Vanya's POV
I knew Wilmot was referring to Beata.
I was already aware of the relationship between the Steele and Hammond families, which was why I got into Beata's car.
If it had been anyone else, I would have been wary.
I said with a smile, "I'll take that as your concern for me."
Wilmot glanced away disdainfully, "You're far too confident."
I walked out of the nightclub wearing Wilmot's coat.
The next morning, my phone buzzed on the bedside table.
I thought it was an alarm, only to see missed calls when I picked it up.
There were calls from Cliff, Elliot, and Aldridge. The last missed call was from Theodore.
I frowned, sensing something was amiss.
I quickly returned Cliff's call, but it was hung up quickly.
Then, I called Aldridge, and he answered promptly this time.
Aldridge was furious, "Vanya! Where were you last night?"
"I was out with classmates last night," I replied.
"Were you at a nightclub?"
I frowned, "What happened?"
"What happened? Someone posted your photo online, accusing you of being indecent! They said you were at a nightclub late at night, meeting privately with a man!"
I hung up on Aldridge immediately and opened my social media app.
Sure enough, the trending topic on Twitter was 'Todd CEO's Wife Caught in Late-Night Tryst with a Man at a Nightclub.'
My mind buzzed.
Did Wilmot do this?
No, it couldn't be him. It wouldn't benefit him at all.
So, who could it be?
At that moment, Theodore called again, and I answered.
I tried to keep my voice steady, "You called about the trending topic, right?"
"I've already asked Derrick to investigate the ID. We should have results soon," Theodore's voice was calm, offering me a sense of reassurance.
"Any guesses who might have done it?"
I rubbed my temple, thinking of numerous faces, but none seemed likely.
"I don't know. It definitely wasn't Wilmot."
Theodore chuckled lightly, "So the man you were meeting privately with was Wilmot."
"Can we not joke about this right now?"
Theodore said, "If it was Wilmot, then it's easier to handle."
I fell silent.
Yes, the trending topic only mentioned that I was meeting privately with a man at a nightclub but did not reveal who the man was.
This suggested that either the person didn't want to disclose the man's identity or they didn't know who he was, just guessing based on the coat I was wearing.
But the latter seemed more likely.
No one would dare to do this if they knew it was Wilmot.
I asked, "Will the Hammond family intervene?"
"Edwin will," Theodore replied.
If Wilmot were involved with a married woman, Edwin would surely suppress the news.
I said, "So I don't need to do anything?"
"I'll find the person. Cliff has probably already planned a PR strategy, and the Hammond family will handle the news. This news won't cause much of a stir for you. Rest easy."
With Theodore's words, I felt reassured.
By the afternoon, the news indeed disappeared without a trace. Elliot came to pick me up, and I returned to the Silver Moon Pack.
The good news was that Veronica hadn't heard about it yet.
The bad news was that it wouldn't be long before my attendance at Wolfe became known.
After all, in this circle, explosive news spread quickly.
Cliff was sitting on the sofa, seemingly calm, but I could see the anger brewing in his eyes.
Cliff was angry, but he was used to hiding his emotions.
"Give me a reasonable explanation," he demanded.
"After school, a classmate named Beata invited me out. Considering the Steele family's status, I didn't want to offend them, so I went," I explained honestly.
"And then?"
I sat across from Cliff and recounted the events, "Wilmot was probably holding a grudge against me and wanted to scare me. We met, and he tried to intimidate me, but we eventually made peace."
Hearing this, Cliff looked up.
I felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze. "What's wrong?"
"A nightclub? You dared to go to a nightclub?"
I didn't expect Cliff to focus on that. "It's socializing. I don't believe you've never been to one."
Cliff's eyes were as cold as if they could kill.
I softened in time: "The news about the secret rendezvous is completely fabricated. If this affects the company's image, I will fully cooperate with your PR efforts."
"Oh, really?"
Judging by Cliff's reaction, I suddenly felt like I had been manipulated.