Chapter 66 Alex’s Overture
Emily's voice was cold and steady, without a trace of panic.
Seeing her so calm, Rachel on the other end of the phone relaxed a bit too: "But... Emmie, are you sure about calling the police? Once this blows up, it won't be good for your reputation."
"Reputation?" Emily let out a light laugh, a flash of coldness crossing her eyes. "I'm no longer Mrs. Baker. My reputation doesn't need others to define it. Besides, the Johnson family and the Moore family can't suffer losses because of such dirty tricks. Calling the police to get to the bottom of this is the most direct approach."
As for whoever was behind this, well, they'd better stop right now. She had no interest in dealing with drama before going abroad.
"Okay, I'll do what you say!" Rachel immediately agreed.
After they hung up, Emily picked up her phone to call the police and contact a lawyer to handle things, hoping to shut this down before public opinion got worse.
But just as she picked up her phone, the screen lit up again. It was a message from Matthew: "I know about the trending topic. Don't worry, I'll handle it. See you at the usual place this afternoon."
Warmth flooded Emily's heart: "Thanks, Matthew."
After replying, she checked the time—perfect for going out for afternoon tea.
Lately, for some reason, she'd been craving spicy food, but... sweets were nice too.
Emily was in a good mood, her delicate, beautiful face glowing with a gentle smile in the sunlight.
As she walked, she reached into her bag for her phone to call a car. But just as she left the residential complex, a familiar, cold figure came into view.
Alex was leaning against a black Bentley, a cigarette between his fingers, not yet burned out. Cigarette butts scattered at his feet, the smell of tobacco surrounding him but not choking.
Emily froze: "Alex?"
The man looked up, his sharp, chiseled features perfectly calm: "Looks like you're heading out."
He crushed the cigarette with his bare fingers and looked at her, the car door half-open.
Emily shrugged. "Well, Mr. Baker, you're waiting here on purpose. I doubt you came just to enjoy the breeze."
After a moment of silence, Alex said in a hoarse voice: "About the trending topic, I've already had people handle it."
He'd seen it first thing in the morning and immediately ordered the heat to be suppressed. He'd even pushed back a company meeting and rushed straight to her building, but... hadn't gone in.
Emily walked past him with an indifferent expression. "No need, Mr. Baker. My business has nothing to do with you. I'll be going now. Excuse me."
Her ride was still two hundred meters away, just a few shops down.
"Emily!"
Suddenly, Alex grabbed her slender wrist.
Emily frowned: "Mr. Baker, you're hurting me. Don't you have any manners?"
Alex looked at her cold eyes, his chest tightening with a dull ache. Then he pulled out an exquisite gift box from the car and pressed it into her hands: "Take this."
The box felt luxurious—high-end chocolates hard to find on the market, quite expensive.
And judging by the packaging, it was a limited edition.
"I heard this brand only sells three limited edition boxes each year, cherry liqueur flavor. You should like it." Alex pressed his lips together, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
This was the first time he'd bought her something. He didn't know if she'd like it.
Emily looked down at the gift box in her hands, suddenly finding it absurd and laughable.
When she looked up, her voice was mocking: "Even now, you still don't know that I never eat liqueur chocolates. The one who really likes this brand is Grace."
Her voice was soft, but carried only helplessness, without any excess emotion.
Alex fell silent.
Three years of marriage, and he didn't even know what she liked.
Once upon a time, Emily would playfully ask him to help clear her shopping cart, buying lots of things she liked. Now she couldn't even be bothered to say another word.
Emily gently pushed the gift box back into his arms: "Give it back to you. Give it to someone who really likes it, otherwise such expensive chocolate would truly be wasted."
With that, her car arrived.
Alex stood there, his brow furrowed. She didn't like it?
Surging emotions swept over him. He simply tossed the gift box into the back seat and drove off as well.
Click—
A shutter snapped.
From a hidden corner, the entire scene had been captured on camera.
Half an hour later, at a café.
Soothing music played, the atmosphere elegant.
Emily sat at the table and breathed a sigh of relief: "Matthew, I almost dragged you down this time."
While they were talking, the trending topic had already been taken down.
All the rumor posts had been deleted, and related search terms couldn't be found anymore.
Thanks to the quick action, the stock prices of the Johnson family and the Moore family weren't affected.
"Don't be so formal with me." Matthew pushed over a cup of warm milk. "But I have some good news for you."
Emily raised an eyebrow: "What good news?"
"The Moore family happens to be expanding a project, and I'm heading over the day after tomorrow too. Maybe we can go together, keep each other company on the way."
Emily's eyes lit up: "Really? That's great! The flight won't be boring this time."
Matthew watched her bright smile and smiled too. "Yeah, and we can..."
Buzz buzz!
Just as he was about to speak, his phone suddenly vibrated.
He looked down at the message on the screen, his expression instantly turning serious.
Emily noticed his change and asked with some confusion: "What is it? Did something happen?"
A flash of hesitation crossed Matthew's eyes, but he still handed her his phone: "Take a look at this."
Emily took it and looked—good grief, another trending topic had exploded!
This time the headlines were even more glaring: "#Emily Clings to Mr. Baker After Divorce#, #Emily Playing Hard to Get#."
In just a few days, her name was trending more than celebrities.
And the accompanying photo was from just now in front of the complex, showing Alex grabbing her wrist from a misleading angle.
The angle was very calculated, making it look like she was actively pulling at Alex.
Combined with their height difference, it almost looked like she was throwing herself at him.
Perfect. This completely confirmed her reputation as fickle, stringing along two men.
The comments section was full of malice.
"Flirting with Mr. Moore one moment, clinging to her ex-husband the next—what exactly is Emily trying to do?"
"Still won't let go of Mr. Baker even after divorce? Back off!"
...
Matthew's voice carried a chill: "Don't pay attention to those nasty comments. Someone's deliberately stirring things up."
Emily almost wanted to laugh. She handed the phone back to Matthew, her eyes full of mockery: "This is actually pretty interesting. Three years of marriage, never once photographed, nobody even knew Alex and I were married. Now that we're divorced, I'm trending every other day. So basically, my entire claim to fame comes from getting divorced?"
She really found it laughable.
Grace was going all in, determined to completely destroy her reputation before she'd stop.
Probably Alex's recent unusual behavior had made Grace uneasy.
Matthew saw her lost in thought and suddenly asked: "You and Alex... is it really over?"