Chapter 65

A short while after reading the news his assistant handed him, Samuel's phone incessantly rang. He wasn't sure who was calling him at that moment.

Turning to Randy and Axton, who were still in his office, the three of them seemed to be brainstorming, thinking carefully and cautiously. They certainly wanted to determine what steps to take, considering that the news would undoubtedly cause a significant commotion.

"Axton, please call Arianna and ask her to join us here right away."

Axton promptly followed Samuel's instructions. In just a minute, Arianna was standing in front of Samuel.

"What's going on, Sir?" Arianna asked curiously. Seeing the tense expressions on the faces of the three men around her, Arianna wondered what was really happening.

"There's bad news. I'm sure this is not good for us and the company."

Arianna's eyebrows furrowed. Without needing an invitation, she pulled a chair and took a seat.

"What's actually happening?"

Randy, standing right next to Arianna, reached for his phone from his jacket pocket. Opening the online news feature, he then showed one of the headline news that was currently being discussed.

"Read this," he requested, handing her his phone.

Arianna glanced at it, scrutinizing the news, then read what was written there one by one.

"Prominent businessman Samuel Walters involved in a scandalous contract marriage with one of his secretaries."

"For the sake of huge profits, Samuel Walters deliberately deceived Pakuwon Group with various intrigues."

"Involved in a contract marriage scandal, Entrepreneur Samuel Walters intentionally deceived Pakuwon Group to gain massive profits."

Arianna widened her eyes. She didn't expect what she had just read. Even if this news was truly released and accessible to everyone, then Samuel's and Pacific's reputations were undoubtedly at stake. Arianna was very sure that there would be significant problems after this.

"Oh my, Samuel. What do we do? How should we handle this?" Arianna asked. Her initially calm and beautiful face instantly turned into panic.

Samuel closed his eyes briefly, clearly in thought. Shortly after, Randy spoke up.

"Is this news serious or just defamation?" he asked. It was understandable that Randy was confused because among the four of them in the room, he was the only one who had no knowledge of the contract marriage experienced by his cousin.

"The story is long, Ran," Samuel replied.

"Well then, tell it as best as you can so I can help. If not, I can't advise on what we should do next," Randy said.

Samuel took a deep breath again. Thinking quickly, he tried to provide a brief explanation so that his cousin could understand what was happening to him and Arianna.

"I'm sure you know about the relationship I had with Valerie before marrying Arianna, right?" Randy nodded. Although Samuel had never shown off or directly mentioned it, almost all of his male cousins knew that Samuel was in a relationship with a model. Besides, since Randy was closest and most acquainted with Samuel, the two of them often exchanged stories about personal matters, work, and of course, relationships.

That's why, during Arabella's birthday, Randy and Rama were confused. As far as they knew, Samuel was in a relationship with Valerie. But why did he introduce another woman to Arabella that night?

"Yes, and then what?" Randy replied.

"Because at that time, Valerie was abroad for quite some time, and it coincided with Mama's birthday. I had no choice but to ask Arianna to cosplay as my girlfriend and future wife for one night. I did all of this so Mama wouldn't be disappointed because she was the one who set the condition that I had to come with a partner or a future wife. Long story short, Mama ended up liking it, and unexpectedly, Mr. William from Pakuwon also liked Arianna's personality. More surprisingly, he invited and even pressured us to collaborate because he knew Arianna was my future wife. That's why, whether I liked it or not, I had to create a temporary marriage scenario with various agreements with Arianna, initially for the purpose of—"

"Pleasing Aunt Arabella and also securing the ambitious tender you've been pursuing?" Randy interrupted, simultaneously guessing Samuel's thought process.

"Exactly," nodded the squint-eyed man. "Initially, everything went according to plan. Flowed smoothly. Even without any obstacles. But, when we were in the middle of it, I felt uneasy. There was a sense of guilt for deceiving Mama and other close people. Besides, I felt something different."

Randy's forehead furrowed. What kind of difference was his cousin talking about?

"How do you mean different?"

"It seems like I've genuinely fallen in love with Arianna, Ran."

