Chapter 71

**Laurel's POV**

That man carried Audrey away like she was some fragile princess.Jealousy crept through me. How could plain, ordinary Audrey attract someone young and handsome?

But underneath that jealousy was satisfaction. Perfect! Being carried by another man right in front of Blake would surely damage his opinion of her.

I looked up at Blake with a concerned smile. "Miss Sinclair is popular..."

Blake said nothing, just watched them leave.

"Isn't that the same man who was with her yesterday?" I kept my voice curious,not accusing. "He said he was just taking care of Miss Sinclair,but now it seems their relationship is quite... special."

When I turned back to see Blake's reaction, the coldness in his eyes made me look away.

"Blake darling..." I started.

"Laurel." His voice was flat. "Did you do that deliberately?"

My heart raced. Had I miscalculated?

"I don't know what you're talking about..." I adjusted my breathing. "

Blake darling, do you think I... deliberately raised my voice to embarrass Miss Sinclair?"

I looked up at him, tears forming. "How could you think that of me? We'

ve known each other for years. I just... got too emotional."

**Blake's POV**

I studied Laurel's teary eyes. She was a Hollywood star who should know better than to cause scenes in public. Yet she'd drawn a crowd,making Audrey their target.

People had recorded everything on their phones. If those videos went online, it would be a PR nightmare. Despite Audrey's insistence on divorce,she was still legally my wife. Any scandal involving her would affect Parker Group.

My gaze cooled as I looked at Laurel. This wasn't the first time she'd been impulsive and emotional without thinking about consequences. Was-it calculated, like Audrey had suggested? The thought made me uneasy.

Movement caught my eye. Audrey was walking toward us,each step careful but determined despite her injuries. The young man was behind her. For some reason, that pleased me.

Her face was composed, but there was a hardness in her eyes I rarely saw during our marriage.

"Too emotional?" she said. "Miss Rose, that excuse might only fool your'Blake darling."

She stopped in front of us, looking down at Laurel in the wheelchair."Miss Rose claims she raised her voice because she was too emotional. May I ask,why were you emotional?"

She met my eyes briefly. "Mr. Parkerand I are still legally married. He has every right to carry me, or even share a bed with me. It's certainly not your place to get emotional about it."

Her directness caught me off guard. During our marriage, Audrey had always been careful with her words, especially around others.

"You've been publicly parading around with Blake every day lately," she told Laurel. "Do you think that makes you the wife and me the mistress?"

I kept my face neutral, though her words hit home. It was true - I had been appearing with Laurel at events, creating exactly the impression Audrey described. But that was different. I owed Laurel for saving my life,and her health needed my support.

"What right do you have to demand that my husband and I keep our distance?" Audrey's voice dropped low. "What right do you have to get emotional seeing my husband carry me?"

"Also, Miss Rose," she continued, taking out her phone, "as an actress,hasn't your agency taught you to be careful whát you say and do in public?

She showed us her screen. "Since you were just 'too emotional' earlier, how do you explain this?"

I leaned forward to see -news stories already flooding social mediá. The hospital argument, Laurel's outburst, the crowd's judgment-all packaged with headlines like "Blake Parker's Secret Lover Confronted by Mystery Woman" and "Hollywood Star Laurel Rose Defends Relationship with Billionaire Blake Parker Against Homewrecker."

"Apparently I'm the homewrecker, and Miss Rose is the legitimate partner,"Audrey said with a bitter smile.

I stared at the news feed. These outlets worked faster than I'd expected.Barely ten minutes had passed since the argument,yet videos were already

headline news.

"I'm just a regular person," Audrey said, putting away her phone. "I don't want to be all over the internet. Please fix this quickly."

She took a breath. "Otherwise, I'll post my marriage certificate with Mr.Parker online. Then everyone will know who the real mistress is."

Laurel's face almost went white in an instant. Her hand flew to her throat.She bit her lip and stared at Audrey. "You're upset about being in the news, so you're taking it out on me?" Her voice shook. "I didn't ask them to publish those stores. Why blame me?"

She grabbed my arm. "I only raised my voice becauseI was upset. What did I do wrong?"

Tears filled her eyes as she looked up at me. "Blake darling, I've been with you the whole time. You know those news stories have nothing to do with me!"

Her voice rose. "I haven't even touched my phone. Those reporters and stories - I didn't arrange them! What right does Miss Sinclair have to accuse me!"

I weighed the facts. Laurel was right -she hadn't touched her phone since Audrey left. Her distress seemed real, though with actresses, it's sometimes hard to tell where the act ends and reality begins.

"The online news isn't Laurel's doing," I said firmly. "She hasn't touched her phone. Don't wrongfully accuse her."

The medical student-Ethan Davies-appeared beside Audrey. He'd followed her back and stood too close for my liking.

"Mr. Parker," he said wwith annoying confidence.

"I know that as CEO of Parker Group, you're powerful enough to investigate my background instantly." His lips curled into a cold smile as he showed us news on his phone. "So you should know better than I do that for news to spread this fast, someone must be pulling strings."

He glanced at Laurel. "And your Miss Rose, being a major Hollywood star,knows all about trending topics and media hype. Do you really think we're wrongfully accusing her?"

Something dark flared inside me. Him carrying Audrey earlier had already bothered me, though I'd let it go since he helped her out of a tough spot.

But I never expected this nobody would dare lecture me. Audrey was my wife; she could say whatever she wanted to me. But who did Ethan Davies think he was? A medical student with no connections, presuming to school me on my own business?

"Who gave you the balls to talk to me like this?" I kept my voice low.

I turned to Audrey. "You found someone real stupid to help you.How many times can you protect him?"

The threat hung between us. Her face paled as she stepped forward,blocking my view of Ethan. The protective move surprised me -it was instinctive, genuine in a way I rarely saw from her lately.

"He's just worried about me," she said quietly but firmly.

"Does he need to be?" I asked coldly.

The question carried more weight than I meant it to. Was I jealous? That made no sense. Audrey wanted a divorce. She obviously wanted nothing

to do with me. So why did seeing her defend this guy piss me off so much?

I laughed coldly and checked the news on my phone again before putting it away.

"I'll handle the news," I said. "It won't affect you. And I'll find out who's behind all this."

I stared at Audrey, my eyes narrowing. "Laurel is innocent in this. Don't get her involved."