Chapter 20 I Know What I'm Doing
Caleb was going to work at the company?
I frowned and looked at Henry, only to see him avoid my gaze and say, "You guys talk. I'm going out for a bit."
It seemed Caleb's job was already a done deal. Willow deliberately chose this time to come, wasn't it just to avoid me on purpose?
"And Helena, Caleb is a good kid. He would never do anything inappropriate. Don't go around wrongly accusing people."
After hearing Willow's words, Maria frowned and said, "Are you saying Helena falsely accused Caleb?"
"Exactly."
After speaking, Willow walked out with her head held high like a victorious general.
"Maria, we're heading back now."
John said as he pulled Natasha along to leave. After they left, Maria was so angry her hands were trembling. "Look at what kind of people they are!"
"And why did your father agree to let Caleb join the company?"
"Call your father back, call him back right now!"
"Mom, don't be angry. It's just one more employee in the company, it's fine."
I comforted her softly. Henry had always been lenient with John's family. If John stepped in today, Henry would definitely agree.
As for Caleb, even if he joined the company, I wouldn't let him cause any trouble in this lifetime.
"I'm not that worried, it's just your father—why doesn't he think about you?"
Maria sighed, but she knew that once Henry made a decision, it couldn't be changed.
After helping Maria rest, I thought for a moment and picked up the phone to make a call.
Since the Pemberton family was so interested in the Top Horse incident, I'd make sure everyone knew about it.
Early the next morning, just as I woke up, I heard Henry's voice at the door.
"Helena."
I opened the door to see Henry looking serious, pushing his phone in front of me.
He pointed at it. "What's going on here?"
"Knox and Atlas are both trending, and the key thing is they're trending because of you. Take a look."
I took the phone and saw today's entertainment news using its biggest layout to report on the Top Horse auction.
Knox and Atlas were already favorites for media commentary, and this time they were being compared even more intensely.
Several eye-catching headlines appeared on various trending lists:
#At Top Horse auction, Atlas spent tens of millions just to make a beauty smile
#Not worth it—Helena paid, Knox immediately put jewelry on someone else's neck
#Shocking! Knox was two-timing, wedding may be in trouble
A smile played at my lips. This money was well spent. First, I planted seeds of doubt in everyone's minds.
Then on the wedding day, I'd release footage of Knox and Natasha's affair. I wanted him unable to explain himself, forced to swallow his own bitter fruit!
"Helena, what's going on? What happened between you and Knox? Tell me."
Seeing Henry's serious expression, I put down the phone and said casually, "There was a small problem. I was planning to tell you and Mom in a while, but it seems I have to say it now."
My relaxed manner helped Henry relax a bit, and his furrowed brow smoothed somewhat.
"Go ahead."
I nodded. "The wedding between Knox and me isn't going to happen."
"Why?"
Though he'd expected this, Henry was still surprised. "Is it because of those gossip reports?"
"You should know these entertainment papers always make things up."
After all, the Lockwood family had raised me well all these years. I was known as a well-behaved girl.
No wonder Henry was so surprised by my shocking move today.
"Some things aren't made up. Dad, marriage is a lifetime thing. I don't want to be led around by the nose forever, so I won't go through with this wedding."
After I finished, Henry looked serious, his fingers tapping lightly. "Helena, is there some misunderstanding between you and Knox?"
I nodded vaguely. "No, it's just that Knox and I might really not be suitable for each other."
Faced with Henry's questioning, I chose to hide the truth.
After all, Natasha was my cousin. If I really told him about the scandal between her and Knox, Henry probably wouldn't be able to accept it.
To strike back at the final moment, I could only hide it for now.
Henry wasn't satisfied with my answer. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Do you know why I agreed to your marriage with Knox?"
I definitely knew. Henry valued not only Knox himself but also the Pemberton family's resources.
Seeing me nod, he sighed. "This marriage isn't just about you two young people—it's about both families. If you don't want to marry, I support you, but you must do one thing: protect the Lockwood family's reputation."
Hearing this, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Sure enough, no matter what, Henry was still my family.
As long as he agreed, the rest would be easy to handle.
I nodded firmly. "Don't worry, Dad. Even if I break off the engagement, it'll be the Pemberton family's fault. I won't let anyone find fault with our Lockwood family."
Hearing my words, Henry looked somewhat relieved. He nodded. "Good, then I'll leave this matter to you."
After speaking, he asked again, "What's really going on with Natasha?"
I didn't want to mention her at all right now, so I said, "According to Knox, the necklace was just lent to Natasha. The rest is just reporters making things up."
Then I probed, "I have the necklace now, but these reports have wronged Natasha. Dad, should I return the necklace to Natasha?"
Henry rubbed his temples and shook his head. "In this matter, Natasha was wrong. Knox is your fiancé. No matter what, you two are still engaged, and she should have avoided suspicion."
"Since you got the necklace back, keep it."
Hearing Henry's words, I finally felt at ease.
I was really afraid Henry would blindly defend Natasha. Fortunately, Henry was fairly reasonable.
"Let's go downstairs and eat with your mom."
Before we finished eating, my grandmother Rosalind Lockwood called.
"Maria, bring your daughter to the Lockwood Villa."
"Mom, is something wrong?" Maria glanced at me and replied carefully.
"Can't I call you if nothing's wrong?"
"Come over now. I need to see you both!"
With that, Rosalind forcefully hung up.
I immediately understood—Rosalind must have learned about the trending topics and was specifically summoning me.
Thinking of how Rosalind usually defended Willow's family, my fighting spirit rose.
I stood up and said, "Let's go, Mom."