Skipped at the altar, Taken by his uncle Novel

Chapter 126 Whitney sat on a chair in the hallway and had just opened her phone when she saw the trending topics on X. Topics with Ivan's name, the intern Justin's name, and even her own were all trending. Whitney's gaze turned icy as she tapped on each hashtag, [Heartbeat Offer's Mentor Ivan Was So Mad At The Intern He Nearly Passed Out!], [Heartbeat Contestant Justin Refused To Accept His Grade And Made His Mentor Lose It], [PrimeBridge Law Firm Mentor's Backstabbing Intern]. Whitney could only describe the comments section as a toxic mess.

Some were up in arms defending Ivan, others were dragging Whitney for snapping at Emily and calling her rude, and then there was a whole mob going after Justin, the only regular guy caught in the crossfire. pressure. The production team put out a statement saying Ivan was fine. He'd just fainted from high blood But during the livestream, Emily steered the conversation in a really negative direction. Netizens didn't buy it at all. Instead, they turned their fury on the production team, Whitney, and Justin. Joanne: [Whit, is your mentor okay? Did you see what's trending online?

Emily's acting totally crazy. Why does she keep coming after you and just won't let it go?] Joanne: [I checked with my agent, and she actually paid to get that topic about you trending! She's still bitter about you calling her out on the show.] Whitney's gaze hardened. 'Seriously, why is Emily always like this? Doesn't she ever learn? 'Did she already forget the last time she had to apologize?' Whitney: [My mentor's fine. Joanne, what did the production team do after that?] Joanne: [They just said the recording's been postponed.

I heard from my agent that the director's team pulled Justin aside for a long talk, and when he came out, the poor kid was crying.] Joanne: [I feel like he can't handle stress very well. If you have time, maybe check on him. Apparently, he reached out to the director's team to get your contact info.] Whitney scrolled through her call log and, sure enough, there was a missed call from an unknown number sitting right at the bottom. Just as she was about to dial back, Klein stepped out into the hallway. Whitney looked up.

"Finished talking?" "Yeah." Klein's voice was colder than usual, and Whitney's heart tightened. Whitney forced a smile. "Sorry, things just happened so suddenly. I was about to call you back when you walked in." "No need to explain, I get it. I'm not blaming you," Klein said, his gaze lowering. "Just... a little hurt, that's all." 'Hurt?' Whitney wondered, a bit taken aback. Klein's voice was low and weary, with an unmistakable touch of grievance. "I just hope you'll call me back first next time, okay, darling?" Whitney swallowed hard. "Okay." "Hey Klein, you go on ahead.

I need to stick around and take care of Ivan. He doesn't have any family here in Ravorport," Whitney said. "Don't make it sound like I'm some sad old guy living all alone!" Ivan shouted from inside, half-joking. "Whitney, just ask at the nurse's station. They've got attendants here. Just get someone quick on their feet," he called out. Whitney shook her head. "Come on, no caregiver is going to take care of you the way you need." Klein offered, "Ivan, if you don't mind, I can have my assistant contact a reputable care agency. Their staff are all professionally trained in patient care.

Would that work for you?" "Mr. Harris, are you sure that's not too much trouble?" Ivan asked. Klein smiled. "It's no trouble at all, Ivan. Really, don't mention it." Ivan didn't argue and just agreed without making a fuss. "Boss, you might want to grab your phone and post something on X to clear things up. Everyone online is stirring things up and going after Justin, saying he made you faint by upsetting you at work," Whitney said. Ivan looked baffled. "When did he ever upset me? People online have way too much time on their hands.

We were just having a normal conversation about his assignment. "Justin's a sensitive boy. His mom's really sick back home, and he's trying to grow up fast so he can earn money for her medical bills. "He works really hard. I even explained to him yesterday why I couldn't let him turn in his assignment late. Punctuality is the number one professional quality for a lawyer. "Shoot, you need to call him right now. People online are out of control. This is straight-up cyberbullying! That boy is really stubborn.

If he can't get past this, it could mess him up for good," Whitney said, her voice full of worry." 'Uh-oh, this is bad,' Whitney thought, and hurried to call Justin. Klein stood there with one hand in his pocket, narrowed his eyes, and was lost in thought. He stared at the blazing trending topics, his gaze frosty enough to freeze the screen. 'Guess my words don't mean squat anymore, huh? Otherwise, how can people just ignore plain common sense?' Klein thought. Klein turned and headed for the stairwell to make a call. "Ryan, get two professional caregivers over to the hospital for Ivan.

And handle those trending topics online right away." "Yes, Mr. Harris, it's already being taken care of. Everything about Mrs. Harris has already been wiped from the trending list," Ryan replied. "Good. Now call Carter and tell him to put a stop to all of Emily's work immediately. If he refuses, he can forget about being CEO of Harris Group," Klein ordered, his voice icy. Ryan could tell Klein was seriously pissed. "Got it, Mr. Harris. I'll handle it right away!" Ryan said, not daring to hesitate. Whitney kept calling Justin, but he still wouldn't pick up.

Frustrated, she refreshed X to check for any updates. The heat online had cooled off a little, but under his one and only post about joining the show, there were already fifty thousand comments tearing him apart. Whitney quickly contacted Townsend, got Justin's home address from the director, and got ready to head over. Klein grabbed her wrist. "Where are you headed? Hold on. I'll drive you." Whitney didn't think twice and headed out with him. When they got to Justin's rented place, Whitney spotted his shoes kicked off by the door. 'He should be here, Whitney thought. She knocked on the door.

