Chapter 33 Rumors Stop with the Wise

Chapter 33 Rumors Stop with the Wise

In the bar, Zachary was downing drink after drink.

Going from heir to the Coleman Group to a broke, debt-ridden nobody overnight — he was falling apart. Getting drunk at a bar seemed like the only thing he could do.

"Emily, you bitch. You'll get what's coming to you."

His eyes were cold and vicious as he squeezed his glass, wishing he could shatter it.

He hated Emily. In his mind, she had ruined everything.

"Damn it. I'll make her pay."

Zachary slammed his glass down in fury, then pulled out his phone to pay. That's when he stumbled across a video.

The person in it was Emily. The comments were full of claims that she was seeing multiple men at the same time — checking into hotels with one, hooking up with another in a car.

There were videos and photos to go with it, all eye-catching and provocative. Emily hugging and kissing different men in different places.

"Disgusting. I knew she was no good. And someone like her gets to marry into the Stone family? What a joke."

Zachary's eyes went red, and a twisted grin spread across his face. "But this alone... isn't enough. Emily, let's see how I deal with you."

Right there in the bar, he started editing photos and making up more lies, then posted them online.

The story exploded across the internet. People who knew Emily, or had heard about the upcoming marriage between the Hart family and the Stone family, were completely stunned.

Everyone was whispering about it — nobody could believe Emily was that kind of person.

Leo was out with friends when he heard someone mention Emily. Curious, he had someone send him the video. He was mid-sip when he watched it and spat his drink straight out.

"What the hell?"

He wiped his mouth, looking genuinely shocked.

Still, he didn't really buy it. Anyone with half a brain could see this was a coordinated hit job. And knowing Noah's taste, there was no way he'd fall for a woman like that.

"Mr. Wells?"

Everyone looked over at Leo in surprise. He was easily the most important person in the room, so naturally they all kept a close eye on him. His reaction left them confused and a little nervous.

"All of you, shut up. This is obviously someone spreading lies. Anyone who keeps running their mouth better watch themselves."

Leo's expression went cold, and just like that, no one dared say another word.

Nobody wanted to get on Leo's bad side — that was something they all agreed on.

Once he'd silenced the room, Leo quickly forwarded the video to Noah.

As Noah's longtime friend, he felt like he had to do something. Whatever was going on, he couldn't just ignore it.

The moment Noah saw the message, his expression turned ice cold, like a storm quietly building behind his eyes.

"Noah, what's going on? I think someone's deliberately targeting Emily. I feel like something like this has happened before."

Leo called him up, wanting to know what Noah was planning — and maybe get in on it himself.

"I know. Don't worry about it."

Noah's voice was calm, because he knew Emily would handle it herself.

He didn't want to step in too much. He didn't want her to feel controlled. He wanted to respect her choices and give her as much freedom as possible.

"Alright, got it. Talk later."

Since Noah seemed unbothered, Leo hung up. Still, he couldn't help but wonder — Noah clearly liked Emily, so how was he this calm? Shouldn't he be rushing to clear her name?

Then again, not his business. He'd asked, and that was enough.

The next morning, Emily woke up feeling a little more like herself, though still a bit out of it.

She came downstairs to get some water and ran into Jack. "You're up early. Emily, are you okay? You look a little off."

Jack studied her with narrowed eyes. She seemed dazed, and her lips looked slightly swollen.

Every instinct in him went on high alert. Something was definitely up.

"What? I'm fine."

"Did Adam do something again?"

Jack's voice rose. If that jerk had the nerve to mess with Emily again, he wasn't going to let it slide.

Emily immediately walked over and grabbed his arm. "Stop jumping to conclusions. It has nothing to do with Adam. It's something else."

How was she supposed to explain this? She lowered her head, a little embarrassed, her ears turning pink, eyes avoiding his. She clearly wasn't as fine as she claimed.

But she didn't seem upset either. If Adam had actually done something, Emily wouldn't be this calm. So maybe it really wasn't him.

Then what was it?

Jack's eyes shifted. He immediately texted Noah. If Adam wasn't involved, the only other possibility was Noah.

Emily was still standing there, lost in her own embarrassment, completely unaware that Jack had already figured it out.

Jack noted it quietly and thought to himself, "Noah moves fast. Didn't expect him to make a move this soon. At least Emily seems to actually like him — otherwise she wouldn't look like this."

"Noah knows how to handle himself. He's a thousand times better than that jerk Adam. Honestly, those two aren't a bad match."

Jack let out a quiet breath and decided to stay out of it.

But then a notification popped up on his phone — a video, full of rumors about Emily. His expression shifted instantly.

"Damn it. Someone's stirring up trouble again."

"Jack, what's wrong?"

Emily noticed his reaction and looked over, confused. Jack forced himself to stay calm and shook his head. "Nothing. Don't overthink it. You haven't eaten yet, right? There's breakfast on the table for you."

"Got it. Did you eat?"

"Long ago. Unlike some people who sleep in."

Jack teased her with a light smile. Emily shot him a glare, then turned and headed to the table.

The moment she was out of sight, Jack pulled out his phone and made a call. "I want to know who's spreading these rumors. Find out in three minutes. Now."

Did they really think they could mess with his sister and get away with it?