She skipped the beginning, her heart feeling heavy, and slowly scrolled to the end. In bold red letters, it read: Not the biological father.
Anna Ives let out a long sigh of relief.
Thankfully, the two children weren't Zach White's.
She put away her phone and looked up at Zach, taking a few steps forward. "Mr. White, the only reason I met with you before was because George Ives threatened me using my grandmother. I never agreed to anything. Whoever took the money or made promises, you should go find them."
As soon as Anna finished speaking, a few mocking whispers drifted through the crowd.
"She's an international fashion designer. What was he thinking, wanting to marry her?"
"Yeah, after pulling such an embarrassing stunt three months ago. He should really look at himself."
Zach, embarrassed and furious, huffed and turned to leave.
Harry didn't stay long either. After exchanging a few polite words, he left as well.
Neil drove Anna home. He stayed silent the whole way, his expression tense, clearly upset.
Seeing that he wasn't going to ask, Anna felt the need to explain. She turned her head, her eyes catching the sunlight as they rested on Neil's handsome profile.
Softly, Anna said, "You know about what happened six years ago. I had a one-night stand with a man."
Her tone grew heavy as she drew a deep breath. "Back then, my ex-boyfriend set me up, and I ended up in bed with that man. But I never knew who he was. Now that I'm back in the country, someone told me that Kyle and Natalie's biological father, is Zach White. That's why I went to meet him."
Listening to Anna's explanation, Neil's expression finally softened.
He gripped the steering wheel, his deep eyes fixed on the road ahead, and spoke gently. "I'm not upset about you getting engaged to Zach. I'm upset that you went through something so big and didn't tell me. You tried to handle it all on your own."
Anna felt warmth spread through her heart. Neil was always so understanding, always standing by her side no matter what.
Sensing the tension ease, Anna changed the subject. "The collaboration with the Luke Group will probably take about half a year. My grandmother's health isn't great, so I plan to stay in the country for a while."
Neil nodded in agreement. "Yes, this International Fashion project needs to break into the local market, and you're the right person for the job. But things at the company are busy, so I'll have to head back tomorrow. I can't stay with you."
Anna wasn't surprised. She knew Neil had only come back just to see her.
"But remember," Neil added, "if anything happens, you need to tell me right away. Don't try to handle it alone."
"Okay," Anna agreed.
The car fell into a comfortable silence.
The drive from the press conference to her home would take about half an hour. Feeling a little bored, Anna began scrolling through her phone.
Suddenly, several trending news alerts popped up on her screen.
#Luke Group CEO's Secret Son#
#Luke Family Young Master and Secret Son Appear Together#
#Luke Family CEO Acknowledges Secret Son, Prepares for Family Reunion#
Anna Ives felt her hands trembling as she clicked on the trending topic.
There was a photo of her son with Shawn Luke, and in between them stood Grandma...
If she guessed right, Grandma must have taken them out grocery shopping.
Anna scrolled down and saw that the topic had already reached the top of the trending list.
In just a few hours, it had gathered millions of discussions.
Because the two kids looked somewhat alike, most people were convinced they were illegitimate children.
Anna quietly put her phone away, glanced out the window, and then turned to Neil, asking,
"How much longer until we reach my house?"
"About ten minutes. Why? Is something wrong?" Neil asked.
"No, just suddenly missing my son," Anna replied with a wry smile.
Her son had always been smart. If someone was following and taking pictures, he would have noticed.
And this news blew up while she was holding a press conference. If Kyle, that little rascal, was paying attention, he would have intercepted it by now!
So, putting it all together, it must have been that little rascal's doing!
Of all people to stir up, why did he have to mess with Harry, the living nightmare?
Just thinking about it gave Anna a headache.
Meanwhile, Tina was furious after being kicked out of the press conference by Harry. When she got home, she exploded in anger.
"That damn woman! That witch!!" Tina's face twisted with rage as she swept everything off the table onto the floor.
Her chest heaved with fury.
At the press conference today, Anna had stolen all the spotlight, making her look like a fool! And to top it off, Harry had thrown her out!
Tina's mother, Linda Rodriguez, heard the commotion and came downstairs. Seeing the mess in the living room, she hurried over and asked, looking at Tina's angry face,
"What happened? Weren't you with Mr. Luke at Marie's press conference? Why are you so upset?"
"Mom!" Tina cried out upon seeing Linda, tears streaming down her face, full of grievance.
Seeing her daughter so upset, Linda quickly tried to comfort her. "There, there, don't cry, sweetheart."
Tina sobbed in her mother's arms for a long time before she finally managed to speak.
"Mom, today at Marie's launch event, that witch Anna humiliated me in front of everyone!"
Tina recounted the day's events, crying as she spoke.
Linda's expression changed, her voice sharp. "You mean that witch Anna is the chief designer for the international fashion brand Marie?"
Tina nodded, her voice choked with emotion in response to Linda's disbelief.
Because Anna was the chief designer, Tina had been utterly humiliated today.
Just as she was about to continue complaining, someone rushed in from outside, it was George.
George looked panicked, holding his phone as he hurried forward. Seeing Tina, he immediately approached, his neck flushed with urgency.
"What is going on? Why is there talk of Mr. Luke having another child out of wedlock?"
The Ives family had managed to maintain their status in the city because Tina had a son with Harry.
But now, rumors about Harry having another child were spreading like wildfire.
Tina was stunned. How could this be?
Harry had been so careful over the years. He hadn't been seen with any women, let alone fathered another child.
If he had, she would have already found a way to get with him and have a child of her own.
"Impossible!" Tina immediately retorted at the thought.
George held his phone up to her face. He had rushed back as soon as he received the message.
Right now, Tina only held the title of the future Mrs. Luke without actually marrying Harry. If another woman came into the picture, her status could easily be snatched away.
Tina glanced down at the phone, her expression twisting slightly as she looked at the two similar faces on the screen.
Harry hadn't been with any other woman since his encounter with Anna six years ago, but the resemblance in the photo was uncanny.
Five years ago, when Anna gave birth, Tina had instructed the attending doctor to take care of those two little brats.
Could it be that fool didn't handle the kids properly?