Chapter 6 Public Relations Nightmare
The next day, before Kate even woke from her sleep, news of yesterday's engagement party had already spread like wildfire, dominating the top three trending topics on social media.
In the trending posts, a large photo of Ethan placing a ring on Kate's finger was prominently displayed. Most comments were attacking Kate.
[What a gold-digger! How dare she seduce our handsome billionaire Ethan? She has no shame! My Prince Charming, my Mr. Levington!]
[Weren't Ethan and Sophia childhood sweethearts? How could she steal her own sister's man? She has absolutely no moral boundaries!]
[I can't take this anymore! I'm going to expose her for who she really is!]
The online attacks continued relentlessly. The few supporters who tried to defend Kate were quickly bullied into silence by other users.
Richard read these comments, his temple throbbing with anger.
Ungrateful daughter! Truly ungrateful!
She had completely destroyed the Jennings family reputation!
"Where is Kate? Where is she?" Richard slammed his fist on the table, startling Sophia.
Sophia pursed her lips, hesitating before speaking. "Kate... Kate is... she's at Ethan's place. She didn't come home last night, so I assume..."
What?
This rebellious daughter had spent the night at another man's house? Did she truly believe she could be with Ethan? Delusional!
Ethan had always been at odds with the Jennings family. If Kate were to ally herself with him, it would be extremely detrimental to the Jennings family. Richard would never allow it.
He frowned and was about to stand up, planning to personally bring Kate back, but before he could make a move, the doorbell rang.
Sophia went to answer it. It was Blake.
She was about to speak when Blake shook his head slightly. Sophia then noticed that Blake's parents, Dashiell and Laura Hamilton, had also arrived.
"Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton," she greeted politely. The Hamiltons looked displeased, barely acknowledging Sophia with a glance. Sophia's brow furrowed slightly, but she said nothing.
Sophia invited them in, and Richard immediately put on a smile when he saw them.
The Hamilton family held a higher social standing than the Jennings family.
But Kate's mother was different. Elizabeth Morgan had been the only daughter of the Morgan family. When the Morgan family had only Elizabeth left, all their assets went to her.
Before her death, Elizabeth had made a will stating that after Kate's marriage, all the property would go to her only daughter. Until then, the assets would be managed by a proxy lawyer.
That was why Blake's marriage to Kate was motivated by her wealth.
As for Richard, he was merely a social climber whom the Hamiltons barely acknowledged.
"My dear in-laws," Richard began.
"Hold it right there. Whether we're in-laws is still uncertain," Dashiell interrupted sharply. "Mr. Jennings, we had an agreement. Blake and Kate would get married, with the assets split 20-80. What's happening now? Is the Jennings family backing out of our deal?"
Dashiell angrily slammed the table. Richard's expression shifted slightly.
They had clearly come to settle accounts, but with Kate absent and Richard unaware of the full situation, he could only try to stall.
"Of course not. This situation caught us all by surprise. I'm as clueless as you are. Perhaps you should go back and wait until—"
"Wait? Until when?" Dashiell cut him off. "Mr. Jennings, Blake agreed to marry up your family despite all the gossip he had to endure. Now he's been completely humiliated. You need to give us an explanation right now!"
Dashiell was relentless. Richard was sweating profusely. He glanced at Sophia, silently asking for her help.
Sophia quickly served coffee to everyone.
"Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton, please give us a little more time. Within twenty-four hours, we'll provide you with a satisfactory resolution. Rest assured, we won't let the Hamilton family's reputation suffer."
"Can you guarantee that?" Laura was equally formidable. Sophia found herself at a loss for words. She glanced at Blake, who immediately spoke up.
"Dad, Mom, that's enough for now."
The Hamiltons relented. They agreed to give one more day before departing.
After they left, Richard's expression darkened considerably.
The Hamiltons were becoming increasingly presumptuous.
If not for the ongoing business collaboration between Jennings Group and Hamilton Enterprises, he would never tolerate their attitude.
And Blake—clearly he had deliberately brought his parents to cause trouble. They were all jerks.
Richard's headache intensified. Coming back to his senses, he quickly instructed Sophia to gather people to find Kate, but Sophia frowned and stopped him.
"Dad, we can't afford to offend Ethan."
Blake frowned. "We can't afford to offend him, but what choice do we have? If Kate doesn't return, we can't resolve this situation. She—"
"Dad, that's not the right approach," Sophia interrupted.
"What do you mean?" Blake asked.
"Instead, why don't the Hamilton family and our family hold a joint press conference? We can put all the blame on Kate and push all the problems onto her. This way, both families can maintain their dignity, and the sacrifice is minimal."
"It's just unfortunate for Kate," Sophia added with a sigh of mock sympathy. Richard laughed coldly.
"Unfortunate for her? She deserves it. Let's do as you suggest. Contact Blake—I don't want to deal with the Hamiltons myself."
Richard went upstairs with a cold expression. Sophia watched him leave, then picked up her phone with a satisfied smile.
Soon, the PR departments of both Hamilton Enterprises and Jennings Group sprang into action. Milan, who had been monitoring both companies, immediately received the news.
He rushed to Ethan's mansion.
"Mr. Levington."
"Keep your voice down. She's sleeping," Ethan said, wearing his loungewear. He sat on the sofa as Milan unconsciously glanced upstairs, swallowing nervously.
Surely Ethan and Kate hadn't...
"What is it? Speak," Ethan took a sip of coffee, snapping Milan back to attention.
"The Jennings and Hamilton families are making moves. They're planning to blame everything on Ms. Jennings. Should we—"
Blame it all on Kate?
Ethan laughed coldly.
The tactics of these two families were exactly as he had expected. As for what to do next, Ethan glanced upstairs.
The guest room door was closed. It was already noon, yet Kate was still asleep. Her sleep quality was surprisingly good.
Now her reputation was about to be destroyed. What would she do? He was genuinely curious about how she would handle this situation.
"Wait for my instructions," he said, waving his hand. Milan left, and after he departed, Ethan went upstairs. He approached Kate's door, intending to knock, but instead gently pressed down on the handle.
"Ethan!"
Kate was right at the door, startling him.
He had assumed she was still sleeping and hadn't knocked. Seeing her mischievous smile now, Ethan suddenly felt disinclined to speak.
Was she trying to scare him?
Given that the Hamilton and Jennings families were planning to pin everything on her, he almost didn't want to tell her. Perhaps Kate already knew—was this some kind of sympathy play?
Ethan narrowed his eyes and was about to leave when Kate hugged him tighter.
He thought, 'Wait, the Hamilton and Jennings families want to make her the scapegoat? No way!'