Chapter 227 Chapter 227.

The first thing Christian Sinclair heard the next morning was his mother’s voice on television.

He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse, with one hand wrapped around a cup of coffee he had barely touched, while the woman who had spent years teaching him the importance of appearances smiled at a reporter on the screen.

Behind her, the Sinclair estate looked immaculate. The gardens had been trimmed, the fountains were running, and the enormous white columns framing the entrance shone beneath the morning sun.

Everything was beautiful.

"Christian has always been a very private person," his mother said, her smile as smooth as glass. "Unfortunately, the recent attention surrounding his personal life has created a great deal of unnecessary speculation. We have no intention of entertaining gossip."

The reporter nodded.

"Can you confirm whether the wedding between Christian Sinclair and Isabel Dolce is still going ahead?"

Christian’s fingers tightened around the cup.

His mother didn’t hesitate.

"Of course."

The reporter’s eyes widened slightly. "Despite the recent controversy?"

"There is no controversy within our families. The arrangements have been made, and both families remain committed to the future we have discussed for many years."

A second reporter leaned toward her microphone.

"And the woman currently trending across the country with your son? Kylie Benneth?"

His mother laughed softly.

"I will not dignify every name that appears on the internet with a response. Christian is a grown man. He is entitled to his privacy, and Miss Benneth is entitled to hers."

She paused for a second.

"But I do believe people should be careful about the company they keep, especially when they find themselves involved with someone whose responsibilities extend far beyond their personal desires."

Christian stopped breathing for a moment.

There it was. The knife hidden inside the silk.

His mother hadn’t mentioned Kylie directly. She hadn’t called her a gold digger or a homewrecker. She hadn’t needed to.

She had simply reminded the country that Christian belonged to something bigger than himself and that anyone standing beside him had better understand her place.

His phone vibrated on the table continuously.

The notifications had become so relentless that he had switched most of them off before dawn. The few he had allowed through were enough to tell him what the world was doing with his name.

CHRISTIAN SINCLAIR AND KYLIE BENNETTH: A LOVE STORY OR A PUBLICITY STUNT?

SINCLAIR HEIR’S MYSTERY WOMAN: WHO IS KYLIE BENNETTH?

ISABEL DOLCE SPEAKS OUT AS FIANCé’S ALLEGED AFFAIR DOMINATES THE INTERNET.

FROM PARTY GIRL TO BILLIONAIRE’S MISTRESS? THE WOMAN AT THE CENTRE OF THE SINCLAIR SCANDAL.

And, beneath all of it, a photograph of Kylie laughing.

Her head was thrown back, with her eyes almost closed. She had one hand resting against his chest as if she had forgotten there was a world beyond the two of them.

The comments beneath them were worse.

He had read enough to know that his mother had seen the same things. And still, she had gone on television to tell the country that the wedding was proceeding.

Christian put down his coffee.

His reflection stared back at him from the window.

Today, he was going to dismantle the life his mother had spent years constructing around him.

His phone vibrated again.

This time, it was a message from the head of his communications team.

The press conference is confirmed. Every major network has accepted.

Press: We’re expecting the largest media turnout we’ve had in five years.

Christian read it. He stared at the screen for a moment. He walked to the chair and picked up his jacket.

Then he left.

......

By nine thirty in the morning, the Sinclair name was everywhere.

It appeared on television screens in cafés, on the phones of people waiting for buses, in offices where employees were supposed to be working, and in the hands of university students who had abandoned their lectures to watch the unfolding spectacle.

At nine forty-two, Christian Sinclair and Kylie Benneth were trending at number three in the country.

They had reached that position in twenty-six hours.

Twenty-six hours since the first photographs had circulated.

Twenty-six hours since strangers had decided that a woman they had never met was an acceptable target.

Twenty-six hours since the internet had begun treating Christian’s private life as a public competition between two women.

At number one was a political scandal. At number two was a national celebrity’s divorce. At number three were Christian and Kylie.

And the number was climbing.

A news anchor read the headline with an expression that suggested she was trying very hard not to smile.

"Tech magnate Christian Sinclair is expected to address the public this morning following widespread speculation about his relationship with Kylie Benneth and his engagement to Isabel Dolce. The press conference, scheduled for ten o’clock, has attracted representatives from virtually every major news organization in the country."

The screen changed.

A photograph of Christian appeared beside one of Kylie.

"Sources close to the Sinclair family have suggested that today’s announcement could determine the future of the proposed wedding, which has been the subject of speculation for months. Neither Christian Sinclair nor Isabel Dolce has released an official statement."

The anchor paused.

"However, the Sinclair family has maintained that the wedding arrangements remain unchanged."

A panel of commentators appeared on screen.

One man argued that the entire situation was a carefully managed publicity exercise.

A woman said that, regardless of what Christian announced, Kylie Benneth would have difficulty escaping the public scrutiny surrounding her name.

On another channel, a reporter stood outside the venue.

"We are expecting an announcement of significant personal and business implications from Christian Sinclair. It is worth noting that the Sinclair family has not historically permitted members to address the press without prior approval from the family office."

"Do you think he’s going to cancel the wedding?" the anchor asked.

The reporter looked into the camera.

"I think the fact that he has personally invited the press, rather than allowing his family’s communications team to manage the event, tells us something."