Chapter 272: Online Harassment
Charles paused for a moment, then reached out and gently touched Jasper's head: "Good night."
Though there was no kiss, this gesture already made Jasper very happy. He smiled and ran back to his makeshift bed, snuggling into the covers.
The family of five finally all lay down. Emma slept in the middle, her left hand holding Charles's, her right hand holding Emily's. Jasper and Ethan slept on the floor beds but both faced toward the main bed.
Soon, the children were all asleep, their breathing becoming steady and even.
Charles and Emily looked at each other across Emma and couldn't help but smile.
"Looks like tonight really isn't happening," Charles whispered.
"Serves you right. Who told you to agree to let them sleep here?"
"I couldn't bear to refuse. Seeing the children so happy makes me happy too."
Warmth flooded Emily's heart. She reached across Emma and gently took Charles's hand: "Charles, thank you."
"Thank me for what?"
"Thank you for being willing to be a good father for me and the children."
Charles squeezed her hand back: "Emily, I should be thanking you. Thank you for giving me such wonderful children, thank you for giving me a home."
They smiled at each other. Though their alone time was interrupted tonight, their hearts were filled with happiness.
The next morning, Emily was woken by her phone ringing.
She groggily picked up the phone and saw it was Henry calling, instantly becoming alert.
"Henry, what's wrong?" she asked quietly, afraid of waking the children.
Henry's voice was urgent: "Emily, something's happened! You need to check the trending topics right away!"
Emily's heart sank as she quickly opened Twitter.
The top trending topic had become #WesleyBeingUsedForClout.
She clicked on it, and what she saw made her face turn instantly pale.
"Turns out that woman is Emily, the owner of Obscura Fashion! She's already married with three kids!"
"Emily is shameless! Bringing her kids to leech off Wesley's fame!"
"Wesley kindly helped promote her brand and she used him for a publicity stunt!"
"Emily is such a despicable woman! Trying to use Wesley for attention!"
"Everyone go after her company! Boycott Obscura Fashion!"
"And her children! Learning to chase clout at such a young age, disgusting!"
Below were several photos. One was a frontal shot of Emily, though somewhat blurry, she was still recognizable. Another showed Emma, faces blurred but still identifiable to those who knew them.
Even more frightening, the comments had begun doxxing Emily and the children.
"Let's all go to her company and make a scene! Show her the consequences of clout chasing!"
Emily's hands began to tremble. She hadn't expected things to escalate this far.
"Emily, did you see it?" Henry asked from the other end of the phone.
"I saw it. Henry, what do we do now?"
"Don't panic. I've already contacted Wesley's management team, they're working on it too. The most important thing right now is protecting yourself and the children."
"Okay, I understand," Emily said.
After hanging up, she sat on the bed, her mind in chaos. Everything had been fine last night—how had the narrative completely shifted overnight?
Charles was also awakened. Seeing Emily's pale face, he immediately sat up: "Emily, what's wrong?"
Emily handed him her phone: "Look at this."
Charles took the phone, glanced at it for a few moments, and his expression immediately darkened.
"These people... how dare they cyberbully you and the children. You and the kids shouldn't leave the house today. I'll handle this."
"How will you handle it?" Emily asked.
"Contact lawyers to sue those spreading lies. Also, I'll have Windsor Group's PR team intervene to calm this situation as quickly as possible."
Emily nodded, but her heart remained unsettled.
Just then, the children began waking up one by one.
"Mommy, what's wrong?" Emma asked, rubbing her eyes.
Emily forced a smile: "Nothing. You're not filming today, and no school either. We'll stay home and play, okay?"
"Yay!" Emma said happily.
But Jasper sensed something was off.
"Mommy, did something happen?"
Emily didn't want to worry the children, but she also didn't want to lie to them. After thinking for a moment, she said: "Mommy ran into a little trouble, but it will be resolved soon. You don't need to worry."
"What kind of trouble? Can we help?"
"Staying home and being good is the biggest help you can give Mommy," Emily said.
Meanwhile, Windsor Group's PR team had already sprung into action.
They first contacted major platforms demanding the removal of false information and personal attacks. Then they issued an official statement saying they would pursue legal action against those spreading rumors.
Wesley's management also released a statement clarifying that Emily was just a friend and severely condemning the cyberbullying behavior.
But the online attacks didn't stop; instead, they intensified.
"Emily is shameless! If you're so tough, don't delete the comments!"
"Wesley must have been forced to say that! Windsor Group definitely pressured him!"
"Emily really has no shame—Wesley on one side, Mr. Windsor on the other. I can't imagine she's a good mother!"
"Everyone keep exposing her scandals! Let's see how long she can keep being arrogant!"
Emily looked at the vicious comments on her phone screen, her fingers trembling slightly. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
Charles had already dressed in his suit, preparing to leave for Windsor Group to handle the situation.
"Emily, you and the children stay home today. Don't go anywhere. I'll resolve this as quickly as possible."
Emily nodded: "Okay, be careful."
Charles gently kissed her forehead: "Don't worry. Wait for me to come back."
After Charles left, Emily began preparing breakfast. Though she had no appetite, she still made a hearty breakfast for the children's sake.
The children gathered around the dining table. Emma and Ethan were still excitedly discussing where they could play today, but only Jasper keenly noticed his mother's off mood.
"Mommy, are you really okay?" Jasper asked quietly.
Emily forced another smile: "I'm fine, Mommy's just a little tired."
Just then, Emily's phone rang. It was a call from Skyline Entertainment's agent.
"Ms. Johnson, sorry to bother you. Emma and Ethan have a brand event today that was scheduled a month ago. Do you remember?"
Emily was stunned—she had indeed forgotten about this. It was an endorsement event for a children's clothing brand, contracted a month earlier.
Emily hesitated: "Today isn't very convenient. Could we postpone it?"
"Ms. Johnson, this event is very important. The brand has everything prepared, and media has already been notified. If we cancel last minute, the cancellation penalties would be steep, and it would also damage Emma and Ethan's reputation," the agent said with difficulty.