Chapter 85
Chapter 85
Gwendolyn responded by patting him on the back to calm him down. Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
“Since you love her, go all out to pursue her. You have my support, as I'm not the kind who's dogmatic. Your father only succumbed to the discord sowed by your aunt, so give me some time for me to talk to him about it. At the end of the day, the three of us are still one family. Even though your aunt is a daughter of the Chivers family, she has married into another family and is technically an outsider.”
Hugging his mother tighter, Edmund replied in a hoarse voice, “I knew you would understand. Thank you for your understanding. During such times, you don't know how much your support means to me.”
Gwendolyn patted him on the back of his head and answered with a smile, “Go now. Stay by her side in her time of need. Hopefully, I can see the day when both of you come out of this victoriously.”
“All right.”
Inside the hotel, Bailey found out through the internet that Yoel had leaked the paternity report.
Upon contemplating the matter, she quickly guessed what he was up to.
All these people are thoroughly relentless in their attempt to bury me. At this rate, how am I going to have a good relationship with Edmund when the Luther and Chivers families hate my guts? A marriage can only be built on respect. Only by treating the family and friends of one's partner as one's own can a happy marriage be maintained. Now that his family and friends resent me, what future is there to even speak of?
Ding!
The sudden ring from the doorbell snapped her out of her thoughts.
Walking to the foyer to open the room door, she raised her brows instinctively when she was greeted by the sight of a professionally dressed man and woman.
“Are you Ms. Jefferson?”
Giving them a slight nod, Bailey flatly replied, “I am, and you are?”
“We're from the Hallsbay magistrate's court. Two days ago, we have received a case involving you plagiarizing Snowflake's design. After our initial investigations, we have concluded that your design is indeed a case of plagiarism. Therefore, the authorized party of the original designer has filed a lawsuit against you. Ms. Jefferson, we're here to issue you this summons on behalf of the court.”
Bailey let out a gentle sigh before reaching out to accept the summons. “Has the court date been set? I would like to end the case as soon as possible, for I can't even go home now due to the controversy surrounding the matter.”
The staff's lips could not help but twitch.
Does this lady not understand Chanaean? I already told her that this is a clear case of plagiarism in the eyes of the law. Why is she still so sure of her innocence? Even though the rumors claimed that she has ingratiated herself with the Chivers family, I have not seen any legal representation from them to support her.
“We'll separately notify you of the date. Um... Ms. Jefferson, aren't you going to hire a defense lawyer?”
Bailey threw the question back at her. “Are you going to pay for it?”
Not knowing how to reply, the staff scratched her nose before quickly fleeing, as if her life depended on it.
As Bailey curled her lips into a smile, she walked toward Juliana's room and pressed the doorbell.
When the door opened, Juliana appeared in front of her, wrapped only in a towel.
Holding her forehead, Bailey lamented, “You're already twenty-two this year. Where's your sense of vigilance? How can you open the door dressed like that? Aren't you worried someone with hostile intentions defile you on the spot?”
Juliana giggled before pulling her into the room. “I of course looked through the peephole before opening the door.”
Leaning by the door, Bailey waved the court summons at Juliana's face. With knitted brows, she asked, “Have you gotten enough fun out of this yet? If you have, it's time to withdraw the lawsuit.”
“That can't do.” Juliana shook her head at once. “It's rare for me to find something that's so thrilling. How can I withdraw it before I make those jerks suffer? Don't worry, my dear mentor. Just stay here for a few more days. I'll pay for all your expenses, so just let me have a few more days of fun, all right?”
Bailey gave her the side-eye before opening the room door and walking out. “On top of that, add on the living expenses for the three of us for the next five years.”
At her words, Juliana was stumped.
What a materialistic woman.
After leaving Juliana's room, Bailey returned to her suite.
No sooner had she walked to her bed than her phone—which she left on the bed—suddenly rang. When she saw Edmund's name on the caller ID, she kind of had a guess as to why he was calling.
Sliding the phone screen, she was the first to speak. “Edmund, I'm not angry, so there's no need to worry. Besides, Zayron was never a member of the Chivers family. I, too, was speechless when they used the document to stir up the controversy.”
As a deathly silence ensued, all that could be heard was the sound of their respective breaths.
The awkward atmosphere lasted for two to three minutes before Edmund's gentle and magnetic voice rang out from the phone.
“I'm sorry. By the time I found out, they already handed the paternity test report to the media. Initially, I wanted to salvage the situation, but there was no way I could do it due to the huge controversy you were mired in.”
Letting out a chuckle, Bailey replied casually, “You don't have to explain. I hope that your father will change his impression of me after this incident. Edmund, I'm not as wicked as the public is making me out to be. On the contrary, I... Forget it. What's the use of me telling you so much? You're not the one who has misunderstood me. I'm afraid they can only be convinced of the truth with extreme measures.”
“I know,” Edmund replied in a raspy voice. “I have always known that you're someone exceptional in this world. The only reason you're not allowed to shine is that the world's misconception of you has overshadowed your radiance. Just like in this case, I'm very sure that you're capable of resolving the controversy behind the plagiarism incident. That's why I have not deployed the Chivers family's legal team to defend you.”
“Thank you, Edmund. Thank you for being by my side and supporting me during such a difficult time. I'm aware of how much you want to come and see me at the hotel, but I don't want to burden you. You... do understand, right?”
Edmund could not help but smile. “You always read me like a book. To be honest, I'm already at the parking lot opposite your hotel. If you hadn't brought it up, I would have rushed up to see you. It doesn't matter if I can't do anything. I'm just happy to be able to chat.”
Hearing that, Bailey walked to the window. “The last window on the fifth floor of the southeast wing. Do you see me?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“In that case, we can chat on the phone. You can still be by my side this way.”
“Sure.”
At a mansion by the seaside, Artemis was talking to Dwayne over the phone in his study.
Dwayne reported, “For the time being, there's no way to suppress the rumors about the paternity test.
Mrs. Luther probably intends to produce a new test report to show the public that Ms. Bailey had faked the one released today, cementing their impression that she had wanted to ingratiate herself with the Chivers family by pretending her son was one of them.”
Artemis touched his forehead with his hand. Given that Dwayne had thought about it, it went without saying the same thought had crossed his mind.
It looks like the queen at home will not rest until Bailey's reputation is in tatters. If she finds out that Bailey has born a son and daughter for Simon, wouldn't that give her a heart attack?
Just thinking about the mess was enough to give Artemis a headache.
Noticing Artemis' silence, Dwayne probed, “Why don't we announce to the public that Zayron is Simon's son?”