But Carl seized this opportunity and anxiously spoke up, “Nana, since there’s no one at home, why don’t you come back with me for now?”
He was afraid that Nana would refuse him, so he kept presenting facts and reasoning.
His intention was to make her understand that living alone during the late stages of pregnancy is risky, especially since Nana had just been discharged from the hospital.
After ten minutes of persuasion, Nana reluctantly agreed. “Okay then, I’ll stay until my parents come back.” She said expressionlessly before heading downstairs.
That afternoon, Carl drove Nana back to the villa.
Mrs. Waters had gone to visit her future daughter-in-law at the hospital so the atmosphere in the villa wasn’t as tense without her there. Carl brought Nana to his bedroom and finally felt relieved after being anxious all day long.
“Since you’re here already, just make yourself comfortable and take good care of yourself!” Carl tried to test out Nana’s attitude while also laying a foundation for his next move.
But unexpectedly, Nana remained cold as usual and replied with biting words, “You’re overthinking things. I’ll only stay here for three days.”
“Three days it is!” Carl quickly confirmed in fear that she might change her mind anytime soon.
And so it was settled: Nana returned to live at the Waters family villa once again.
After lunch, she felt a bit tired, so she lay on the bed, browsing the news on her phone and contemplating taking a nap.
Originally, it was a relaxing thing to do, but as soon as Nana opened the news website, she was startled by a prominent headline on the trending list.
“[Popular Male Star Carl Exposed as a First-Time Father]”
These words immediately caught Nana’s attention, and she wondered who the other protagonist of this news could be.
Was it herself or Grace?
Now that both women were pregnant with Carl’s children, it seemed like the plot of a palace struggle.
Thinking about this, Nana shook her head with a bitter smile, feeling a mix of emotions.
Out of curiosity, she clicked on the trending news, only to find that there was no mention of herself in the article or the photos.
The real leading lady was Grace.
For a moment, Nana felt a pang of pain in her heart, and her resentment and disappointment towards Carl resurfaced.
Closing the news website, she absentmindedly opened Twitter, intending to share her feelings. But to her surprise, she made a new discovery.
On the current Twitter feed, countless young netizens were enthusiastically discussing Carl becoming a soon-to-be father.
Most people offered their support and blessings, and some couldn’t wait to see Carl’s baby.
Of course, there were a few dissenting voices, questioning Carl’s faithfulness and suggesting that he wasn’t father material.
In any case, there were supporters and critics, including influential celebrities who retweeted and offered their blessings.
Faced with the rampant coverage on the internet, Nana began to feel overwhelmed.
Now that Grace and Carl were closely linked together, what did that make her?
Nana self-deprecatingly chuckled, and her only thought was to escape from the villa.
After packing up her things, Nana walked out of her bedroom and left the villa without hesitation.
Coincidentally, Carl had gone out to buy something, planning to cook a big meal for Nana in the evening. But when he returned, he found the house empty.
A dumbfounded Carl frantically made phone calls, but after being hung up on several times, he realized that Nana had blocked him.
*****
April had been monitoring the heated discussions all night, and after spending two days in her room, she couldn’t bear to sink into such depression any longer.
So, she took the initiative to contact the journalist who broke the news and arranged to meet at a coffee shop.
This time, she would be prepared and wouldn’t let anyone manipulate her anymore.
April placed the recording device she had prepared in advance in her pocket and set her phone to record mode. With these two plans in mind, she finally had the courage to head to the coffee shop for the meeting.
She wrapped herself tightly, wearing a mask and a hat, leaving no part of her exposed.
Standing at the entrance of the coffee shop, she could immediately see the journalist sitting inside.
April took deep breaths, clenched her fists, and encouraged herself. She couldn’t afford to lose this time.
April walked straight in and sat across from the journalist who broke the news.
The journalist only glanced up briefly, looked at April, and smiled lightly. “So, you’ve come to meet me today for a related matter?”
The journalist didn’t want to play dumb; they knew each other’s boundaries.
Upon hearing this, April hesitated for a moment, considering her options, and then directly began to press for answers. “Was it your people who leaked the information?”
The journalist didn’t answer, just lifted their coffee cup and took a sip.
“I’m telling you, what evidence do you have to prove that he definitely used drugs? Besides, those photos you took were just coincidental moments.” When April saw the journalist’s attitude, she couldn’t contain her anger and wanted to vent it all out.
However, this played right into the journalist’s hands.
“I’m only responsible for taking photos. Moreover, when I posted the photos and text, it wasn’t me saying he used drugs. It was what the majority of netizens said. You can’t blame me for that, can you?”
The journalist was indeed skilled at twisting words and didn’t give April any chance.
“Do you know how much damage this has caused to his reputation? He’s disappeared now!” April was thoroughly enraged and argued with him, banging the table.
The journalist remained indifferent, waving their hand to ask April to calm down and continue sitting. “Why are you in such a hurry? Don’t forget, you’re a public figure too.”
The journalist’s words reminded April. If she acted impulsively, she would only make things more difficult for Jane if she also became the target of public scrutiny.
“Tell me, what conditions do you want in order to stop the trending and clear his name?”
If being tough didn’t work, then she had to resort to being soft. She didn’t believe that there was anything money couldn’t achieve in this world.
The journalist suddenly burst into laughter. “I suppose you came prepared this time and brought your recording device. Don’t sit here and keep accusing me, it’s pointless!”
April panicked. She tightly gripped the recording device in her bag, while her phone was also hidden inside.
“Are you accusing me of something with your words?” April directly questioned him, not even looking at him, just drinking her coffee.
“Don’t forget, I’m a journalist, and the most important skill a journalist should have is investigative ability. Your hand has been in your bag the whole time, holding onto your recording device, right? You took the initiative to meet me, every word you said was a trap. Are you going to bring it out yourself, or should I wait for you to trend later?”
This journalist was indeed not someone to be trifled with. He saw through April’s intentions with just a few words.
“Why should I trend? I haven’t said anything outrageous!” April learned to be persistent.
The journalist pointed to a black sedan outside, and through the car window, a camera could be seen pointing directly at their location.
“Don’t you want the front page headline to be about you? A rising star… publicly bribing a journalist, all to cover up the drug use.”
The journalist reluctantly revealed the headline of the trending news, “Do you think after such news comes out, you can continue in your position?”