Chapter 2 - Julian's Morning Unraveling

Julian was wrenched from sleep by the insistent, almost frantic ringing of his Personal Assistant, Dominic. The digital clamor wasn't just a nuisance; it was a loud, public declaration of a burgeoning online scandal. He vaguely recalled the previous evening, a blur of an event with Aria, but the sheer volume of notifications barraging his phone indicated something far beyond a casual mention. As Dominic's voice, laced with urgency and thinly veiled alarm, filtered through the speaker, Julian quickly grasped the extent of the situation: the internet was ablaze with articles, photos, and wild speculation linking him unequivocally with Aria. His first, visceral reaction was a wave of cold annoyance. This was precisely the kind of unwanted public scrutiny he meticulously avoided. Without a moment's hesitation, his command was sharp and unwavering: "Dom, get rid of it. All of it. Every single article." He listened as Dominic, ever efficient, began to make the necessary assurances, even as Julian was already swinging his legs out of bed. There was no time to dwell on the morning's unpleasant revelations. A critical meeting loomed at his company, a high-stakes discussion that demanded his full, undivided attention. The thought of it, coupled with the lingering irritation of the online buzz, propelled him into a rapid, almost perfunctory morning routine. He showered quickly, dressed in his sharpest business attire, and grabbed his briefcase, his mind already shifting gears from personal annoyance to professional focus. The car ride to the office was silent, a deliberate sanctuary from the digital noise he had just tried to quell. His eyes, though fixed on the road ahead, still held a hint of the morning's exasperation. The world could talk, but his immediate priority was the intricate dance of corporate strategy that awaited him.