Chapter 65: The Arrogant Reporter
Edward was really worried about Irene, and he wanted to go to the hospital immediately to check on her. But Lily rushed into his office just as he picked up the keys to his car.
"This is bad, Mr. Wilson. The media companies refuse to take the article down. They said that someone had told them to keep the posts online and paid them much more than we are offering," Lily said anxiously.
In fact, Edward had already offered quite a hefty sum of money for this specific article.
In the past, the media companies were very willing to take the articles down even when they were offered a lesser amount of money compared to now.
Lily was not stupid. She knew that someone was definitely pulling strings behind the scene in order to defame Edward, hence why the media companies were making things difficult for them. Someone was obviously plotting against Edward.
In fact, she had witnessed how affectionate Edward and Irene were to each other. There was no way that her boss would cheat on his wife.
"I see. Talk to them again and offer them double the amount of money given by the other party. Make sure that they remove it immediately. I don't want to see this article still circulating!" Edward could only solve this issue with even more money.
As long as money could resolve the matter, he would not be stingy. Moreover, he needed to be there for Irene right now. She had just received such shocking news, so he was very worried about her. "Okay, Mr. Wilson. Don't worry, leave this to me," Lily said, before she left to carry out his orders carefully.
She also hoped that Irene would believe Edward, because she was a nice person who treated the staff with dignity and respect. Every time she paid her husband a visit, she would speak to Lily in a polite manner, making her life as a secretary a lot easier.
Irene was not like Celine, who always told her not to inform Edward of her arrival. Lily always found it difficult, because her boss had specifically ordered her not to let anyone into his office. Moreover, Celine always behaved high and mighty around her, treating her with disrespect.
As Lily stepped out of the office, she saw that Eric had come to visit Edward. She knew that they both disliked each other mutually, so he was probably here to enjoy the drama. Still, she needed to greet him properly.
"Hello, Mr. Wilson."
Lily gave her greetings politely, but she was still in a hurry to complete the task that Edward had given her.
"Mm, hello there. Edward should have both his hands tied right now. And you should probably carry out his orders quickly," Eric said haughtily.
In fact, Eric had only offered the media companies a small sum of money to keep the articles online.
He simply told them that if they informed Edward that someone else offered a higher price, so they refused to withdraw the news, then they would definitely fetch an unexpected price. After all, nobody would turn down an opportunity to earn more money.
Edward wanted to fight with him, so he had to be prepared. He wanted to make him suffer a fate worse than death.
Eric smiled wickedly, for he knew that things were going exactly as he planned, and some things turned out better than he had expected-the miserable plight of the two siblings from the Jones family. "Where are you going, Edward? How did you end up on the news? Did you not know that Irene must not receive this sort of shock? I mean, she's pregnant. Don't worry, I can understand where you're coming from. She can't satisfy you when she is pregnant, but you must be careful not to get caught."
Eric waltzed into the room without knocking, feigning his concern for Edward. Truth be told, they both despised and looked down on each other, playing mind games with the other party whenever they could. "I don't need you to tell me that. No need for your formalities, just get out of here. I'm going out." Edward said disdainfully.
Both of them were always going head to head with each other, so why did they need to feign their concern and say such disgusting words?
"Edward, I know how you feel. I don't blame you, but did you not notice the many reporters currently swarming the building? They have been here for a long time, waiting for an opportunity to speak with you," Eric said.
In fact, he rejoiced internally when he saw Edward's suffering. He was here to watch a good show unfold before his eyes.
"Eric, this is my final warning. Get out of my sight. If you still continue to stand in my way, I'll make sure you suffer a fate worse than death! I'm sure you had a hand in all this! I'll deal with you later," Edward said.
He narrowed his eyes slightly in a way that made people shudder in fear. Yet Eric wasn't intimidated by it. After all, he was prepared to fight him, and he had his father to back him up.
Eric had never blamed his father, Cameron, for making him bear the stain of being an illegitimate child. On the contrary, he despised Edward and his mother, Claudia.
If only they weren't Cameron's legal wife and son, then both his mother and himself wouldn't have to be placed in such an awkward situation! Growing up, he had been made fun of countless times for being an illegitimate son.
Edward and Claudia caused all of the suffering he had to go through as a child, so now he wanted to make them pay dearly.
"Okay, I'll be waiting for you then, brother dearest," Eric said before he walked away, leaving Edward behind.
Edward was now sure that Eric had something to do with the photos. But how did he know exactly where he went last night?
How did Eric know that he would pick Celine up from the hospital and send her home? Even down to the moment that she threw herself on him, the angle and timing of those photos were perfect, making it seem like they really had something together.
Moreover, the two siblings from the Jones family looked very pitiful as they knelt before him in the photo, their arrogance nowhere to be seen. The timing and angle of these photos were too perfect.
No matter how hard he pondered on it, he couldn't figure it out. At the same time, he gave some thought to what Eric had told him about those reporters crowding the entrance of the building. He couldn't go out for a while.
"Hey, Mum, is Irene doing better now?" Edward called his mother, worried about his wife.
"Irene is currently in the operating room. It's already been a few hours, but the child still hasn't been born yet," Claudia said worriedly. She could also understand how her son was feeling.
"I see. Mum, please take good care of Irene for me. I need to attend a press conference before I can make my way to the hospital. The reporters have surrounded the company, and I can't get out," Edward said worriedly. He needed to deal with those reporters first.
"To all in attendance, I, Edward, have not wronged my wife. Celine and I are just friends. Regarding those photos, some of them were taken when I paid her a visit while she was sick and hospitalized. The other was when I sent her home after she was discharged."
Edward explained as sincerely as possible, because he really didn't want Irene to misunderstand the situation.
"I do not know why these photographs have been taken nor why such an article was even published about me. I have no comment about the Jones family," Edward said. He was busy thinking about Irene, who was still in the hospital.
"Mr. Wilson, you appear to be very close to Celine in these photos. We seem to have misunderstood your relationship with her as you are both of the opposite sex. Aren't you worried that your wife will also get the wrong idea?" asked a courageous reporter.
In fact, he was hired by Eric. With this reporter taking the lead, the other reporters also scrambled to throw him questions that put Edward on the spot.
"That's right, Mr. Wilson. You used to be in a relationship with Celine. Have you really let go of her?" asked yet another brave reporter.
All of them wanted to make this juicy gossip the headlines of their articles. The hotter the news, the more attention it would draw, and the more money they would earn.
"Mr. Wilson, what do you think of this comment, 'A man and woman will never be able to be regular friends,'?"
At this point, none of the reporters cared to hear his answer to their questions. They were all fighting to ask their questions arrogantly.
"Mr. Wilson, I think you are different. Are you always so intimate with friends of the opposite sex? How close is your relationship with Celine? What are your thoughts on the boundary between friends and lovers?"
Edward noticed that the attitude of these reporters were completely different from the usual. He was sure that someone was behind all this, so he was determined to find out who they were to make them pay. In truth, all of these reporters were deathly afraid of Edward. They didn't dare to offend him, because their livelihood were at stake.
It was common knowledge that the law didn't punish the public. As long as someone got the ball rolling with those difficult questions, others would follow suit. After all, it was such a scoop, and everyone wanted to profit off it.
"Mr. Wilson, many people suspect that you are dating Celine. Is this true?" The reporter asked, implying that he had an affair with her. Who couldn't understand what he meant?
Did these reporters really think that he was that easy to bully? He was always one to repay an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
↑