Chapter 205

Serena's POV I just saw those ridiculous headlines. "BUSINESS OR PLEASURE? LAZULI AND WEST'S INTIMATE DINNER CONVERSATION RAISES EYEBROWS!" "POWER COUPLE ALERT: DREAMLAND STUDIO'S LAZULI FALLS UNDER CELESTIAL GEMS CEO'S SPELL!" "MATCHING OUTFITS AND MEANINGFUL GLANCES: JEWELRY INDUSTRY'S NEW POWER COUPLE?" "IS DREAMLAND'S LAZULI TRADING MORE THAN JUST BUSINESS DEALS WITH CELESTIAL GEMS' WEST?" "These entertainment vultures are absolutely shameless! How can they twist something so innocent into this... this tabloid fantasy?" fumed Celeste, one of the designers who had accompanied me to the event. Her normally composed face was flushed with indignation as she scrolled through her own phone. "Mrs. Lazuli, it's just internet gossip-mongers having their fun. No one with half a brain takes this seriously," another designer tried consoling me while the others were already drafting statements, insisting we should issue an immediate clarification before the story spiraled further. I pinched the