Boss, Your Ex-Wife is Unreachable Now! novel Chapter 156

The outskirts, a certain research institute.

That evening, after dinner with the research team in the staff cafeteria, Willow returned to her dorm room to rest.

It was still early. As usual, she planned to spend this time sketching out design drafts.

Willow drew all kinds of designs—she believed in learning by analogy, and she was quick to pick up new things thanks to her curiosity and drive. Whatever came to mind, she put to paper. Sometimes it was characters from her novels; she'd create outfits and looks for them, even scenes from worlds that teetered on the edge of apocalypse or shimmered with the sheen of the future.

Other times, she designed jewelry—delicate pieces, bold statements, whatever inspiration struck.

The first year after she got married, she designed and gifted Beasley a brooch for his birthday. Since he was born in the year of the tiger, she'd woven subtle tiger motifs into the piece. The next year, she made him another design, crafted by her own hands. This year's birthday present was the same—her own creation, still unfinished, sitting in her sketchbook as a half-completed promise.

Today… was his birthday.

But Willow barely thought about it. Her mind was on Juliette, who was finally returning home from a long business trip. It was a shame she was stuck at the institute and couldn't make it to the airport to welcome her back.

She'd only just opened her sketchbook and laid down a few lines when someone knocked on her door.

"Willow, it's me."

The voice outside belonged to Academician Penelope Grant.

Willow quickly put her sketchbook aside and got up to open the door.

"Academician Grant, what brings you here?" Willow asked, surprised.

"Let's talk inside," Penelope said gently, her gaze soft and full of something like concern.

That look unsettled Willow even more.

Once they were in, Willow poured a glass of water for her guest.

Penelope's phone was no exception; no calls, no texts, no internet.

But what she wanted to show Willow didn't require a connection.

After a moment's tapping, she handed Willow the phone.

Willow scrolled through the images and messages on the screen, her expression growing more serious with every swipe.

Penelope glanced at her, noticing how pale Willow had gone. Her voice was gentle. "The video of you at the hospital—someone secretly filmed it and uploaded it online Sunday night. It spread quickly and caused a huge stir. Then, last night around seven, more rumors started circulating, this time mentioning you by name. But don't worry. The authorities have been monitoring everything related to you since Sunday. As soon as those new rumors appeared, they were immediately suppressed before they could go viral or cause any more damage."

Willow pressed her lips together, her heart pounding.

She had no idea who had filmed that video at the hospital. But she knew, without a doubt, who was behind last night's smear campaign.

York. It had to be him.