Chapter 67

Arianna could clearly see how tense Samuel's face was at the moment. Throughout the journey home, the man was unusually quiet. Perhaps he was troubled thinking about the current issues. Or maybe he was deeply contemplating the approach or strategy to resolve the current turmoil.

Upon reaching home and finishing dinner, Samuel chose to head straight to his home office. He busied himself preparing everything and often received several phone calls from clients. Most of them wanted clarification about the sensational news today. Some offered moral support, while others, without preamble, terminated their business relationships to avoid tarnishing their reputations.

Feeling the need to provide extra support, Arianna specifically followed Samuel to his workspace. Holding a cup of hot coffee, she approached her husband, who was sitting in his office chair. "What are you up to?" Arianna asked as she handed him the coffee, standing momentarily next to him.

"I'm responding to emails from clients seeking clarification about today's news," Samuel replied briefly. His eyes didn't stray from the laptop screen in front of him. "Can this all be resolved?"

"Definitely, Arianna," Samuel affirmed. "There's no problem in this world that can't be solved."

Arianna nodded, choosing to remain silent for a moment before speaking again, expressing her concern to her husband. "Honestly, I'm afraid, Sam. I'm afraid your position is at risk because of this issue."

Samuel's gaze shifted, turning towards Arianna. He reached for her wrists, gently squeezing them while throwing a reassuring smile as if to signal that she shouldn't worry about what was happening. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine. Even if the board decides to remove me, I don't mind. This is all my fault, so I should be accountable. Just stay calm. I'm confident I can handle all of this. Most importantly, you're always by my side."

Arianna nodded, and it didn't bother her to stand by Samuel, providing support or assistance in any way to help them overcome this problem. "But if you step down from your position, we might become poor," Arianna remarked suddenly.

"So, if I become poor, what then? You won't want to live with me? Or are you no longer willing to be my wife?" Samuel teased. Arianna sighed, feeling as if her husband accused her of being materialistic.

"Seriously! If I'm used to living a hard life, Sam, what about you? Can you handle a tough life?"

Samuel laughed, not angry when his wife spoke as if he were someone who always had to live luxuriously. "Relax, I have plenty in savings. If that's not enough, I'll sell all my assets, including some luxury car collections I have."

"It's a shame to sell them."

"So what should I do?"

"Just pawn them."

"Do pawn shops accept my Ferrari? Your suggestions are a bit impractical."

For a moment, Arianna and Samuel laughed. Then he pulled Arianna, bringing her body to sit on his lap.

"Whatever it is, I will try to resolve all of this. I just ask for your support and prayers. Later, I will announce to the whole world that our marriage is genuine. Not staged. Not fake. Or just a temporary contract as the media accuses."

While looking at Samuel's face, Arianna nodded. She was confident that her boss and husband could handle all the current issues.

"I won't go anywhere. I'll do my best to help you, Samuel. We both started this. So, we both will finish it."

Samuel smiled. He touched Arianna's face and gave her a brief affectionate kiss on her forehead. Shortly after, there were several knocks on the door from outside.

Rising from his seat, Arianna walked towards the door, opened it, and found the housekeeper standing there. Not alone, but with two other people whom she recognized as Samuel's parents.

"Mama, Papa," greeted Arianna.

"Where's Samuel?" asked Arabella. Her voice sounded cold, and her gaze was noticeably different from usual.

"Samuel is inside, Ma, Pa," replied Arianna, then invited her in-laws to enter the workspace.

"Mama." This time it was Samuel who addressed them. He stood up, approached Arabella and Argadana, who were already sitting on the sofa.

"You have to explain all of this, Samuel! Mama can't believe you did all of this."

Before even sitting down, Arabella bombarded Samuel with piercing words. Trying to remain calm, he slowly began to explain.

"Listen first, Ma. Samuel can explain all of this."

"Yes. You really have to explain everything to Mama," added Arabella.

"This is not what Mama imagined. Arianna and Samuel—"

"Shut up!" Arabella interrupted Arianna while she was speaking, not allowing her daughter-in-law to continue her sentence. "I'm not talking to you."

Arianna tightly pressed her lips together, swallowing back everything she wanted to say and choosing to remain silent. For the first time, she saw her mother-in-law angry and unfriendly.

"Ma! Don't scold Arianna like that," defended Samuel. He couldn't bear to see his wife silenced by his mother's scolding.

"Ma, don't be too harsh," Argadana intervened, breaking his silence.

"They both need to be sternly talked to, Pa." Then Arabella focused on her son again, staring sharply, as if demanding further explanation about what happened.

"You also owe Mama an explanation, Samuel. Oh, not just you. But both of you really need to give Mama a more thorough explanation. What's happening now is truly tarnishing the Walters' reputation."

Samuel and Arianna fell silent. Admitting their mistake, both chose not to speak until given the opportunity.

That night, Samuel painstakingly explained, recounting the entire chronology of events from the beginning until the biased news came out. They made sure to assure Argadana and Arabella that their marriage with Arianna was now proceeding as it should.

While Arianna spoke sparingly, she didn't want to say anything wrong before being given a proper chance to speak.

"Samuel knows, from the beginning, Samuel was wrong. This is solely Samuel's fault, Ma. Arianna is just a victim of Samuel's selfishness here."

"But still, both of you have deceived the extended Walters family, especially Mr. William. And now? How do you both plan to resolve this issue?"

Quickly, Samuel responded, conveying all the plans he had formulated to his mother.

"Samuel will clarify all of this in a press conference tomorrow. Samuel will also bring a lawyer and the notary who created and nullified the marriage agreement between Samuel and Arianna. They can serve as witnesses, proving that the marriage Samuel is in now is no longer fake or staged."

"But still, your reputation won't fully recover, Samuel. Especially in the eyes of other company executives," Arabella retorted.

"At least, Samuel has provided a genuine explanation. If the board of directors still imposes sanctions or even revokes the position Samuel has held, that's not a problem."

Arabella took multiple deep breaths. Her face appeared flushed, restraining her emotions. Instead of scolding and expressing her anger, she chose to speak briefly before deciding to leave.

"You have to resolve all these arising problems yourself and never ask for Mama's or Papa's help. All of this happened because of your own actions. So, quickly settle everything."