Chapter 421
Alright, there’s been a rather curious development. Ms. Thorne’s son publicly claimed that Ms. Slater is expecting. Whether it’s true or not, the rumor has already skyrocketed to the top of the trending list. I suspect Ms. Thorne’s call about heading to the daycare was sparked by this incident.
Tarquin frowned and refreshed the news feed on his phone, and sure enough, the top stories were all about the rumor. Online, there’s no mention of Elysia’s son, nor any photos of the child. The buzz is all about Nola being pregnant. Somebody even leaked Nola’s hotel check-in records from the past month, alongside some blurry photos and videos. Truth be told, the woman in those images and clips is hardly recognizable, bearing only a slight resemblance to Nola in build.
But for the media, the truth hardly matters. What’s paramount is whether the news draws eyeballs, generates clicks, and brings in revenue! Otherwise, a child’s comment wouldn’t have blown up to this extent! Now, the whole inte is slamming Nola, not just for being unmarried and pregnant, but because she’s rumored to have been with three different men at hotels over three days. Public opinion is overwhelmingly negative, branding her shameless.
Seeing the top comments, Tarquin’s thoughts immediately turned to Elysia. He had looked into Elysia’s past, and six years ago, she was subjected to similar slander.
Driving, Lowell said, “Ms. Slater has been confined by Mr. Slater to reflect on her actions for the past month, not once stepping outside the Slater family estate. Someone’s clearly spreading false rumors to slander her. I reckon she’ll reach out for your help once she can’t quell the rumors herself. But Ms. Slater’s behavior today was unusual. I thought her call was about this scandal, but she didn’t mention it at all p>
To Nola, the bigger issue was that Elysia’s son looks exactly like Elijah!
Lost in thought, Tarquin was interrupted by another call, this time from Elysia herself. Hesitating for a moment, he answered, “Hello p>
“Why did you take so long to answer? I’m freaking out here! You need to talk to the community guards; I have an emergency and need to take Elijah out of the neighborhood p>
Without Tarquin’s permission, the community’s security wouldn’t allow Elysia to take Elijah anywhere. Elysia, not wanting to leave Elijah alone at home, had no choice but to wait for Tarquin’s response.
Tarquin had planned to go home to be with Elijah, letting her leave on her own, but recalling Nola’s words, he changed his mind. “Stay home with Elijah. I’ll come to pick you both up p>
“Pick us up? Where are we going p>
“Where do you need to go p>
“I’m going to my son’s daycare p>
“Alright, I’ll come with you p>
Elysia paused, “Why would you come p>
Tarquin countered, “Why can’t I p>
“It’s not that… I… I need to go to the daycare for my son, and you don’t need to come along. You should stay home with Elijah. How long until you’re home p>
“Okay, got it p>
With that, Elysia hung up. Tarquin listened to the dial tone, his brow furrowing in slight annoyance. He was used to ending calls, not the other way around. Stowing his phone away, he lit a cigarette and took a drag in silence.
Lowell peeked at him through the rearview mirror, aware of the paternity test situation. He too felt regret that Elysia wasn’t the person Tarquin had been searching for. But what Tarquin was thinking now, nobody knew. After the results had been revealed, it was clear he was agitated, yet he hadn’t opened up to anyone about his feelings. Thus, no one knew what was going through his mind or how he planned to deal with Elysia.
Guess we can’t say, and we sure can’t ask!