each other. There's no connection between them."
The others were taken aback by her tone, hesitating before one of them replied, "That's a pretty definitive statement. What if there is something between them?"
"No way. Mr. Reynolds keeps a close watch on everyone. If Patrick had any chance, they would have been enemies long ago."
"I saw some fan analysis. Before Ms. Ziegler went to the gala with Noah, a reporter took a photo of her, and there was nothing on her neck. Later, when Patrick escorted her out, there was a bite mark on her neck. If there's nothing between them, where did the bite mark come from?"
If Phoebe were with Patrick, Theodore would be in for a rough time.
Another employee added, "Maybe Mr. Reynolds bit her."
"If Mr. Reynolds bit her, he wouldn't let Patrick escort her out. They wouldn't need to avoid suspicion," another employee countered.
The others seemed swayed by her argument, almost convinced that Phoebe and Patrick might be a real thing, and Cindy was just taking the fall.
Lori had been listening from outside the door.
She cleared her throat, and the chatter inside immediately stopped.
She walked in and said coolly, "You all seem to have a lot of free time, huh?"
The employees quickly stood up and greeted Lori, "Lori, we were just curious about who bit Ms. Ziegler's neck."
"If you're so curious, why not ask Ms. Ziegler?" Lori suggested.
The two employees exchanged glances and awkwardly moved towards the door. "Lori, we'll get back to work now. Bye!"
Lori watched their retreating figures and shook her head in exasperation.
She went to the water cooler to get some water, and suddenly the storage cabinet door behind her swung open.
Lori jumped in surprise and turned to see Phoebe emerging from the cabinet. Her eyes widened. "Ms. Ziegler, why were you hiding in there?"
Phoebe dusted off her clothes and said, "I was making a phone call in there. When they started gossiping, I thought it would be awkward if they saw me, so I hid."
Lori couldn't help but laugh, "You're too considerate. Didn't it bother you to hear them gossiping about you like that?"
Phoebe smiled, "Why get upset? I saw worse speculation online last night. We're in the entertainment business; consider it my contribution to the office's entertainment."
Lori shook her head, "Ms. Ziegler, you're the most magnanimous boss I've ever met."
"Don't worry, I'll assign them some work. Since they love gossip so much, they can handle online gossip and sort information," Phoebe said seriously.
Lori wasn't sure if she was joking until the HR department sent out a notice in the afternoon, transferring those employees to the PR department.
Lori had been worried they might resent the move, but they thrived in the PR department.
Patrick's public relationship announcement didn't faze Phoebe much, but it threw Cindy and the TV show she and Patrick were filming into chaos.
After Patrick made headlines last night, Cindy knew the reporters were up to no good.
The first seven candid photos were of her.
She and Patrick had been kissing at the end of the third-floor hallway, with Patrick pressing her against the wall, his body shielding most of hers.
They were in a blind spot for filming, right next to the emergency stairwell.
When they realized they were being photographed, Cindy quickly took the stairs down.
Later, Patrick was heading out and encountered Phoebe being harassed by Edward.
He helped Phoebe and escorted her to her car.
Unfortunately, they were wearing similar dresses in different colors, and the reporters captured a clear shot of Phoebe and Patrick together.
Normally, Patrick's team would buy the photos at a high price to suppress the news.
But for some reason, the reporters seemed intent on exposing Patrick's relationship, so they posted the photos directly on Facebook, garnering plenty of attention.
As a result, Phoebe and Patrick made headlines, and uninformed netizens assumed they were a couple.
Even though Patrick's team responded quickly, the buzz only grew, shooting to the top of the trending list.
Patrick's detractors were relentless, spewing particularly harsh comments.
Cindy saw the hateful comments about Phoebe on Facebook and felt like her heart was being torn apart.
She was about to clarify the situation when Patrick called.
"Cindy, don't respond on Facebook. I'm coming to see you. Wait for me," Patrick's voice was calming, quickly easing Cindy's anxiety.
She paced at home until the doorbell rang.
She rushed to open the door and saw Patrick standing there.
His usually impeccable hair was disheveled, making him look more approachable.
Patrick's first words were, "Cindy, let's go public."
Cindy stared at him, hardly believing her ears, "What did you say?"
"Let's announce our relationship. I want everyone to know that the person I kissed was you," Patrick said firmly, his tone commanding.
At that moment, Cindy was tempted, but looking into his eyes, she hesitated.
Sensing her reluctance, Patrick's fiery determination cooled.
He let go of her hand and turned to leave.
Patrick had his pride.
This impulsive act was a one-time thing; he wouldn't do something so foolish again.
When he didn't hear Cindy's voice behind him, he clenched his fists and said, "I know you don't want to be associated with me or face the public with me. But you should know that if you don't step forward, everyone will think Phoebe and I are involved. Do you want Theodore to think poorly of her after they just reconciled?"
Cindy bit her lip, then said resolutely, "Fine, I'll agree to go public, but I have conditions."
Patrick stopped and turned to her, his eyes cold, "Others would jump at the chance to announce a relationship with me, and you dare to set conditions?"
Cindy met his gaze, "You know we're only doing this because of the situation. Our relationship won't change because of it. We both have people we care about. Once this blows over, we'll part ways amicably."
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