Chapter 615

Under Zoe's repeated urging, Tiffany reluctantly rubbed her sleepy eyes and checked the day's news updates. The headlines stunned her.

Entertainment news featured a striking cover image of her and Kenneth, taken the previous night during a brief encounter. She had only gotten up to look at a box, still in her nightgown and a hastily thrown-on wool overcoat. Unbeknownst to her, someone had taken photos from deliberately awkward angles, making their positions appear intimate; two even suggested they were kissing.

The article's bold headline screamed: "[Miss Kelley Meets with Ex-Fiancé at Night! Suspicion of Unresolved Feelings, Is Their Old Flame Rekindled?]"

Clicking through, she found at least twenty similarly angled photos, their poses increasingly intimate. The comments were a torrent of harsh insults and abuse:

• "[So disgusting as a two-timer!]"
• "[Miss Kelley was already exposed for her questionable behavior years ago, and now she’s only getting worse? I genuinely feel sorry for Mr. Hampton, being deceived by such a woman!]"
• "[So, Mr. Hampton got cheated on by both his fiancée and her nephew? Well, I feel sorry for Mr. Hampton for a second!]"
• "[A woman like this should be kicked to the curb. Why keep her around?]"
• "[With such a scandal breaking out the day before the wedding, have a bold guess—this marriage probably won’t happen!]"

Tiffany scrolled, realizing the article was three hours old, already boasting over 200,000 views. More articles confirming the alleged affair flooded her screen, suggesting a deliberate smear campaign.

The call with Zoe continued. Anxious, Zoe pressed, "Tiffany! These are all fake, right?"

"No," Tiffany replied. "They were taken from awkward angles on purpose. I did meet Kenneth last night, but we only exchanged a few words."

"I understand," Zoe said, rolling up her sleeves. "Since none of this is true, there's no reason to fear. I'm ready to fight back."

Soon, Tiffany's previous injury of Richard resurfaced, fueled by internet trolls, creating a wave of harsh criticism.

Tiffany comforted Zoe, saying, "Ignore it. Focus on your studies." After hanging up, she paused before calling Kenneth.

At the Harper family estate, Kenneth was reading the news when Tiffany called. Falsely implicated, he felt no anger. Instead, he inexplicably saved several photos where the angles made it seem he and Tiffany were kissing. He felt an inexplicable sense of guilt but couldn't delete them, eventually password-protecting the album to keep them a secret.

Just then, Tiffany called. Kenneth's heart skipped a beat, but he answered calmly, "Hello, it's me."

"Kenneth, have you seen the news?" Tiffany asked.

"What news?" Kenneth asked, sitting at the dining table, tugging at his collar, his expression uneasy. He was thankful he wasn't facing Tiffany in person.

Tiffany explained, "It's about our three minutes together last night. Someone took photos and twisted the story."

"Oh, that. Some media fabricate nonsense. Don't pay attention," Kenneth said.

Tiffany paused, then stated directly, "I want you to have this news deleted." The Harper family controlled much of the media, so she called him first.

Kenneth felt disappointed. "You called me just for this?"

"Otherwise?" Tiffany frowned, sensing his strange behavior.

"Alright, I got it," he said, hanging up. He instructed his team to delete the negative news and control the narrative. His subordinates immediately complied.

Yet, as he looked at the photos, hesitation flickered in his eyes. He was reluctant to delete them, despite knowing their falsity, feeling a strange longing for the depicted reality.

Lorenzo's words echoed in his mind: "Mr. Harper, aren't you going to fight for yourself?" The words pulled him into an abyss, until he abruptly stood, striding towards a secret room.

Lorenzo was there. "Where's the medicine?" Kenneth asked.

Lorenzo grinned. "It's right here," he said, offering the bottle.

Within half an hour, the news was suppressed, but the damage was done. Tiffany didn't care about the insults; she only cared about Richard's reaction. She called him. It rang longer than usual; finally, a cold, distant voice answered, "Yes?"

Tiffany felt unease. "Richard, are you angry?" she asked cautiously.

"What do you think?" Richard's voice was even colder.

Tiffany replied innocently, "But it's all false! I've never done anything wrong to you!"