Free Web NovelChapter 155: A Matter of Reputation
The Chairman narrowed his eyes.
"And as for my engagement," Lyvana continued, "It’s over because he cheated on me and got another woman pregnant. No woman can tolerate such a betrayal."
The Chairman leaned forward. "A sad story. But in this family, we care more about reputation than feelings. How do you plan to handle the press when they find out you jumped from one man’s bed to my son’s?"
"With all due respect, Chairman, I think the press will be far more interested in why a man thought so little of his fiancée that he replaced her before properly leaving her."
A brief pause.
"But if they must speak of me, then let them say this, I do not compete for a man’s attention, or fight another woman for a man. And I do not apologize for choosing better."
Julian hid a smile. He had told Lyvana before they arrived that she needed to speak up if his father asked any questions. The only thing the chairman cannot tolerate is weakness.
So far, she was doing a great job. God he loved her.
The Chairman’s face was unreadable, but Eleanor was smiling.
"Choosing better," the Chairman repeated. "Choosing better... I like that."
To everyone’s surprise, he actually laughed. He looked at Lyvana with a new spark of interest, seemingly impressed by her boldness. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"Choosing better." he repeated, still chuckling.
He turned back to his wife, his mood completely changed. He leaned toward Eleanor, whispering something private that made her laugh too. The mood at the dinner table seemed to have changed.
"Does your family know about this?" He asked her.
"Not yet."
"Hm." He picked up his wine glass and took a sip. "I am assuming they do now, since you two are plastered all over the internet."
Zara stood up looking irritated. "I will be in my room," she said. "I am feeling slightly indisposed."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked out of the dining room. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
The Chairman didn’t seem to notice her exit, or perhaps he just didn’t care. He simply kept his focus on his wine, looking more relaxed than he had all evening.
"Anyway," the Chairman continued, looking back at Julian and Lyvana. "Since the world already knows your faces, we might as well give them a show, right?"
....
Elsewhere, Martin and Mark were sitting at a crowded bar, having drinks with two other guys.
It was noisy in the bar. You could smell the whiskey and cigar smoke everywhere.
One of the guys, Orion, leaned back and nodded toward the bar. "I’m going to get that girl," he said, a confident smirk on his face. "You want to bet?"
Martin let out a loud laugh, shaking his head as he took a sip of his drink. "We already bet on the blonde over there and you lost, Orion. You’re already down fifty bucks."
"That was a fluke," he grumbled, his eyes still fixed on the girl by the counter. "This one is different. She’s been looking over here all night."
Mark chuckled, looking over at the girl Orion was pointing at. "She’s not looking at you, man. She’s looking at the guy playing the game behind you. Give it a rest before you go broke."
They all laughed.
Ken leaned over, sliding his phone across the table to Mark.
"Man, you gotta see this," he said with wide eyes.
Mark’s laughter died down as he stared at the screen. The social media headlines were blowing up. There were high-quality photos of Lyvana and Julian everywhere.
"What the hell..." he muttered.
"Whoa, who’s that guy with your girl, man?" Orion asked, pulling out his own phone to get a better look.
Mark’s face went pale. He stared at the pictures and then started reading the comments.
He got another woman pregnant.
Typical men. Well, she moved on fast.
Who is that guy with her? He isn’t even on social media.
I hear he’s a billionaire, but there isn’t much information about him.
Mark’s face turned red with anger. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He stood up, pulled out his phone and called Lyvana.
No response.
He called again. It went straight to voicemail. He felt like his head was going to explode.
"You can’t do this to me!" he yelled at his phone.
He turned around and stormed out of the bar, pushing the door open with all his strength.
"We should go after him," Martin said, quickly running after him. He knew his friend. He knew his friend might do something stupid.
Back at the Grant estate...
The Chairman finished his wine and set the glass down.
"Well," he said, standing up slowly. "I have seen enough for tonight."
He turned to his wife and offered his arm. "Eleanor, I believe we have some things to discuss before tomorrow. I doubt these two want us watching them all night."
"Of course," she replied, giving Lyvana a wink.
Lyvana blushed softly.
As the older couple walked toward the large staircase, Eleanor leaned in and whispered something into the Chairman’s ear. He shook his head and whispered something back, and they both laughed again as they climbed the stairs.
Two servants poked their heads out from the kitchen doorway, in surprise. They had worked at the Grant estate for years, but they had almost never heard the Chairman laugh like that.
They quickly pulled back when they realized Julian and Lyvana were still sitting there.
"The last time I heard my father laugh this way was a very long time ago," Julian said, shaking his head.
Lyvana smiled not knowing how to respond to that. She didn’t think she was that impressive.
"Now that that’s settled..."
He stood up and pulled her to her feet. Then, in one quick motion, he picked her up. Lyvana gasped, her hands instinctively flying to his shoulders for balance.
"What are you doing?"
"I am taking you to my room," Julian murmured. "Since it’s your first day here."
