Chapter 44 Public
Jennifer frowned as she recalled, "Someone mentioned 'messy personal life.'"
"That's it! Maybe when the new company was doing reference checks with your former colleagues, someone bad-mouthed you," Mia guessed.
Jennifer pulled out her phone. "That can't be right. The contact person I listed at my old company was Tamsin, and we got along pretty well." She sent Tamsin a message asking if she'd received any reference check calls today.
To her surprise, Tamsin called right away. Her first words were. "I'm so sorry, Jennifer. I did get a call from Lynx Creative Studio today for a reference check, but my supervisor needed me urgently right then. Layla offered to help, so I handed her the phone. Did she say something that messed up your job search? This is all my fault. I was in such a rush that I forgot she never really liked you."
Now Jennifer understood; it was Layla who spread lies and ruined all her interviews today. But she didn't blame Tamsin. Instead, she comforted her. "You just chose to finish your work first, there's nothing wrong with that. Besides, you couldn't control what Layla said. If I'm going to blame anyone, it's only her."
Just then, Mia got a screenshot from a friend showing a post on Lynx Creative Studio's internal forum.
It said that a candidate came in for an interview today—pretty with an excellent resume, but unfortunately the reference check revealed she liked to seduce married supervisors. She was fired from her last company for this reason, and there were reliable rumors she was some old man's sugar baby.
Mia frowned as she read. "Jennifer, take a look at this. Why does this candidate's profile look so much like yours?"
Jennifer's brow furrowed. Although the post didn't mention her name, the interview time and work style matched hers exactly. These ridiculous rumors must have come from Layla. She couldn't believe she'd made up such an outrageous story—she wanted to sue her!
Mia was even angrier than Jennifer. While asking her friend to help report the post, she rolled up her sleeves. "Did that colleague of yours, Layla, spread all these rumors? Tomorrow I'll take you to find her during work hours. I'm going to tear her mouth apart!"
Jennifer held her back. "Mia, don't be so impulsive. Even if we beat her up, it won't prove I didn't do these things. Plus, the post doesn't mention names—it's just speculation. If I rush over there now to claim it, it'll make me look guilty."
"You're right. But if Francis is willing to go public with your relationship, these rumors would look pretty ridiculous," Mia suggested. "If Layla finds out you're not some sugar baby and your boyfriend is actually Francis, she'll be so mad her nose implants might shift!" Thinking of this scene, Mia laughed out loud.
Jennifer's expression grew troubled, and she didn't respond. She'd hooked up with Francis for one reason only—a bargain that swapped her body for his ability to fix her family's disaster. Their relationship wasn't equal; they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend like Mia thought.
Under these circumstances, would Francis be willing to clear things up for her? Jennifer had no confidence at all.
Seeing her silence, Mia lowered her voice. "Don't tell me Francis won't go public with your relationship? How can he let you suffer like this!"
Jennifer bit her lip. "There's a huge gap between our statuses, and who knows how long this will last. Not going public is better for both of us."
"That's not how it works. You're still his woman. Can he just let someone like Layla bully you? Is Francis even a man?" Mia was somewhat dissatisfied.
"How am I not a man?" Francis's voice suddenly came from behind them, startling Mia so much she dropped her fork. Clutching her napkin and patting her chest, she turned to see Francis looking at her expressionlessly.
Mia's anger vanished, instantly replaced by fear. Francis had a strong presence, and she'd heard about his ruthless methods. She quickly explained. "No, you heard wrong. Jennifer was praising you to me, saying you're really manly, really amazing!"
Francis looked at Jennifer. Jennifer could only nod without meeting his eyes, asking quietly. "How did you get here?"
"Just passing by." Francis had been driving home from work when he was stopped at a red light and saw someone who looked like Jennifer. Thinking he'd give her a ride home since it was on his way, he came in—only to hear someone talking badly about him.
Mia pushed Jennifer toward the door. "Perfect timing, we just finished eating. You can take her home. My husband's asking me to come home early too. Bye!"
Before she finished speaking, Mia grabbed her bag and ran out. Getting caught talking behind someone's back by that very person was too awkward. More importantly, she didn't want to offend Francis.
Francis smiled and pulled Jennifer's hand as they walked out, paying the bill on the way. Once in the car, he drove while casually asking. "What were you two discussing? Who's bullying you, and what does it have to do with me?"
So he'd heard everything. Jennifer glanced at him carefully. Francis was looking straight ahead, only giving her a quick glance. Jennifer said quietly. "I wanted to find a job, but my former colleague spread rumors that I'm some old man's sugar baby. Actually, you don't have to get involved. I'll explain it to them myself."
Francis laughed in disbelief. "I'll only be thirty next year. How am I old?"
"She doesn't know that card is yours. She just made it all up," Jennifer said. She suspected it might have been caused by using the card to buy jewelry that day. That jewelry set was definitely beyond her spending level, which was why Layla made such malicious assumptions.
"So how do you plan to explain? Will people believe you just because you say so?" Francis didn't believe Jennifer's gentle nature could win an argument. "Let me handle it."
Jennifer looked at him in surprise. "You're going to go public with our relationship?"
They happened to reach another red light. Francis slowly stopped the car, freed one hand to lift Jennifer's chin, and looked at her with interest. "Yeah, let that colleague of yours with bad judgment see clearly that your sugar daddy is young and handsome, not some old man at all."
Being looked at like this, Jennifer felt both shy and sad. He said "sugar daddy." Sure enough, in his mind he only saw her as a sugar baby. If this went public, David would never accept it. Jennifer turned her face away, saying somewhat stubbornly. "Don't go public."
The light turned green, and Francis's attention returned to the road. He asked, somewhat puzzled. "Why? You have me as your boyfriend—are you ashamed or something?"
Jennifer's eyes suddenly widened. She stammered, "What identity exactly are you going to use when you go public? Girlfriend or mistress?"