Chapter 787 Three Days It Is, Then

Chapter 787 Three Days It Is, Then

But Samuel seized the moment, speaking up with barely concealed worry: "Juniper, since no one's home, why don't you come back with me for now?"

He was afraid she'd say no, so he kept laying out his reasons one by one.

His point was simple — living alone this late in pregnancy was risky, especially right after being discharged from the hospital.

After nearly ten minutes of convincing, Juniper gave in, reluctantly.

"Fine. I'll stay until my parents get back."

She said it without any expression on her face and walked downstairs.

That noon, Samuel drove Juniper back to the villa.

Dione happened to be at the hospital visiting her future daughter-in-law, so with her out of the house, the atmosphere at the villa felt a little less tense.

Samuel brought Juniper back to the bedroom, and the anxiety he'd been carrying finally settled.

"Now that you're back, just relax and rest here."

He was testing the waters, laying the groundwork for keeping her around longer.

But Juniper was the same as ever, hitting back with her usual cool tone: "Don't get ahead of yourself. Three days, tops."

"Three days it is!"

Samuel agreed on the spot before she could change her mind.

And just like that, Juniper moved back into the Hall Estate.

After lunch, she felt a little tired, so she lay down on the bed, scrolling through the news while drifting toward a nap.

It should have been a perfectly relaxing moment. But the second she opened the news app, a headline on the trending page stopped her cold.

〖Rising star Samuel reportedly about to become a father〗

The words pulled her in immediately. She found herself wondering who the other person in the story was.

Was it her? Or Rainey?

Two women pregnant with Samuel's child at the same time — it had the makings of a bad soap opera.

The thought made her shake her head with a bitter smile, and that hollow feeling crept back in.

Curiosity got the better of her. She tapped into the trending topic, and read through the article and photos carefully.

Not a single mention of herself.

The real leading lady was Rainey.

The pain hit her all at once. Every bit of resentment and disappointment she'd been carrying toward Samuel came rushing back.

She closed the news app and switched over to social media, thinking she'd write something about how she was feeling — but then she found something else.

The entire platform was buzzing. Practically everyone was talking about Samuel becoming a father.

Most people were happy for him, sending support and well wishes. Some were already eager to see the baby.

A few voices pushed back — some questioned whether he'd been playing both sides, others doubted he was ready to be a father at all.

Either way, people had strong opinions, and even celebrities with no connection to him were reposting to offer their congratulations.

With the internet going all in on the story, Juniper couldn't hold herself together anymore.

Rainey and Samuel were now tied together in the public eye. So what did that make her?

She laughed at herself, hollow and bitter. The only thought left in her head was getting out of the Hall Estate.

She grabbed a few things, walked out of the bedroom, and left the villa without looking back.

Samuel had stepped out around that time to pick up groceries — he'd been planning to cook a proper dinner for her that evening. When he got back, she was already gone.

He called her in a panic. After being hung up on a few times, he realized she had blocked him.

Electra had been watching the story stay hot for two full days, holed up in her room the whole time. She couldn't keep spiraling like this.

So she reached out directly to the reporter who had broken the story, and they agreed to meet at a café.

This time she was going in prepared. She was done letting people push her around.

She put the voice recorder she'd brought in her pocket and set her phone to record as well. With both backups in place, she finally felt ready to head out.

She bundled herself up completely — mask, hat, the whole thing.

Standing outside the café, she could already see the reporter sitting inside.

Electra took a few deep breaths, curled her hands into fists, and steadied herself. She couldn't afford to lose this one.

She walked straight in and sat down across from him.

The reporter glanced up at her with a mild look and a slight smile. "Let me guess — you're here about Kevin?"

He wasn't in the mood for games. He already knew exactly what she wanted.

That directness threw Electra off for just a second, but she pressed forward. "Was it someone from your outlet who leaked it?"

The reporter didn't answer. He just picked up his coffee and took a slow sip.

"I'm telling you — what proof do you even have that he was using? Those photos you got could easily be a coincidence." The reporter's attitude made something boil up inside her, and she couldn't keep it down.

But that was exactly what he was waiting for.

"I'm just a photographer. And when I posted the pictures and the caption, I never said he was using drugs. That was the public's conclusion. You can't pin that on me."

The reporter was sharp and quick, and he wasn't giving Electra any ground to stand on.

"Do you have any idea how much damage this is doing to his reputation? He's completely disappeared!" Electra lost it, slamming her hand on the table.

The reporter stayed perfectly calm, waving a hand to signal her to sit back down. "Why the rush? Don't forget, you're a public figure too."

That landed. If someone photographed her right now — in this situation, at this meeting — it would only make things harder for Margaret.

"Just tell me what it'll take," she said, shifting her tone. "What do you want to pull the story down and clear his name?"

If force wasn't going to work, she'd try another way. She didn't believe there was anything money couldn't fix.

The reporter suddenly laughed. "I figured you'd come prepared. Go ahead and hand over the recorder. There's no point sitting here trying to get me to say something useful — it won't work."

Electra froze. Her hand tightened around the recorder inside her bag, and her phone was buried in there too.

"What are you talking about? Are you accusing me of something?" She shot back, eyes deliberately avoiding his, casually drinking her coffee.

"Don't forget what I do for a living. A reporter's sharpest tool is observation. Your hand hasn't left your bag this entire time — I'm guessing that's a recorder you're holding. You're the one who asked to meet, and every question you've asked has been a setup. So — do you want to take it out yourself, or would you rather end up in the next trending story?"

He'd seen straight through her with barely any effort.

"On what basis would you put me in a trending story? I haven't said anything out of line!" Electra dug in, refusing to back down.

The reporter pointed toward a black car parked outside. A camera lens was visible through the window, aimed directly at their table.

"I don't think you want to be on the front page with a headline like: 'It girl caught bribing reporter to cover up Kevin's drug use.'"

He said it in an easy, unhurried voice. "Once a story like that drops — do you really think you'd still have a career to come back to?"