Chapter 12
831words
Samuel watched her, allowing her to vent her anger.
"Lulu, don't worry," he said calmly. "I've got people handling the online buzz. I know none of this mess is your fault. It's Tania who's spreading lies, trying to wreck your career and the drug research. She'd be happy to see me dead, thinking I'm the one holding you back."
Samuel thought he had everything figured out.
"That guy who showed up in a fancy Lamborghini, one second he's Tania's lawyer, the next he's her fiancé. I bet he's really her secret boyfriend."
Lucy let out a sigh of relief.
She was worried Samuel might start snooping around her business.
Samuel got busy on the phone, calling friends left and right, trying to calm down the buzz online and to show everyone that Lucy was not to blame.
He dialed his friend first, "Jack, you know people at Kingston University, right? Can you set up an interview for Lulu with them?"
The man on the other end sounded kind of sorry when he answered, "Samuel, I already checked with Kingston University after you got into trouble. They said Lucy doesn't work there, and they won't do an interview with your wife."
However, Samuel would not give up, "What about the Rare Disease Research Institute? Lulu helped them fix some mistakes in their data!"
The voice on the phone came back, "I asked them too. They don't even know who Lucy is. About the data, they didn't want it at first. They only took it because you promised them Lucy's data would help their research."
Samuel was at a loss for words.
"Hey, Samuel, if you've got time, you should go to the research institute yourself and ask about Tania's reputation."
That was all the advice the man on the phone had for him.
Before Samuel could turn to Lucy with his questions, she was already in tears, her face wet as she started to cry out loud.
"Why is Tania acting so mean?! It's definitely because of her rich boyfriend! I only came back because Kingston University invited me, Samuel, you've seen the offer they sent me!"
Samuel's flicker of doubt disappeared when he saw Lucy's tears.
He wrapped her up in a comforting hug, "I know all about your hard work and effort, Lulu, don't worry, I'll spend every penny if I have to in order to fix this for you. I won't let anyone spread bad rumors about you."
Lucy's face was hidden in Samuel's chest, and she let out a small, sarcastic laugh.
The trouble was not just about what people were saying about Lucy.
In just a few days, the Ferguson family's company stocks started to wobble too.
Tania had put together a timeline of her and Samuel's past few years and all the proof, and she put it all over the internet.
It was all laid out. After Lucy left the country, Samuel chased after Tania big time. Then, almost four years after they got married, Lucy came back. The very next day, Samuel took her to his villa, and they started hanging out a lot.
Tania found lots of security camera footage to back up her story.
She even found messages and bank statements showing Samuel paid someone to pretend to go to the hospital to "fight the other woman."
In the messages, Samuel was clear, [I don't not love Tania, I just wanted to stand up for Lulu. Why should Tania get to bully Lulu just because she's Mrs. Ferguson? I wanted Tania to realize that she's only where she is because I chose to love her. Without my love, she'd be nothing!]
Elias thought Tania would break down again after hearing those cruel words.
However, she did not.
Her heart had turned to stone the moment Samuel drugged her and did unspeakable things with Lucy right beside her.
When Samuel's private messages went public, the Ferguson family's company social accounts were flooded with angry comments.
[The Fergusons' products in Lascora have gone downhill. It’s no wonder, with a guy like that taking over.]
[Samuel? Oh, we remember him chasing after Tania back in the day, shyly giving her flowers outside the dorm.]
[Is Samuel blind? Everyone knew Lucy was the life of the party abroad. Did he really think his dream girl was some innocent angel?]
[It's so wrong to hurt one woman just to impress another, especially when that woman is your own wife.]
[Lucy's act when she came back home? Pure marketing. Only her fans fell for it. Who'd believe she was a genius student?]
Samuel read through the comments.
"Lucy" was mentioned a lot.
None of it was good.
He looked over at Lucy, who seemed so pure and innocent, laughing and chatting on the phone by the big window.
Was he the one who had it all wrong?
Was Lucy not the innocent girl she seemed to be?
