"Emily, about what you're doing," he started, his tone somewhat stern.
"This sneaky journalist approach, digging into my past, isn't going to get you anywhere."
Emily looked taken aback by his harsh tone and quietly replied.
"I'm just doing my job...
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***Shadows of Betrayal***
The tranquillity of the night in Amy's apartment was disturbed only by the monotonous ticking of the wall clock, the unsung metronome of her investigation.
In the apartment bathed in moonlight, she was seated on her plush couch, surrounded by dossiers that housed guarded secrets about the enigmatic Alexander Carrington, her next investigation subject.
As she prepared to unravel the labyrinth of Alex's life, her mind unexpectedly meandered back to a chapter of her past she had buried deep within her heart - the era of her first love, her first heartbreak.
His name was Jake, the charming serpent who had once bewitched her.
Jake was charismatic, handsome, and, as Amy had naively thought, madly in love with her. He was a dreamy illusion, a mirage in the desert of love.
They had been inseparable throughout college, and Amy believed their bond would endure forever. Their romance was a beautiful, haunting sonnet that seemed too beautiful ever to end for her.
Amy was the sole heir to her father's business empire, a daunting responsibility that weighed heavily on her shoulders.
But she had defied her father and shunned her legacy for Jake, choosing instead to walk on a path that promised love and happiness.
Her heart yearned for the simple pleasure of being with the one she loved, and she had foolishly assumed that Jake shared her sentiment.
But like a fool's gold, he was not what he seemed.
A particularly heated argument with her father echoed in her memory.
"Amy, that boy isn't good for you. He's merely using you to his advantage!"
But, love-stricken and young Amy couldn't see past Jake's charming facade.
"You don't understand, Dad! Jake loves me. He isn't like that."
How wrong she had been.
The day was carved in her memory when she decided to surprise Jake with a home-cooked meal, only to stumble upon him wrapped up with another woman in his apartment.
"Amy...I can explain..." As Jake struggled to put into words, his voice echoed emptily.
His attempt was cut short by the scoffing woman beside him.
"Oh please, Jake. Let's not get all dramatic. She should've known you were too good for her."
Rather than defending Amy, a cruel smirk twisted Jake's lips.
