“The surname Leng sounds really powerful, doesn’t it?”
Where’s the power in that?
Geoffrey noticed this little rascal was already provoking him again as soon as he recovered.
He stood up: “Do you know why your stomach hurts?”
Ethan looked puzzled. Did he know about his condition?
“Because you talk too much. Kids who talk too much get tummy
aches.”
Geoffrey dropped that line and left the lounge.
Outside.
Wayne approached: “Mr. Sutton, you’re awake already?”
“Mhm.”
Geoffrey sat down.
Wayne had someone bring breakfast
Geoffrey didn’t touch it, asking Wayne instead: “Did you find out? How old is he exactly?”
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“Three years and nine months.”
Three years nine months…
Geoffrey’s expression darkened. If the child were his, he should be at least four years old. How could he be under four?
Counting from that first time with Maureen in August, the child should be over four years old by now.
Geoffrey glanced back at Ethan sleeping inside. The boy did look under four.
“After we return, find a place to settle him properly.”
He left those words and walked to the other rest area.
Regardless of whose child he was, Geoffrey just wanted to use him to tie Maureen down–make her too scared to run away again.
But at this moment, Geoffrey felt indescribable annoyance deep inside.
Gareth, Ethan…
Geoffrey muttered to himself, his throat feeling dry as he broke into heavy coughs.
As dawn’s first rays touched Karaville, the plane landed at the airport.
After having Ethan taken to a secluded location, Geoffrey instructed his driver to head back to Pearl.
Now, he just needed to wait for Maureen to come to him.
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Back in his familiar home, he lit another cigarette.
Whether from exhaustion or not, he’d caught a cold and fever–after mere minutes on the balcony, he couldn’t stop coughing, his head swimming.
Geoffrey returned to the living room and lay down on the sofa where Maureen often sat, hoping to rest.
Just then, his phone rang.
Geoffrey thought it was Maureen calling and quickly grabbed his phone, only to see Andrea’s name flashing on the screen.
He answered impatiently, greeted by Andrea’s tear–choked voice: “Geoffrey, please help me. Those things online–they’re all malicious lies.”
Things online?
Geoffrey recalled the news about Andrea’s plagiarism scandal at the 70th Birthday Bash.
“Today, someone sent legal notices to me and my company claiming my new song ‘Beam of Hope‘ is plagiarized.”
“Some lawyer even posted defamatory statements online, saying my entire career was built on plagiarism. I don’t know what to do anymore.”
Geoffrey frowned after hearing this.
“Noted.”
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He hung up and immediately texted the legal department: Handle the
rumor–mongers.
He didn’t bother checking trending topics–he wasn’t interested anyway.
So he remained unaware that the viral posts detailed how Andrea had leveraged sponsorships since birth, climbed the social ladder by attaching herself to wealthy men abroad, and systematically plagiarized emerging artists.
Nor did he know the “lawyer” Andrea mentioned was Katherine, Maureen’s close friend.
Katherine personally drafted Andrea’s career expose, rocketing it to the top of trending topics.
All she wanted was to help her best friend blow off some steam!
However, less than half an hour later, all trending topics disappeared.
An hour later.
Maureen was heading to the office when the police station called, asking her to bail out Katherine.
Clueless about what happened, she rushed to the station.
The first people she spotted were Andrea and her friend Brenda, impeccably dressed and waiting in the seating area.
Seeing Maureen approach, Andrea stood up and confronted her.
“Reenie, I know you hate me, but how could you let your friend spread rumors and slander me online?”
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“Do you have any idea how hard I’ve worked to get here?”
“She almost ruined me!”
Brenda stepped forward: “Andie, why waste words on someone with no morals?”
“Let her friend rot in jail–that’ll teach them the cost of spreading lies!”
Maureen grasped the situation. “If anything happens to Katherine, I won’t let either of you get away with this!”
As she turned toward the bail area, Andrea’s voice rang out again.
“Reenie, arresting Katherine wasn’t my call. Geoffrey gave the order.”
Andrea had orchestrated the bail call–she wanted Maureen to witness the consequences of crossing her.
Maureen paused in her steps, said nothing, and continued walking.
An hour later.
Maureen couldn’t bail Katherine out because Geoffrey’s legal department had stepped in.
Katherine would be detained for at least seven days.
Katherine pretended it was nothing: “It’s fine, just think of it as experiencing life.”
“I’m sorry.”
Maureen didn’t know what to say, so she just apologized.
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She understood that the reason Katherine had posted those things online was all for her sake.
She also understood that Katherine had been arrested because of her.
“Don’t apologize. You’re not the one at fault.”
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