Chapter 359

Chapter 359

To restore Blake's reputation, the PR team worked tirelessly, discussing strategies until dark before finally settling on a decent plan.

Only then did Caroline and Arthur leave the office. Seeing how late it had gotten, Caroline spoke up. "Let me take you to dinner?"

Arthur had put in considerable effort this time. She felt bad having him constantly worry about her family's problems.

"Should we bring the kids?"

Seeing Arthur still thinking about Layla and Logan warmed Caroline's heart. She shook her head. "No need. The kids are home with Blake—they won't go hungry."

Blake absolutely doted on Layla and Logan. With them together, the kids wouldn't want for anything.

"All right then. Just the two of us tonight." Arthur smiled and nodded. Caroline glanced at him and sighed. "You... never mind."

The situation wasn't resolved yet. There were things she didn't want to say right now.

Arthur nodded, showing no intention of prying.

Caroline found the meal surprisingly pleasant. Arthur was attentive and gentle—not only serving her food but considering her tastes and preferences in every detail. It was a feeling she'd never experienced before.

Being cared for like this by Arthur, looking at the tenderness in his eyes across the table, Caroline even felt a fleeting thought—maybe being looked after by him like this all the time wouldn't be so bad.

But she quickly pushed that idea aside. They were divorced. Past tense. She couldn't allow herself these fantasies anymore.

The PR team's capabilities far exceeded what Caroline could accomplish alone. When she'd fought the troll company by herself before, it had taken everything she had.

This time, she only needed to brief the PR team. They found evidence and angles of attack on their own. Without her lifting a finger, the overwhelming online narrative was already under excellent control.

Blake's trending topics were debunked one by one. Every defamatory marketing account received a legal letter from the team.

At the same time, scandalous exposés about other A-list celebrities broke, exploding across the internet. Compared to those, Blake's minor issues seemed like nothing.

"Didn't they say he had no team? How are they moving so fast? Is the Windsor Group backing him?" Watching public opinion shift online, the person behind it all ground their teeth in frustration.

"The Windsor Group is working with them. Last time Arthur already showed he was protecting Caroline. Blake is Caroline's brother—of course he'd be looked after."

Someone spoke leisurely.

The other person remained dissatisfied. "So we're just supposed to watch them get away with this so easily?"

"Don't rush. The real show is still to come."

That person stepped from behind the curtain to the forefront, patting their companion's shoulder.

The other let out a cold laugh. "You better be right. I put serious money into this. If we can't take him down, you can forget about being the boss."

"We won't fail."

With the clarifications and the dual effect of other trending news, online opinion was quickly brought under control.

Just when Caroline thought it was over and she could peacefully prepare for New Year's, another bombshell dropped, completely destroying her mood.

Someone was questioning Blake and Arthur's relationship—insinuating something inappropriate between them. Otherwise, why would Arthur help him so much? They even listed Blake's various collaborations with the Windsor Group, claiming Blake held an unusual position in Arthur's heart.

Netizens loved gossip. As soon as this came out, everyone got excited, speculating wildly about Blake and Arthur's relationship. The debate raged fiercely, dragging Blake—who'd just faded from public view—right back into the spotlight.

Arthur, as Blake's new boss, also received considerable attention.

"What are they even talking about?" Being at the center of the storm, Blake naturally saw these speculations. He was furious.

How could he possibly have that kind of relationship with Arthur?

And these netizens' theories—saying he was the submissive one? Impossible!

"It's okay. They're slandering you. We just won't believe them." Caroline patted Blake's shoulder. Blake still felt indignant. "But making things up like this—how could I possibly be with him..."

Just thinking about being paired in a scandal with another man made him deeply uncomfortable—even humiliated.

Caroline sighed. She hadn't expected those people's tactics to be so vicious, spreading baseless rumors far and wide.

And unlike the previous exposés, netizens loved this kind of salacious gossip.

Fans hoping Blake and Arthur would get together had even started organizing support campaigns—some of them Blake's own fans.

Even though both Blake and Arthur had personally issued statements denying it, the effect was minimal.

The other side clearly understood netizens' psychology and was deliberately manufacturing ambiguity between Blake and Arthur.

"Leave this to me." After receiving the news, Arthur's expression was dark.

He could accept people speculating that Blake was his wife's brother and that's why he helped him. But he couldn't tolerate being speculated about like this.

After reading those posts, he went straight to Caroline with just one sentence.

"You're a victim too..." Caroline looked at him. Before she could finish, Arthur cut her off. "Leave it to me. I'll handle it."

He looked at her intently. Caroline met his gaze and ultimately chose to trust him. She nodded. "Okay."

Arthur had been dragged into this. Even if he didn't step in, it wouldn't really affect him. But clearly he couldn't accept these speculations.

Unlike the minor skirmishes before, instead of letting the entertainment company's PR team handle it, Arthur directly mobilized the Windsor Group's legal department.

From overwhelming presence to complete disappearance, these rumors took exactly one day.

Everyone watching understood—Arthur was angry.

Even the company orchestrating things behind the scenes, after receiving a thick stack of legal letters, became as quiet as a quail. They didn't dare say another word, letting the online chatter die down.

Watching this unfold, Caroline couldn't believe how quickly it was resolved.

From when Arthur told her he'd handle it to when everything settled—barely a day total.

So fast. What had they been doing before?

Seeing Arthur return, Caroline didn't immediately respond.

Sensing her doubt, Arthur lowered his eyes. "Didn't you always say you didn't want to rely on my help? So before, I was following the entertainment company's internal plans—I didn't let the Windsor Group get involved."

"But they clearly went too far, so I couldn't hold back. You're not angry with me, are you?"