"Justin, you in there? It's Whitney from PrimeBridge Law Firm," she called out. But there was no response from inside. Klein tried to calm her down. "Don't worry. Just call him and see if you hear his phone ring." Justin's place was in an old building with thin walls. It was easy to hear the phone ring from the hallway. Whitney nodded and dialed his number. Sure enough, she heard his phone ringing inside. "He's home!" Whitney exclaimed. Whitney knocked harder. "Justin, Ivan's fine. He's really okay, I promise. Don't overthink it or do anything crazy.

If you're home, please open the door so we can talk, alright?" But still, there was no answer. Just then, they heard an elderly woman cry out in shock, "Oh my goodness! There's someone up on the rooftop! Young man, step away from the edge. Be careful, don't fall!" "Someone call the police! Is that kid about to jump?" Whitney and Klein exchanged a look and dashed up toward the rooftop. The old building had eight floors, and sure enough, when they reached the top, there was a small staircase leading up to the roof. "I'll go first, then help you up!" Klein said. Whitney snapped, "Just go!

I don't need your help! Hurry up and check if it's Justin!" "Got it!" Klein replied. Klein was the first to scramble up to the rooftop, and through a tangle of clotheslines, he caught sight of Justin's silhouette. He walked over quickly. "Justin!" Justin spun around, eyes full of confusion as he stared at Klein. "Who are you?" Noticing Klein wasn't stopping, Justin yelled, "Don't come any closer!" Klein halted, raising his hands in a calming gesture. "Alright, I'm staying put. But you need to come over here yourself. This rooftop's dangerous.

Come on, just walk over to me." Justin shook his head, his eyes blank and lost. "I'm not coming over! I'm not coming over!" Whitney ran up, out of breath. "Justin, don't do anything rash!" Her eyes darted, heart thundering. "Don't do anything crazy! Ivan's fine, I swear. He told me himself that he just fainted because he likes to drink, and his blood pressure rose. This has nothing to do with you!" "No! It does matter!" Justin shook his head, looking totally crushed. "If it didn't, why would all those people online be tearing me apart?" His eyes rimmed with tears. "Ms.

Moore, do you have any idea how nasty their comments are?" "They're DMing me all kinds of hate, and it's not just me. They're even cursing my family! I only have my mom, and..." Justin's voice cracked, pain etched all over his face. "I let her down. She did everything for me, and if she hadn't busted her back to get me through college, maybe she wouldn't have gotten sick. "Ms. Moore, if my mom sees all those people trashing her son online, do you think she'll be embarrassed? Do you think she'll hate me for it?" Justin's voice trembled, his whole body shaking as he spoke.

Justin was freaking out and took a step back, and Whitney's heart was pounding in her chest. "No!" Whitney yelled, cutting through his breakdown. "No way, Justin! Your mom would never think that about you! You're her pride and joy. If you do something crazy, what's she gonna do without you?" "Those people online are just full of crap! Don't pay attention to them! Justin, just trust me, okay? Come here," Whitney said, stepping closer and reaching out her hand. "Grab my hand.

Ivan already posted on X to clear things up, and I'll get those hate comments wiped out for you, alright?" But Whitney's attempts to talk him down weren't working at all. In fact, Justin was getting even more agitated. "No! No! No! I'm not listening! You're just like the rest of them! You're always riding around in luxury cars. You'll never get what it's like for regular people like us, struggling just to get by!" Justin shouted, his voice cracking, teetering dangerously close to the edge. Whitney took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "I get you, Justin. Honestly, I really envy you.

You've got a mom who's always had your back. My mom died when I was just a little kid. "After she was gone, my dad married a new wife right away. You know what stepmoms are like? It's not exactly like TV dramas. She never screamed at me, but she was all about those silent knives, you know, the kind you don't see coming, slowly turning my dad against me. "Honestly, when I was three, it felt like I lost both my mom and my dad. But your mom really loves you, right? "I know how brutal law school is.

I wanted out of my family, too, so I busted my guts studying just to get out from under their thumb. "When I first joined the firm, I messed up and got yelled at, just like you. But the rougher the path, the brighter the light when you finally make it, right? "Justin, you're the only hope your mom's got." Justin broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. "But I'm such a failure! I've really let her down!" While Whitney was desperately trying to talk Justin down, Klein narrowed his eyes and quietly moved to his side.

In one swift motion, his long arm shot out, grabbing Justin's waist and hauling him away from the edge. The move was so sudden that Justin reacted instinctively, stumbling in his slippers and accidentally kicking Klein as he was pulled to safety. They were right at the edge of the rooftop. Justin landed in a safe spot, but Klein lost his balance and toppled backward. Whitney reached out to catch him, but she was a split second too late. Justin just stood there, shell-shocked. 'Crap, I messed up again!' Justin thought. Klein was falling, his usually cold face suddenly softening with worry.

He looked at Whitney, her face streaked with tears, and said in a gentle voice, "Don't cry, Whit. Your smile always makes my day." Crash! It was the sound of a body hitting the ground. "No!" Whitney shouted, her voice raw with desperation. Her left hand closed on empty air as she watched Klein plummet, her mind shattering in disbelief. 'No, he can't die!' The thought echoed in Whitney's head, pure terror gripping her. 'Klein can't die!' AD Comment Send gift No Ads I Dex Morgan Dex Morgan works to elevate each story with clean writing, emotional balance, and thoughtful flow for readers.