“Repeat what you just said.” Kendrick’s tone was light, but every word cut into the air like slabs of ice.
The man shrunk backward, but the thought of the hefty bribe had him pointing at Niamh as he gathered his courage to speak again.
“You want me to repeat myself? Eveline Montgomery is a flirtatious woman who cheats. Who knows what more shameful things the two of you have done, but you’re still here pretending that you did nothing wrong. She’s just a who—ugh!”
The man’s speech was interrupted by Kendrick suddenly wrapping his hand around his neck.
The man was being suffocated, his face quickly flushing red.
“My God!” someone screamed.
“Glendale’s number one young master is killing someone!”
Not wanting Kendrick to be pushed to the spotlight by comments, Niamh went up to stop him when Kendrick suddenly flung the man aside.
Sitting on the floor, the man took a deep breath and scooted backward as he stared at an enraged Kendrick, feeling terrified.
Kendrick stood like a prince, glaring at the man from above with his all-consuming gaze. “Instead of wasting my saliva on people like you who claim that you’re doing this for justice yet all you do is jump to conclusions and slander before you know the truth, how about I show you evidence instead?”
Evidence?
Niamh was confused as well.
She had indeed left the house to go to the lab, but she did not want Kendrick to deal with the horrible comments online by herself.
Even if someone were to scold her for cheating, she would just admit to it.
There was no way she would have Kendrick deal with all of this alone.
No matter what was to come, she would stand by his side through the humiliation of it all!
Niamh watched Kendrick pick up a call, and it was followed by the sound of phone notifications going off all around them.
Niamh’s phone also received a push notification.
Kendrick’s voice sounded unrushed as he spoke, “The latest trending story is out. If you’re not completely blind, then read it.”
He glared sharply at the reporter on the ground.
“Read it, then get up and apologize to my wife.”
Wife.
He so boldly referred to Niamh as his wife in front of everyone.
Everyone there clicked into the trending story to read the newest push notification.
It was an official statement from the international criminal investigation organization, IBCI.
With a few curt sentences, the statement clarified that both Ryan and Kendrick were members of the IBCI. It also stressed that Ryan had merely gotten married to Niamh because it was part of his mission from his superior.
Ryan was merely carrying out his mission. He was not Niamh’s husband, and the relationship between them was no further than that of the protector and the protectee.
Niamh was shocked to see such a statement as well.
Comments online started to side with Niamh and Kendrick now. The netizens who had left the harshest comments from before suddenly seemed to have disappeared.
“What? IBCI? Isn’t that the international criminal investigation organization with the highest authority?”
“Yeah! I saw them in movies before. The IBCI is very cool!”
“So Mr. Waldburg and Ryan are both IBCI members, huh…” Many of their tones and attitudes had changed after they read the grand official statement.
They now knew that Niamh and Ryan were only married for image’s sake and that Niamh and Kendrick were not having an affair in secret.
That was why they could be out in the open without fear.
Many of them felt regretful but were also relieved that they had only uttered a few sentences here and there. Everyone then turned to the reporter who had basically thrown himself at Kendrick’s wrath.
The man had now shrunk.
Kendrick walked up to him and asked coldly, “Are your eyes blind? Did you read the statement?”
The man’s complexion paled as he shook his head frightfully. “Not, not blind… I read it, I read it…”
“Then roll over and apologize to my wife now.” Kendrick’s aura was overpowering.
The man crawled over to Niamh’s feet. “I’m sorry, Miss Montgomery, no, Mrs. Waldburg. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I spoke, so don’t think much about what I say.”
“You weren’t thinking?” Niamh found the atrocity hilarious. “You don’t have to apologize, but be rest assured that I’ll follow up with you regarding the defamation of my husband’s and my reputation. We don’t need unethical reporters like you.”
“…” The person never expected to lose his career because of this and fell back on the floor with his face ashen.
The crowd apologized as well, but Kendrick paid them no heed.
Holding Niamh’s hand, he walked into Waldburg Corporation with his head held high.
Niamh looked up to stare at the unfazed man as admiration swirled in her eyes.
She followed him into the elevator and was about to ask him about the official statement when she received a document from the lab on her phone.
Niamh had changed her mind at the last minute and did not go to the lab, so the chemist typed the results into a comprehensible report instead and sent it over to her in the form of an email.
Yet with Kendrick by her side, she did not dare open it in front of him.
If he did not want her to know that he had not fully recovered, then she would not cut through his facade.
“Didn’t I tell you to wait for me at home, Nia? Why did you follow me out?” Kendrick’s curious and soft tone drifted over.
Niamh kept her phone and looked up to meet the man’s heartbreaking gaze. “Didn’t we agree to face everything together in the future? I won’t let you stand in the spotlight by yourself for everyone to scrutinize.”
Kendrick gave an understanding smile and caressed the top of Niamh’s head. “Nia.”
“Did you have the IBCI send out the official statement?” It was Niamh’s turn to ask questions.
Kendrick nodded. “I told you I’d deal with this. I won’t let anyone slander you.”
At that moment, Niamh felt the true meaning of being protected and kept safe.
True protection was when the heart itself felt safe.
On Ryan’s end, the man was re-reading the IBCI’s official statement.
His elegant features grew cold as he rifled through his contacts for a number. He soon found the one he was looking for and dialed it.
“What’s with the official report online?” he questioned his subordinate.
The same man who caught Lana with Kendrick replied truthfully, “It was an order from the higher-ups. I only just saw it too.”
“Higher-ups?” Ryan frowned. “Since when did Kendrick go to IBCI’s headquarters? Who did he meet there?”
The person responded in confusion, “I have no idea as well. All I know is that someone gave Kendrick a trial fix for his slow-acting poison, so he’s not in any life-threatening danger right now. I’d say it’s quite the good news.”
Good news?
Ryan scoffed and hung up the phone.
Kendrick evidently knew something about Ryan he should not, and with every other day that man was alive, the greater a threat he would pose.
As far as Ryan was concerned, it was a bad thing.
Ryan decided to rethink the plan to control Kendrick when Mrs. Jones suddenly opened his room door and entered with a huff as she pointed at her phone. “What’s this, Rye? Why are you suddenly a member of this international criminal investigation organization?
“It says here that you and Eveline are only married because it was a mission from your superiors and you’re husband and wife only in name. Is that true?”
Ryan’s expression fell as he replaced it with a look of frustration. “I’m indeed a member of the IBCI, but my marriage with Eveline is real.”
“But the official statement says—”
“That’s to save Kendrick’s dignity as a member of the IBCI, or they wouldn’t need to post such a twisted statement.”
“What? So they’ll make you the bad guy just to save Kendrick’s dignity?” Mrs. Jones was infuriated.
Ryan sighed hopelessly. “This isn’t something you and Dad should trouble yourselves with. I’ll deal with this myself.”
“Are you still not going to divorce Eveline? She already told the public that Kendrick is her husband. You don’t even matter to her at all.”
The words were sharp against Ryan’s ears, but he replied gently, “I won’t divorce Eveline. I’ll make her realize my worth someday.”
His tone was confident, for he had the ultimate bargaining chip.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.