Chapter 48 Rumor

Chapter 48 Rumor
“Harper, have you seen the news?” Liam asked frantically over the phone.

How could he not be panicking? Harper’s future was on the line right now. As a father, he was furious that his daughter was being slandered like that. He felt like a failure as a father because there was nothing he could do. If his subordinates hadn’t been involved in illegal transactions overseas and thrown his company into chaos, he could have easily resolved the issue. Unfortunately, he was currently powerless.

“What news?” Harper furrowed her brow. She was focused on her new job right now, so she hadn’t had time to check the latest news.

“Your photo with Sean is circulating online. They’re accusing you of cheating on Logan.” Liam explained briefly.

Harper let out a harsh sigh. She only had one enemy: the Thompson family. If it wasn’t Ethan, then it must be Logan’s doing. She no longer had the energy to deal with those people.

“Forget it, Dad. Just ignore it. If any media outlets try to contact you for an interview, just avoid them. Don’t give any response so the story dies down quickly.” Harper responded calmly.

It seemed she had become very skilled at controlling her emotions now. She’d faced too many problems lately, so she’d learned a lot.

“But this will also affect Sean’s company. You know, he just received a huge capital injection. I’m worried that the investors might pull out because of the news that’s making headlines right now.” Liam voiced his concern.

Harper fell silent for a moment. Her father was right. She could have shrugged it off if the news only affected her, since she’d already suffered so much over the past month. Sean has been so good to then; she can’t let this issue cause his company to go bankrupt.

“I’ll think about this. Has Sean seen the news yet? For now, don’t let Sean find out. Keep this a secret from Uncle and Aunt, too. They mustn’t worry," Harper said firmly.

“I don’t think they know yet," Liam said hesitantly.

“You and Mom, just stay calm, Dad. I’ll take care of this.” Harper tried to reassure him.

Liam began to feel calmer after hearing those words. He could relax because his daughter was so composed. He was quite proud that his daughter had matured so much. He wasn’t sure whether he should cry out of emotion or because he was so sad about the problems that had been plaguing Harper lately.

Harper hung up the phone. She searched the internet for news about herself—reports that she had been having an affair with Sean. However, she couldn’t find any news about that. There were plenty of news articles about her, but they were all old stories about her marriage to Logan. Not a single one mentioned that she had cheated on Logan.

Harper furrowed her brow. She was confused. What news was her father actually talking about? Why couldn’t she find any news about it?

“Could it be that he just had a bad dream because he was worrying too much about me?” Harper wondered, a look of confusion on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Harper’s new coworker asked.

“Nothing.” Harper shook her head, a gentle smile playing on her lips. “I need to use the restroom for a moment; you guys continue discussing the design.” She stood up from her chair and walked out of the room.

Harper looked up Sean’s number and called him.

“What’s up, Harper? How are you settling into your new job?” Sean asked immediately, his voice full of warmth as soon as the call connected.

“Are you busy? I’d like to talk for a moment.”

“No, what’s up? Is something wrong?”

“Where are Aunt and Uncle? It seems like my dad just had a nightmare; he just called me and was talking strangely. I need your help—please ask Aunt and Uncle to take my parents out for some fresh air. I’m afraid they’re too stressed because they have so much on their minds.”

“All right. I’ll take care of it.” Sean didn’t refuse.

“Thank you, Sean. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Harper felt incredibly grateful. At least now she had someone to lean on.

“No need to thank me; we’re family. Family has to look out for each other.” Sean reminded her.

Harper nodded gently. She ended the call feeling relieved.

When she returned to her office, the room was already filled with commotion. A rumor was circulating there.

Harper furrowed her brow as she stepped into the room, her mind filled with questions. She looked at the people there with a confused expression.

“Harper, is this you?” One of Harper’s coworkers showed her a screenshot of a news article about her affair with Sean.

Harper’s eyes widened. Her face went pale as a cold sweat suddenly broke out. What on earth is this? Where did that news come from? Hadn’t she just searched for it online and found nothing?

“Are you really cheating on Mr. Thompson? How is that possible? You’re married to one of the richest men in Nara. His wealth is immeasurable; you should just be able to relax and sit back as his wife.” One of the women commented sharply.

“Yes, I was quite surprised to read the news. You really don’t know how lucky you are, Harper. You wouldn’t have to work anymore if you could just be an obedient and devoted wife. You’d just need to enjoy Mr. Thompson’s wealth.” More comments began to surface.

“Calm down, everyone!” The voice came from the general manager, who suddenly walked into the room.

“The truth of this news cannot be verified. The IT team has looked into it, but there’s no trace of it online. It could be fake news created by a journalist seeking sensationalism. The story disappeared within minutes, which means it’s not true. Perhaps the writer was warned by the media company involved.” The manager spoke firmly.

Harper remained silent; she was speechless. The sharp tips of her fingernails dug into her palms as she clenched her fists too tightly. She still couldn’t process what was actually happening. If her coworkers knew about this news, it meant her father hadn’t been lying at all.

“I’m sorry for the commotion today, Mrs. Salim. I hope this misunderstanding doesn’t make it uncomfortable for you to work here.” The manager spoke firmly, but his tone was gentle.

“Who said this was just a misunderstanding?” The question came from the doorway.

Everyone immediately turned to look at him.