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The Sugaredpen
+15 BONUS
CHAPTER 69
ANNA’S POV
The scandal didn’t just stay on the internet, it followed us everywhere like a curse, and on the way to the
airport, back to Newvale City, our home city for Ryan’s inauguration, it was already waiting for us. Paparazzi had been lurking around our environment since morning, and it was as if they had studied our every move, waiting for us to step out. My stomach twisted with fear the moment I noticed flashes from cameras following the car, like vultures circling their prey.
it As if that wasn’t enough, the second we got close to the airport and people started recognizing us, became pure chaos. Out of nowhere, eggs started flying at the car, cracking loudly against the glass and smearing the windows with yellow and white mess that made me jolt in my seat. I could barely breathe. Ryan’s jaw was locked tight as he gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white from how hard he was holding on, his eyes cold but burning with rage.
“Ryan…” I whispered, my hands shaking as another egg hit the side of the car. My body felt like it was vibrating with fear, but he didn’t answer me. He just clenched his teeth harder.
And then I saw them, crowds holding up cardboard signs as if they had been waiting for us all night, their faces twisted with anger, their mouths shouting words I never thought I’d ever hear directed at us.
“A rapist can never be the next CEO!” one sign read in big, bold letters, and I felt my entire chest cave in.
Others were worse, crueler:
“Like father, like son! Killian Wolfe raped his sister but it was buried underneath, and now his son has taken over this toxic trait!”
“We don’t want a rapist as the new CEO!”
“Take Ryan Wolfe down!”
“Rapist heir!!”
“We hate you, Ryan Wolfe!”
“You rapist, you deserve to die!”
Each line screamed from those cardboards was like a knife stabbing straight into me, and I could feel my breathing grow shallow. My body was trembling, my hands pressed to my lap as I tried not to fall apart, but the words were echoing too loud in my head, drilling into me until my chest hurt.
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Ryan’s grip on the wheel didn’t loosen, his entire body tense, his jaw ticking dangerously as if he was trying to control himself from getting out of the car and ripping all those boards apart. He was angry, so angry that I could almost feel the heat rolling off him, but at the same time, he kept driving, his silence scarier than anything else.
Another egg smashed against the windshield, this one sliding slowly downward, the yellow dripping, making my stomach twist even harder. I gasped, pressing a hand against my chest, but Ryan just muttered through clenched teeth, “Ignore it, Anna.”
But how could I ignore it?
Paparazzi pushed their cameras closer, some even tapping on the glass of our car, their voices cutting through the chaos like blades.
“Anna! Did Ryan really force himself on you?”
“Why would you allow your own brother into your life that way?”
“Anna, why didn’t you speak up earlier if he raped you?”
“Are you protecting him because of the money?”
“Do you realize you’re carrying a rapist’s baby?”
Each question was sharper and crueler than the last, toxic words spilling out from every direction, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I covered my ears with both hands, shaking my head as tears burned in my eyes. “Make it stop, Ryan, please,” I whispered, my voice breaking as my whole body trembled.
“Anna…” Ryan’s voice was low, tight with fury but also trying to ground me, his hand reaching for mine even as he kept the other firmly on the wheel. His palm was warm, firm, steady, and I clutched onto it like it was the only thing keeping me alive right now.
He pulled his phone out with one hand, still driving with the other, and dialed quickly. “Get the jet ready,” he snapped the second the call was picked up. His voice was so commanding, so sharp, that it made me blink through my tears. “We can’t take the public flight like this. Do you hear me? I want the private jet ready immediately.”
The person on the other end must have answered because Ryan hung up quickly, then dialed another number with the same speed. His voice dropped even lower, so firm it felt like the air in the car shifted with it. “The paparazzi are surrounding us. I need your men. Send them here right now. I don’t care how many, it better be enough to stop this madness. I want as many as possible to shut this razz down.”
My heart was pounding as I looked at him, his face set hard, his jaw so tight I thought it might break, and for the first time since this all began, I saw something in his eyes that terrified me, murderous rage. “Yes, Prince Ryan!” the voice on the other line responded firmly, and then the call ended.
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Ryan’s chest rose and fell heavily as he tightened his grip on my hand, his voice quieter this time but laced with a promise that made me shiver.
“I swear to you, Anna, whoever started this… have just declared war.”
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