To Love A Villain-Chapter 200: Exposed

>>Amber

Hael’s arms wrapped snugly around my waist as we sat together on the couch in our new home. The soft glow of the TV flickered in the background, but I was too distracted by him to pay much attention to whatever show was playing. He leaned in close, his breath warm against my ear as he whispered playfully,

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked

"Like what?" I said softly

He leaned towards me, closing the distance between us, "Like you want me."

I looked away, "That’s not true."

"You don’t want me Orenya?" He teased, "Don’t you want to see Zola again?"

I giggled, swatting him lightly on the chest as I leaned back into his embrace. "Of course I do, but why are you teasing me about it?" I turned my head slightly, just enough to catch his mischievous grin, and the warmth that spread through my chest made me smile. Being with Hael like this, in our cozy home, felt like a dream I never wanted to wake up from.

But as I let my gaze wander, something on the TV screen caught my eye. The laughter in my throat died as I saw the headline plastered across the news in bold letters:

"International sweetheart, actor and model, Hael Helio married to his manager."

"Hael!" I gasped, my heart skipping a beat as the headline fully sank in. I pushed myself slightly away from him, my eyes glued to the screen.

"What is it?" He asked, his tone shifting immediately from playful to serious as he followed my gaze.

The news anchor’s voice was steady as she recapped the events of the day. "A video of actor Hael Helio proposing to his manager has gone viral, sparking a frenzy online. Fans are questioning the cryptic wording of his proposal, with many speculating that the two had an affair even though it should have been a professional relationship..."

I felt my stomach churn as I reached for my phone, my fingers automatically scrolling through the article under the headline. My heart raced as I skimmed through the comments, each one feeding into the growing storm of curiosity and confusion surrounding us.

"Manager? What does that even mean??"

"I swear they must have been together for ages and kept it hidden."

"Wait, is this a joke? A publicity stunt?"

I groaned, sinking back into the couch. "This is a mess," I mumbled, shaking my head as my thumb hovered over the comments. I knew I should stop reading, but it was impossible not to be curious about what people were saying.

"I don’t think this is anything to worry about," Hael said, "It’s not like they know your face and you no longer work at the company."

I put my phone down and let out a sigh.

"Yeah..."

But as if the world heard us, I heard my phone ding with a notification. I looked down at my phone and my heart fell

"Hael..." I called him and he rushed over

"What?"

I showed him my phone. My friend sent me a link to a SNS post where my face was revealed. It was our wedding picture.

Hael’s face turned sour. He took the phone from me, glaring at the screen. We had a very private wedding. Yes, we had big shots there but that was all the more reason for it to be private.

"Someone must have snuck in," Hael said, "Or our photographer is the culprit." The way he spoke made me freeze. I hadn’t seen this cold side to him in ages.

He was furious.

He looked at me and I flinched but seeing my reaction he calmed down, "I’ll take care of it," He said, "For the time being don’t go out."

I nodded, "Alright,"

"And don’t go looking at things on SNS or online." He warned me, "Okay?"

"Okay," I answered

***

Now something are impossible to do and in this world, it’s staying off the internet and social media apps.

I scrolled through instagram. My picture was all over the place and people kept commenting bad stuff like

"How did this bitch get a gorgeous man like Hael!"

"She must have threatened him with something!"

"She was his manager, she must have gotten her hands on something and used it against him!"

"IKR! How else would someone so ugly get a national treasure." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

I closed the app and then deleted it with a heavy heart. This must be why Hael warned me not to go anywhere on the internet.

Before I could delve deeper into the sea of speculation, my attention was drawn back to the TV, which had now switched to an interview Hael had done earlier today. The familiar setting of a sleek studio flashed on the screen, and there he was—Hael, looking composed and effortlessly charming as ever.

The interviewer’s voice came through, crisp and clear. "There’s been a lot of buzz around your wedding photo and your bride that happens to be your manager. What do you have to say about that?"

"I think there are a lot of rumors going around about me and my wife. Yes, she was my manager but I was the one who pursued her, not the other way around."

The host gasped, "Really?" She was amazed, "What did you like about her?"

"Everything," He replied confidently, "Making my heart flutter and the unease and bad in my chest began to die down."

"Oh, everything?" She wanted some spice, "Remember the last time you were on our show Hael?"

"Yes?" He answered

"You mentioned you were looking for your wife from your past life." She smirked, "What happened to that?" She looked proud of herself for asking that question.

I let out a sigh and shook my head at her

"Well, I obviously found her," Hael looked back at her like she was a clown, "And married her."

!!!

She was startled, "Can you explain the part where you said you were married to her ’in a previous life’?"

The door opened and Hael entered the house. I glanced at him and then back at the TV. He came over to the lounge and leaned against the couch’s head.

Hael smiled calmly, his expression completely unbothered by the whirlwind of rumors swirling around us. "It’s exactly as I said," He replied smoothly, his voice warm and confident. "Amber and I have a deep connection that spans beyond just this life. It’s not something most people would understand, but to me, she’s always been the one. We were married before, and in this life, I’m lucky enough to marry her again."

Hael walked over and sat down next to me, "I did great," He was proud of himself.

I sighed, covering my face with my hands. "Why did you say that?" I groaned, glancing at him in disbelief. "This is going to blow up the internet."

He chuckled softly, pulling me back into his arms. "Let them speculate. I don’t care what they think, Amber. I told the truth."

I shook my head, unable to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "But Hael... ’married in a previous life’? You couldn’t have phrased it more... I don’t know, subtle?"

He kissed the top of my head, his arms tightening around me protectively. "Why be subtle?" His lips brushed against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.

I couldn’t help but laugh at how unfazed he was by all the media attention. "It’s going to be all over the news for weeks. People are going to dig into everything."

"So let them dig," He said, his tone soft but unwavering. "They won’t find anything we haven’t already shown them. And honestly, I don’t care what the world thinks, as long as you’re by my side."

I turned in his arms, facing him fully, my fingers lightly tracing the edge of his jaw. "I can’t believe this is really happening. You know how crazy your fans can be."

He smirked. "Trust me, I’ve dealt with crazier things than this. And besides, they’ll come around." He paused, "Well, maybe they won’t but that’s fine too."

"You’re going to lose your fame." I said

"Well, I’m not a fan of it either." He replied, "I don’t really need it anymore."

I shook my head, half-amused, half-anxious. "You don’t?"

He placed his hand gently on my cheek, his thumb brushing over my skin. "There was only one reason I became a celebrity." His eyes were on me, "So that you could find me."

My heart skipped a beat and my cheeks flushed.

GOSH!

How can he still make me flustered?!?!?

"So, don’t worry, if anything happens, I’ll take care of it."

"Okay," I whispered, opening my eyes to meet his gaze. "But if it gets too much, you’ll be the one dealing with the fans. I’m staying out of it."

He laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Deal." He leaned down and kissed me softly, his lips warm and reassuring against mine.

As we pulled away, I glanced back at the TV screen, which had switched back to the anchors dissecting his interview. They kept replaying the clip where he proudly said, "My wife from my previous life," As if it were some kind of shocking revelation.

I sighed again, resting my head against Hael’s chest. "This is going to be a long week."

He chuckled, wrapping his arms tighter around me. "Don’t worry. I’ve got you."

And as the news anchor’s voice droned on in the background, I allowed myself to relax.

But as expected, things did get out of control