Arianna, sitting next to Randy, immediately felt awkward. There were feelings of joy, embarrassment, and flattery when she heard her husband confessing to someone else that he was deeply in love with her.

It seemed to strengthen Arianna's belief that Samuel was truly serious about loving her wholeheartedly.

"Oh my, Samuel. What about the agreement letter?" Randy asked, looking investigative. He thought all these issues needed to be untangled promptly to be resolved accurately.

"Well, initially, I wanted to revise some clauses in the agreement letter that burdened both of us. But after reconsidering and because I didn't want any more lies in this relationship, I asked Axton to see a notary to cancel the contract and the marriage agreement that Arianna and I had made."

"And is it done?"

Samuel nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Ran. So now, the marriage status between Arianna and me is normal, like any regular married couple. There are no more binding agreements or contract terms or separation deadlines like we made and agreed upon before."

Randy nodded in understanding. He began to outline the key points in this issue.

"Okay. It means one problem is clear, essentially, you are no longer a contract couple but a normal couple like everyone else. Now, try to remember, who else knows about this secret?"

After a few seconds, Samuel seemed to be thinking, and shortly after, he gave an answer.

"Only me, Axton, Arianna, and the notary."

"Chacha also knows," Arianna interjected, diverting the attention of Randy and Samuel simultaneously.

"Did you tell your office friend about this issue?" Samuel asked in disbelief. He deeply regretted what Arianna had done without his knowledge.

"But Chacha wouldn't be evil or spread this sensational news," Arianna assured. She knew Chacha very well. They had been friends since their college days. "I can guarantee she's not like what you imagine."

"Okay... okay..." Randy intervened again. Then, he took over the conversation as before.

"Recall everything, Sam. Someone might have heard or possibly seen the marriage agreement documents. Because in the news, a clear photo of the agreement letter between you and Arianna was shown."

"Sir..." Axton suddenly called. It seemed like there was something the assistant wanted to convey. "The document from the notary that I gave you, have you destroyed it or not?"

Samuel immediately tapped his forehead gently. He finally remembered the chronology that had slipped his mind.

"Oh my, Axton. I forgot to put that document on the table. Yesterday, when you brought it, I just placed it on this desk," he pointed to his cluttered work desk.

Axton sighed deeply. One mistake was finally revealed, and it was due to his boss's negligence.

"And yesterday, sir, Valerie came to this room, right?"

Samuel nodded. As if catching a breath of fresh air, he looked at Axton as if they had the same thought. Then, after that, he immediately focused on one command that needed to be done urgently.

"After this, you check the CCTV in my office. Clearly see if Valerie took that old document. If it's indeed her, gather the evidence."

Then Samuel's gaze shifted directly to Randy. "So, what about the media? This must have been read by some colleagues, clients, and other investors, Ran."

Randy thought for a moment. He didn't want to act hastily to avoid making the wrong decision. Weighing all possibilities, he finally responded.

"For the media, I will handle it as much as possible and ask them to take down all news related to this scandal immediately. My suggestion is to quickly find the culprit. Also, don't forget to contact the notary who previously handled the agreement or marriage contract between you and Arianna. Make this notary a witness during the press conference later to clear your name."

"Then, what should I do?" Arianna asked. The woman was certainly worried because she also had a role in the current issue.

"For now, prepare yourself and mentally prepare to face the public. There will definitely be both supporters and critics of this issue," Randy replied.

"Don't go anywhere," Samuel added. "Stay by my side, so no one dares to bother you."

Arianna nodded in understanding, choosing to follow Samuel's instructions.

"And most importantly, you have to prepare yourself too, Sam," Randy continued. "I'm sure our extended family will be in an uproar. Not to mention the investors, especially Pakuwon, who will seek clarification on this case. That's why you have to move quickly to handle everything. Whatever you need, I'll try to help as much as I can."

Samuel expressed gratitude. Although somewhat pressured, he felt a bit relieved because he had Randy, Axton, and Arianna willing to stand by him. Now, it's just a matter of planning the strategy, deciding which steps to take first to clear his and Arianna's names.