Chapter 157 Surrounded by Reporters
Atlas was pulling me away as he spoke, but we'd barely taken a few steps before we were surrounded again.
"Mr. Lancaster, what do you mean by that? Are you saying everything online is just rumors?"
"Helena, please respond to this."
I was held tightly in Atlas's arms, and these reporters couldn't get to me at all.
But seeing that we weren't responding directly, more and more people crowded around us. Camera flashes kept going off, and Atlas and I couldn't move an inch.
"Move aside, move aside! Stop crowding around, let them through!"
The security guards' shouts rang out, finally rescuing us from the crowd.
Once we got out, I got straight into the car under Atlas's escort.
After the car pulled away, I took out my phone and called Henry.
Hearing that Atlas and I were together, Henry finally felt relieved. "You two head back first. I'll come home right away."
I quickly said, "No, Dad, Joseph is at the exhibition hall. Go see him. I'll be fine once I get home."
"No, let Lyndon keep Joseph company. Nothing is more important than you!"
Henry hung up after saying that.
Atlas, who was driving, saw my troubled expression and quickly asked, "What did Mr. Lockwood say?"
I said, "He told us to go back first. He's coming home right away."
Atlas nodded. "Okay, let's head back then."
The car soon pulled into the villa. Maria looked a bit surprised to see us. "Weren't you supposed to be at the exhibition all day? How come you're back so soon?"
I smiled somewhat reluctantly. "Something came up, so we came back early."
Hearing this, Maria looked nervous. "What happened?"
"It's nothing, don't worry."
Seeing me say this, Maria became even more worried. "How can I feel at ease if you don't tell me? What exactly happened?"
Seeing her pressing me, I had no choice but to explain the whole situation.
Hearing this, Maria instantly became furious.
"What kind of mess is this!"
Maria said angrily, "I'm calling John right now and telling him to go clean up this mess!"
"Mom, don't worry."
I held Maria's hand as she reached for her phone. "Dad will be back soon. Let's wait for him and hear his opinion."
"Alright."
Maria put down her phone but said resentfully, "I'm just afraid your father will be too concerned about family ties and won't hold John's family accountable."
"He won't, Mom. Dad has changed a lot. Besides, if this situation continues to develop, it will affect the company. Dad definitely knows what's more important."
Seeing me say this, Maria's expression improved somewhat.
"Fine, I'll listen to you then."
Before long, Henry came home. Seeing me safe and sound in the room, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Helena, what exactly happened? How did those reporters find you?"
I thought back carefully. It seemed like those people rushed over because of Amy's shout.
I shook my head. "I'm not entirely sure about the details, but when those reporters rushed over, it seemed like someone had briefed them beforehand. They were all asking about the previous news report."
Hearing this, Henry frowned deeply. "I'll call a few newspaper bosses I know. I'll handle this as soon as possible."
I nodded. "Okay, I'll follow Dad's lead."
After Henry finished speaking, he picked up his phone and made a call. When it connected, John's voice came through.
"Henry, what's up?"
Henry said, "Yes, John. How are you preparing for the press conference we discussed last time?"
Hearing this, the person on the other end of the phone was clearly flustered.
"Henry, can we be flexible about this? We're all family. Can't we just resolve things internally? Why do we have to make it known to everyone?"
John continued, "Do I have to bring Mom into this?"
"Even if Mom comes this time, it won't help, because this matter has already affected the company's reputation. If you don't want to see my company go bankrupt, then hold the press conference as soon as possible."
Seeing Henry's firm attitude, John on the other end lost his temper.
"Henry, is there any room for negotiation?"
Henry directly refused. "No. I'm giving you half a day to prepare. I'll have someone prepare Natasha's speech in advance. Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock sharp, the press conference will be held. If you don't show up, you'll face the consequences!"
With that, Henry hung up directly.
Maria and I exchanged glances, both feeling much better.
This was the first time Henry had been so firm.
"Alright, now that everything's been arranged, let's prepare properly. Don't worry. I'll have Peter prepare food. We'll start working after we've eaten."
After Maria finished speaking, she had Peter go prepare food.
After we finished eating, Lyndon called, saying Joseph wanted to visit the company in the afternoon.
Hearing this, I was instantly delighted. "Great, great! Tell Joseph we'll see him at the company this afternoon."
After hanging up, I looked at Henry happily. "Joseph is coming to the company this afternoon. Dad, let's go receive him together?"
Henry nodded and didn't forget to include Atlas. "Atlas, come along too. I'll introduce you to him."
Atlas nodded. "Okay, Mr. Lockwood."
Seeing Henry taking such good care of Atlas, my heart stirred. He was truly treating Atlas as a future son-in-law. I hoped Atlas wouldn't disappoint Henry.
When we arrived at the company, Joseph had already arrived.
"Joseph, hello. We meet again." Henry extended his hand, and the two shook hands.
After letting go, Joseph seemed to be in a good mood and said, "Henry, I didn't expect your company to be so large, and the production line in the workshop is very advanced too."
"Yes, have you finished the tour?" Henry asked.
"Yes, I've finished."
Joseph nodded, pointing to Lyndon. "Lyndon already showed me around. To be honest, I'm very satisfied. We can discuss signing the contract."
Hearing this, Henry was very pleased and said repeatedly, "This way, please."
He led Joseph to the office. Once there, Henry pointed to Atlas. "Joseph, let me introduce you. This is Atlas from the Lancaster Group. The company operates shipping and other businesses. He's Helena's boyfriend."
"Good, he looks great."
Joseph extended his hand to Atlas. "Atlas, hello."
Atlas quickly extended his hand and shook Joseph's lightly, then withdrew it.
Atlas was already handsome, and combined with his measured demeanor, he instantly won Joseph's favor.
He smiled. "I was actually thinking of introducing a boyfriend to Helena, but it seems I'm a step too late."
Atlas smiled, holding my hand. "When Helena and I get married, we'll definitely invite Joseph to attend."
Joseph nodded with delight. "Great, it's a deal then!"
Atlas smiled back. "It's a deal!"