When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie)



"Hypnotize? A snap of the fingers, and you cry when told to cry, laugh when told to laugh?"

"Melanie, have you caught whatever bug Clyde's got? Lost your marbles?"

Warren looked at me as though I had two heads, and I just rolled my eyes and pulled out my phone.

"Look, this is Rachel, her outfit and all, pretty much a carbon copy of my old style."

"And the stuff she's buying, it's all right up my alley."

"You think she's trying to mimic you, to convince Clyde she's you?"

Warren pondered for a moment, his gaze shifting between me and the phone screen.

I nodded vigorously.

So, if Clyde's noggin wasn't scrambled, maybe, just maybe, it was some sort of mind trick?

I know it sounds far-fetched, but isn't it said that art imitates life, and sometimes transcends it?

He gave me a look that screamed 'I can't even' before glancing back at the phone.

"Did Rachel study psychology?"

I shook my head.

"Does she know Clyde was gonna get hit by that frisbee?"

I shook my head again.

"Is she a magician's apprentice or something?"

I rolled my eyes at him.

Warren handed back my phone, "Alright, I'll look into it. You just take it easy."

I had more questions, but seeing the pile of files on his desk, I swallowed my words.

Little did I expect that this seemingly juicy piece of gossip would thrust the Patterson Group into the eye of a storm. Online, Clyde was being lambasted left and right, and past mistakes were being dredged up.

"Mr. Patterson ditched our darling Suzie for some flash-in-the-pan starlet, and look how that turned out!"Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

"He's the one who took his mistress out on their anniversary, right? I remember his wife was all over the tabloids."

"A tiger doesn't eat its cubs, but this guy? Disowns his kid, even blamed for his death. Chilling."

"With a CEO like that, can the Patterson Group's buildings be anything but shoddy? No way I'm living there."

It was clear there was a lot of manipulation in the discourse.

But this time, Clyde seemed to have

crossed a line, even insiders

confirming his misuse of

a

.

No need to check; I knew the Patterson Group's stocks were plummeting. Sales in several

for

projects took a hit and departments all over were in an uproar.

The Patterson Group's PR was scrambling to control the narrative, but to no avail.

And this time, Merritt's response was lukewarm at best, offering no clarity for Clyde.

On the fourth day of the fiasco, just as I got home from the hospital, I received a call from Merritt.

"Melanie, come back for the board meeting this afternoon."

After hanging up, I quickly checked the company group chat where board members were ripping into Clyde. The drop in stock prices was hitting their pockets hard.

Before, as long as Clyde's antics didn't hurt their profits, they turned a blind eye. But now? It's unacceptable.

Feeling uneasy, I made my way to the office, where the conference room was packed with executives.

As I entered, all eyes turned to me,

especial

Clyde's, which bore a

smet

of resentment and anger that made me squirm in my seat.

After a while, Merritt tapped on the table to signal the start.

"Now that everyone's here, let's begin," he said.

York Patterson glanced at the man next to him, prompting him to stand.

"Given the current state of our stock, a clarification wouldn't be amiss, would it?" he started.

"Clyde's past escapades were one thing, but now it's affecting the whole company. We need explanations!"

His words opened the floodgates, and the room erupted with demands for accountability.

"Absolutely, we need an explanation."

"Personal affairs shouldn't bleed into company affairs! Mr. Patterson has gone too far."

"When it starts affecting all our interests, it's a different story. We're innocent in this!"