What was initially a pleasant wedding arrangement ended in chaos, with both families arguing fiercely and parting on bad terms. Susan hurried back to the company in the afternoon, only to find the situation worsening instead of being suppressed.
“Susan, this is no small matter. It’s all over the internet now, and the media is making a big deal out of it. You need to be more careful when you go out,” warned someone from the company’s PR department.
“Those media scumbags just want money. Give them more to retract the story,” Susan said aggressively, sitting down and lighting a cigarette.
“Oh my god, can you just stop smoking at this critical moment? You’ll just end up giving the paparazzi more to charge you with.”
“I’m stressed.”
Susan had been a smoker since high school, and having the Simmons family shield her in the entertainment industry made her life smoother than it appeared. Her private life wasn’t as innocent as it seemed; drinking, smoking, and clubbing were her favorites, although she had always been faithful in her relationships.
“I know you’re stressed, and I’m even more stressed. My phone has been blowing up all day with people verifying your story. This time, it’s different from the usual gossip. I’ve contacted several companies asking them to pull the news. Guess what?”
“They refused?” Susan exhaled a ring of smoke.
“Yes, these dogs usually take the money, but this time they didn’t.”
He snorted coldly, surprised by their refusal despite frequent dealings.
“They didn’t take your money? That means the offer wasn’t enough. You need to pay more; a dog is always a dog, they never change,” Susan scoffed, having managed such situations many times before. Otherwise, her public image wouldn’t have remained so pristine-it was all thanks to good relations with the media.
“This time they say it’s not about the money. Someone higher up has ordered them to continue the harsh coverage, and they can’t do anything but comply. Susan, who have you angered?”
“Just a mad dog,” she muttered, stubbing out her cigarette.
“Well, since negative coverage is inevitable this time, why don’t you take a break and stop working for a while? You just got married; why not enjoy a honeymoon? This will blow over soon, and then you can make a comeback.”
“But I have a movie release next month, and several promotional events this month,” Susan frowned.
“Are you still thinking about promotions? I’m afraid you won’t even make it there before getting pelted with eggs. My god, I advise you to stay out of the public eye.”
Feeling frustrated, Susan conceded, “I guess I have no choice but to take a three-month break, then maybe do some charity work and come back.”
“Right, I’ll go handle your recent work assignments, and you treat this as a vacation for yourself.”
Although the PR person was polite, Susan knew the seriousness of the situation.
Well, she might as well treat it as a vacation, even though it was depressing. Carrying her bag, Susan left the office. She had her assistant buy her a coffee while she stood by the roadside for a moment. Initially, only a couple of people looked her way, “Isn’t that Susan Simmons?”
“Yes, that’s her, I’ve watched her TV shows, and I could definitely recognize her!”
“It was she who stole Miss Montgomery’s boyfriend, and pushed her into the sea.”
“How could such a young girl do such things?”
“Right, I think the only role suitable for a woman like her would be that of the wicked queen; that would truly be casting to type.”
“Do you know what?” Susan was pointed at and talked about, feeling utterly wronged as these days she had suffered endless indignities, and now even strangers dared to insult her.
“Are you saying that all those things they’re talking about, you and Miss Montgomery’s boyfriend, are false?”
“I was just…”
Susan was at a loss for words; it was true that she had indeed lured Hayden away using underhanded methods.
A woman carrying a basket of vegetables pointed at her with a scallion, “Are you saying you didn’t climb into Miss Montgomery’s boyfriend’s bed?”
“Did you not push Miss Montgomery into the sea?”
This soul-searching interrogation left Susan speechless, driving her nearly insane!
“I didn’t, I didn’t, I didn’t do anything.”
Various noises pierced her eardrums.
“She would never admit it. Let me take a photo of her and post her shameless face online!” The crowd buzzed with comments.
Susan hurried towards her car, the crowd chasing after her like zombies in a horror movie.
“Go, go.”
Her heart pounded fiercely until the car drove away.
“What the hell is all this!” Susan had never been so flustered in her life, such is the power of the internet.
Nowadays, everyone clings to their phones, and any news spreads instantly; as a celebrity, even a minor mistake by Susan was magnified endlessly.
“Miss, where to?”
“Back to my house, of course.”
Susan would never forget this day.
No wonder Julian said he would send her a big gift that day; indeed, it was a gift she would never forget!
Passing by the Aurora villa, she saw Aurora in the yard, playing with water with a handsome man.
This man was a stranger, neither from the Alvarez nor the Montgomery family; Aurora truly was a flirtatious woman.
“Stop the car!”
She quickly took out her phone and recorded it; Aurora was chased around the yard by Phil using a watering can, “Enough, enough, Phil, if your cousin finds out, he’ll kill you.”
Aurora mentioned Julian, and Phil stopped; he was stunned for a moment, already having the watering can snatched by Aurora.
Aurora started pouring water on Phil, “Alright, let’s see how I deal with you.”
Phil lunged to embrace Aurora.
Susan felt immensely satisfied, “I really want to see if Julian will still like you, you wench, after he sees this video. Alright, we can go now.”
“Yes, miss.”
The car drove away, while Aurora and Phil were still frolicking in the yard, “Had enough fun? My dear fiancee and cousin.”
A cool voice rang in their ears.
Aurora and Phil quickly dropped the watering can, standing guiltily like children who had been caught.
“Your body is all wet from playing with water?” Julian approached with a stern face.
“Well… it was Phil… he started it.”
Aurora quickly pushed Phil forward.
“Aurora, that’s no way to play.”
Phil looked crestfallen.
“You wait, I’ll deal with you later.”
Julian approached Aurora, scooped her up fiercely, and said to Phil.
“Hey, I’m your cousin too, why don’t you hug me?”