Rachel noticed Samuel in the photo right away. Even though he was censored, his curly hair told her who he was, not to mention that she was right beside him, holding his hand. An article with a headline that read, ‘President Burton’s ex-wife returns with an illegitimate son. The shocking truth behind this aristocrat’s marriage, was making waves on the Internet.
It wasn’t a long article, but it managed to make Rachel out to be a cheating woman who was dumped by
Justin because she had a lover out there. The article wasn’t fully made up, since the writer knew Rachel used to be a mute. As there was truth among the lies, it was hard for her to explain things properly. Rachel knew that, so she knew this was trouble.
“When was this posted?”
“This morning,” Frankie answered quickly. “The PR team didn’t think much about it at first, but then it went viral. It’s getting worse by the minute. Sir, our share prices have been dropping ever since this was posted. The Board of Directors has been calling us to talk about this.”
Even though Rachel and Justin were already divorced, the public questioned the decision of hiring her to work in Burton Pharmaceuticals. Now that a scandal had popped up, it was certain that the share prices would drop.
Justin looked at Rachel coldly. “What’s your plan now?”
“A press release, of course. We’ll tell them that the illegitimate child doesn’t exist. As long as we tell the same story, the public can’t say anything about it.”
“What about the truth?”
Rachel was stunned, but she clenched her fists, for she knew what was coming.
Justin asked, “The article isn’t important. Are you going to tell me about that boy? Is he your son?” Justin knocked on the tablet’s screen, producing two loud thuds.
Veins started popping on her forehead, but she answered calmly, “He is.”
“You’re quick to answer. I thought you’d defend yourself.“
“He’s my son. I don’t have anything to say for myself.” Rachel didn’t want to argue about Samuel. Since Justin was looking mad, she told Frankie, “Tell the PR team to get ready for a press release, and make sure they restrict the questions from the reporters. Dispatch a few more bodyguards, and,”
“Enough!” Justin barked.
Rachel was shocked. When she turned around, she realized Justin was looking at her coldly. “You’re not in charge here. I’m the boss. Not you.”
“But we need to hold a press release. The sooner we silence the public, the better for you and the company.”
“I’m not saying we won’t, but that’s not what we’re going to say.”
Rachel paused for a moment.
Justin’s gaze was as cold and dark as the deep sea. “Frankie, tell HR to come up with a notice of termination and post it on the official website. We’ll announce it at the press release,” he said coldly.
“Announce what?” Frankie was shocked.
“That we’ve canceled the contract with Chris. Her personal life’s degeneracy is not what we stand for, and tell them we will never employ anyone who’s morally bankrupt. Not now, not ever. I’ll tell the reporters that we wouldn’t have hired you if you hadn’t lied about your identity.”
Everything Justin said was a shocker for Rachel, and she looked at him in disbelief. “You’re really doing that?”
The shock only lasted for a moment though, for she then regained her composure. Her fists were clenched, and her anger was rising.
Justin answered coldly, “If I don’t do that, you’re going to ruin the whole company. We’re not going to pay for your indecency.”
“Indecency?” Rachel looked at him calmly. “Is that what you think of me?”
“Isn’t it? You have an illegitimate son. What else do you have to say?” Justin glowered. “You’d better work with us and apologize to the public before this gets any worse. Then go back to Montenegro and never show up in front of me again!”
Apparently, Justin was stupid enough to not even leave an exit for himself; even Frankie felt worried. “Sir, we still need to look into this, so-” He swallowed the rest of the sentence when Justin shot him an icy look.
Rachel answered, “If that’s what you think, then fine by me. I’ll work with you, but I’ll only tell them the truth. I won’t admit to something I didn’t do. I have work to do, so I’m leaving now.” With that, she left the office, and the door swung shut.
“Sir, this might be a misunderstanding. The madam isn’t a lascivious woman.”
“Madam?” Justin looked at him coldly.
Frankie shivered and changed the way he called her right away. “I mean Chris. We’ll get the truth soon enough once we look into Chris and her child’s details in Montenegro. Do you want to delay the press release, Sir? At least until the recon team is back?”
“No. We’ll hold it tomorrow morning.”
Frankie wanted to say something else, but Justin slammed the table. “One more word and you’re fired as well!”
Frankie paled and kept his mouth shut.
At the same time, Jolly called Rachel the moment she came out of the office. “I saw the news. Are you alright?” There was panic in Jolly’s voice.
Rachel put her phone a little distance away from her ear. “Just got out of his office. He wants to fire me so he can face the Board of Directors and the public.”
“What? Is that idiot mad? He just believes everything he sees? How can he even run a company like that?”
“That’s not important. Jolly, this popped up too suddenly. Something’s off. Justin and I aren’t public figures, and we’ve been divorced for five years. Almost nobody has seen me, and no reporters would keep an eye on us at all times.”
“You’re saying someone’s behind this?”
“They can even track down my medical history in Montenegro. They even found out I gave birth there. The enemy is powerful.”
“If they’re actually powerful, they would have found the real record, not the one we doctored.”
Rachel answered grimly. “It doesn’t matter which one she found. This is precisely the one she wanted, so she
sold it to the media without even verifying it. That’s the best way to rile up the public.”
“Wait. You’re saying you know who did this?”
