Chapter 835
Callum gazed through the car window at the apartment where Lillian resided.
“What is she doing in there now? Is she blaming me for putting her in such an uncomfortable situation?” he wondered.
“Mr. White, are you not going to enter?” the driver asked, puzzled.
“No, just park here for a while,” Callum murmured. He remained seated, silently watching the apartment floor where Lillian was staying through the car window.
“When tomorrow comes, I’ll clear Lillian’s name!” he commented silently.
The next day, a news report revealed that Madeline had been involved with a mysterious man for several years and was that person’s sugar mommy.
Part of the man’s identity was exposed, revealing that he used to work as a nightclub dancer but now lived in a high-end mansion with a housekeeper to serve him due to his involvement with Madeline.
The reporter claimed to have been following Madeline for several years and to have a large collection of photos documenting her secret meetings with the man.
Naturally, some of them were made public on the internet.
Madeline was photographed with the man in intimate situations, including photos of them passionately kissing each other.
Furthermore, the reporter also hinted at having even more shocking
content.
When Madeline finally left Callum’s mansion, she was surrounded by reporters and shown the photos. She realized right away what Callum meant when he asked her to put on an act.
In reality, she was having an affair with that dancer. For those five years, just because she was pursuing Callum did not mean she had remained ascetic.
She, too, had needs and enjoyed watching other men submit to her like subservient dogs.
Those photographs, however, were taken two to three years ago. Madeline could not believe that a reporter with such shocking photos
11:10
had never asked her for a favor in all those years.
Most likely, Callum was the one who supplied the reporter with those photos.
In fact, Callum had been secretly plotting all along. Madeline could not help but be struck by his depth and ruthlessness as she wondered how she had fallen for him in the first place.
“Ms. Tall, do you have any explanation for these photos?” asked one of the reporters.
“You were intimately involved with this man while you were in a
relationship with Mr. White. Could you please explain the nature of your relationship with him? Are you two-timing?” asked another one.
“Do you have any thoughts on your engagement to Mr. White?”
A series of questions bombarded Madeline, and she was now beginning to understand what Lillian had gone through in the past.
“Could this be Callum’s way of punishing me for mistreating Lillian?” she wondered.
Nonetheless, Lillian had Callum come to her rescue back then, and Madeline had no one to help her. Worse, she was forced to put on a show.
Even more shocking news broke the following day. The White family and the Tall family had called off the engagement.
The cancellation of the marriage of convenience was shocking, but not entirely unexpected. However, people were surprised by how swiftly it had been finalized.
Later that day, Madeline held a press conference to clarify the situation. She explained, “In reality, Mr. Callum White and I broke up a long time ago. My boyfriend is the man who has been discovered by the media. However, due to my parents’ objections, I had to approach Mr. White to discuss the possibility of him pretending to be in a relationship with me in front of my parents. Mr. White agreed to help me out because he knew that my boyfriend and I were genuinely in love. I hoped that by keeping up appearances for a while, my parents might eventually change their minds. All of this trouble has been caused by my selfishness, which has caused problems for the White family. Without our knowledge, my parents announced a marriage of convenience between the White family and the Tall family. Mr. White and I had planned to announce the end of our engagement after some time, but we had no idea it would lead to the
11.10
current situation. I deeply regret the trouble and inconvenience I have caused Mr. White and Ms. Lillian Quinn. I would like to clarify that Mr. White and I were never engaged and had already broken up.”
Madeline recited her prepared lines in front of the reporters’ flashlights and microphones, attempting to portray herself as a pitiful woman in love.
At that time, the only thing she could do for herself was pretend to be a pitiful woman in love. Otherwise, she would almost certainly be labeled as a despicable woman.
A reporter asked, “Ms. Tall, will you marry your boyfriend then? How will you deal with it if your parents remain opposed to your relationship?”
“O-Of course I am going to marry him. I believe my parents will eventually understand. Even if they continue to oppose me,
I will not give up.” Madeline pretended to be a strong woman ready to fight for love while secretly cursing the reporter for asking that question.
“But that man used to work as a nightclub dancer, and he’s been involved in some questionable activities. Ms. Tall, are you sure you won’t have any reservations about him?” another reporter asked.
Madeline responded with a smile and said, “I love him for who he is, and his past is irrelevant.”
Inwardly, she was scolding, “How can his past be irrelevant? The Tall family’s reputation would be ruined if I married someone like him. Furthermore, how could a nightclub dancer be a good match for me? I will undoubtedly become a laughingstock in the upper-class cotérie. But for the time being, I must say these words in order to escape my current situation.”
Subsequently, the reporters’ questions mainly revolved around Madeline and the nightclub dancer. Lillian’s predicament appeared to have been largely forgotten.
When Lillian saw the press conference online, she was filled with shock and confusion.
She had not expected her exoneration to be delivered in that manner. “Madeline had another boyfriend, and Callum and Madeline had never planned to marry from the beginning? She even mentioned that they had broken up early in their relationship. What on earth is going on?” she pondered.
Lillian felt that the recent events had unfolded in a series of rapidly
11:10
changing scenes, almost like watching a cliche TV series on television. Not long ago, there was a lot of talk on the internet about the White family and the Tall family’s marriage of convenience. However, on this day, the two families abruptly called off the engagement, and it was discovered that Madeline had another lover.
“Was this what Callum meant when he asked for time and promised to explain himself?” she thought.
Meanwhile, Stephen, Abigail, and Lillian had been following the events online as well.
The relationship between the White family and the Tall family was what they were most concerned about at the time. After all, it would determine whether Lillian could ever live a normal life again.
“Does this mean that Lillian is fine now and that people will stop
gossiping and criticizing her?” Abigail asked.
