Chapter 343: Whispers at Work

The 14 billion was meant to stabilize the kidnappers and ensure they didn’t harm their captives, securing the safety of both Ellis and Victoria. To suggest that the 1.4 billion was solely for Victoria’s rescue was ludicrous. Victoria had the Brooks family to pay her ransom, while Ellis only had him. Between the two, there was no question that Ellis was the priority. He wouldn’t have had the luxury of saving Victoria first if he hadn’t secured Ellis’s safety.

“Look, regardless of your reasons for saving Ellis and Victoria, the fact that you actually paid a 1.4 billion ransom is true, and so is your support for Victoria,” Sophia stated plainly, not in the mood to beat around the bush with her son.

“That timing, right when Ellis wanted a divorce, it was reasonable for me to suspect you might be having an affair with Victoria.”

Whether Easton actually had an affair with Victoria, which contributed to his divorce from Ellis, she didn’t pursue further since Ellis was set on the divorce and nobody could stop her, and Easton had gone through with the divorce proceedings. Now, she could be sure Easton hadn’t cheated with Victoria. If he had, the Brooks family would have made a big deal out of it, not missing a chance to bleed the Hudson family dry and turn their own fortunes around.

“Mom, just because Ellis filed for divorce, you suspecting me of cheating seems…,” Easton choked up, temporarily losing his voice, “…unfair.”

“Where am I being unfair? I’ve seen how well Ellis treated you and how much she loved you. It’s you, you ungrateful kid, who didn’t appreciate her! Divorces are easy, remarriages are hard. Do you still not realize where you went wrong?”

Sophia wondered to herself how she could have raised such a foolish son.

“You didn’t actually cheat, but you also need to maintain boundaries with other women to give Ellis a sense of security! Reflect on your actions. Even I almost misunderstood you, what must Ellis have thought at the time? Security and trust were extremely valuable, and failing to provide Ellis with these, while also acting in ways that might lead others to speculate, it was hard not to make a wife overthink.”

Even though Ellis never spoke a word about it, when Sophia asked her if Easton had cheated, Ellis hardly spoke, seemingly avoiding the topic. Whether Ellis had the same misunderstanding was uncertain. Sophia wondered if her clueless son, coming to ask these questions now, was too late. If not for the distance of the phone call, Sophia felt like poking Easton’s head to see if it would rattle. His intelligence was certainly not being applied in managing his marital relationship! After hearing his mother’s words, Easton’s voice broke as if damaged, leaving him completely speechless.

No sound came from Easton’s end, and Sophia guessed he was reflecting. That was good; she wouldn’t disturb his thoughts and hung up the phone.

Reflection needed time, and she couldn’t expect Easton to understand everything in just one phone call. She had her work to deal with, and they could discuss his matter again when Easton had a clearer mind. The line went dead, and Easton mechanically lowered his phone from his car. A sense of helplessness spread through him, accompanied by a numbing pain. He dialed an internal line.

Easton was calling her again, and Taylor braced herself, though her legs felt slightly weak. The last time she was in Easton’s office, he was quite unhappy with what she said, mistaking her remarks for suggesting he was unfaithful. So, this time, she hesitated at the door before entering. This prompted a curious senior executive, observing her, to ask with a concerned yet cautious tone, “Taylor, you’re shivering. Is Mr. Hudson in an even worse mood?”

During the meeting, Easton seemed in a bad mood. If it weren’t necessary, the executive wouldn’t want to approach Easton, to avoid catching his ire. Taylor didn’t directly answer the executive’s question, advising instead, “Mr. Danny, if you don’t absolutely need to see Mr. Hudson for work right now, you might want to attend to other things.” Clearly, Easton was troubled by personal issues, and it was best not to face him unless absolutely necessary. Otherwise, inadvertently causing Easton’s displeasure could have unpleasant consequences.

“Alright then!” Danny quickly retreated, “Thanks for the heads-up, Taylor.”

After Danny left, Taylor straightened up, took a deep breath to fortify herself, and then knocked and entered.

“Mr. Hudson.”

She managed a natural, slight smile, though she was still a bit nervous inside. Was she acting as Easton’s unofficial advisor in matters of the heart? Unexpectedly, Easton didn’t appear as agitated as last time; he simply gave a calm order, “Look into how these rumors started and who’s been spreading them.”

Taylor looked somewhat troubled, unsure how to tackle…