Chapter 162. Malicious rumors about Jacintha
When Jacintha returned home, she no longer wished to do anything. Weighed down by gloom, she simply lay on the tatami to bask in the sunlight. Mira sat beside her reading a book, and halfway through, she suddenly said, “Jacintha, this morning I heard you and Raphael arguing.”
“Mm, lovers quarrel all the time. It’s nothing,” Jacintha replied casually.
“Are you two going to break up?”
“I don’t know. He hasn’t said so.” The sunlight made Jacintha squint, and she lifted her hand to shield her eyes.
Mira did not press further, only looked at Jacintha with quiet concern. Jacintha murmured, “He said that being with me always makes him anxious and afraid.”
“William told me the same thing,” Mira said softly, her brows knitting slightly. “It’s just an excuse for them to control us.”
Jacintha hummed faintly, her voice low. “I won’t compromise.”
Mira seemed a little relieved and lowered her head to continue reading. Suddenly Jacintha remembered something. “Has William come to see you again?”
“No. I heard he’s been sent abroad.”
“Crimsonvein hasn’t troubled you anymore, has he?”
Mira shook her head. Jacintha fell silent, lost in thought. She reminded herself to find time to visit Laura. Mira had no power or influence; if Laura and Kaelthor hadn’t protected her, Crimsonvein would never have let her go so easily.
At that moment, inside the hospital room, Raphael was turning his phone over and over in his hand, scrolling through the chat log. There were no new messages from Jacintha.
Suddenly, a pop-up from an entertainment news site appeared on the screen: “Rumor has it that when she was fifteen, Jacintha was rushed to the obstetrics department for treatment of a vaginal infection.”
Raphael frowned. He clearly remembered that Lucas and Cindy had investigated Jacintha’s background thoroughly, and there had been nothing like this. When Jacintha was fifteen, she had been perfectly fine, she had even won first place in a school talent competition.
He read the article with a deepening scowl. A netizen claiming to be Jacintha’s middle school classmate said that during those years, a man in his forties would often come to pick her up from school.
The post went on to say that one day, the same middle-aged man had dropped Jacintha off looking pale and unsteady, and that she had fainted in the school restroom and been rushed to the hospital by her classmates.
“This is pure slander!” Raphael cursed under his breath as he read.
He had investigated Jacintha’s past thoroughly, of course he had also checked into her classmates. It was obvious that someone was deliberately defaming her. The article didn’t specify what kind of gynecological illness she supposedly had, but it had already led people to assume she had been selling herself since the age of fifteen.
Damn it!
Raphael’s expression turned to ice. He immediately called Lucas. “Find out who’s spreading false rumors about Jacintha online!”
Lucas replied, “Got it!”
Jacintha had originally been an obscure actress, but thanks to a short horror film, she had suddenly become famous. As the film gained popularity, her name started appearing all over the media, and naturally, she began facing fierce competition from other young actresses.
Today, the internet was flooded with insults accusing Jacintha of being promiscuous. Raphael was certain someone had intentionally released fake news to smear her reputation. The more he read the vicious comments about Jacintha, the more furious he became. Anger and anguish twisted inside him, and for the first time, he regretted posting her photo online.
At this point, seeing Jacintha being scolded so harshly, Raphael finally realized that what Jacintha had said was true. He should have discussed it with her, found a suitable opportunity, and then made their relationship public. That way, Jacintha would not have had to suffer from the cruelty of online attacks.
But just the thought of those vague rumors between Jacintha and Steven was enough to make Raphael so angry he lost his appetite for lunch.
Cindy gently advised, “Alpha, please have some food. If Jacintha knew you were skipping meals again, she would surely be worried.”
Raphael gave a cold laugh. “She would worry about me? I think she’s just waiting to break up with me so she can be with that Steven guy!”
Cindy sighed helplessly. “Jacintha isn’t that kind of person.”
Raphael’s face hardened, and he said nothing. Cindy continued patiently, “Alpha, please think calmly. If Jacintha really wanted to break up with you, why would she publicly acknowledge your relationship online? Doesn’t she know that such an admission would invite backlash from the public? And yet she still did it.”
Raphael was silent for a few seconds before he said quietly, “I know.”
He had always known that. But what he didn’t know was how deeply Jacintha loved him. That feeling of losing control made him unbearably uneasy. Rather than live every day fearing that she might leave him, he would rather keep her by his side, no matter what it took.
Cindy was about to say more when Raphael’s phone suddenly rang. The ringtone was a soft melody he had set especially for Jacintha’s number.
Raphael stiffened slightly, even feeling a bit nervous. He deliberately waited a few seconds before answering. “Hello? So, you’ve realized your mistake?”
“I didn’t do anything wrong.” Jacintha’s calm voice came through the line.
“Then why are you calling me?”
“Did you skip your meal again?”
Raphael frowned and looked at Cindy. He was certain she had texted Jacintha.
Cindy remained composed. Raphael said coldly into the phone, “Whether I eat or not is none of your concern.”
Jacintha replied, “You’re my boyfriend. Of course I care about you. Unless you want to deny our love, I will keep asking, even if you go three days and nights without eating!”
A faint smile tugged at Raphael’s lips, but his tone remained indifferent. “Troublesome.”
Jacintha reminded him, “After you eat, remember to take your medicine. I’ll have Cindy make sure you do. And one more thing, when you’re ready to apologize, I’ll come see you.”
Raphael gritted his teeth. “You…”
But before he could finish, Jacintha hung up. Raphael stared at the screen, frowned in frustration, then tossed the phone aside and picked up the spoon to eat the nutritious soup Cindy had brought him.
Cindy sighed inwardly. Indeed, set a thief to catch a thief.