Any reason to cover the truth
Mr Smith’s blood boiled with anger as he scrolled through the students’ platform. The more comments he read, the more his hand tightened around the armrest. His round face flushed in anger and you could see the imaginary smoke coming out of his ears and nose.
He had been in a meeting, setting a business deal with an important client when he got a call from the Stark family, demanding an explanation about the rumour!
“Yes! Rumour It should only ever be a rumour or else!” He threatened coldly and the servants and everyone around him flinched in fear.
“Try to calm down, you can’t believe everything that is going on online! You should try and trust your daughter, she could never do such a thing” Mrs Smith voiced, trying to get her husband to calm down before their daughter returned home.
Knowing his temper, she was scared he’d do something that would hurt her. “You expect me to calm down in this situation? The Stark family is trying to break off the engagement and they have threatened to withdraw their investments in our company if we don’t give them an explanation! And you are expecting me to calm down?” He yelled.
“How do you expect me to fund a project worth a billion dollars without their support?” He questioned and Mrs Smith frowned.
“You have to trust our daughter, she could never do such a thing! They must be photoshopped pictures! We should ask Lily for an explanation, she shouldn’t slander our daughter like that! Why would she post such things?” She argued and Lily’s mother who had been standing at the side with her husband felt an urge to slap the woman. She scoffed and turned away to leave after glaring at her
“With or without the explanation, my family will no longer work with you again! What has my daughter done to be slandered like that? Sleep with your impotent son?! God forbid! Us beg from you? I’d rather die starving! My daughter will not be giving any explanation!” She said at the top of her voice while she moved around to pack her things.
Hearing her words, Mr Smith’s eyes twitched and his hold on the armrest tightened even further, he glared at his wife and stomped off to the study room while gesturing for Lily’s father to follow him.
“Your daughter went too far! Even if they both had a fallout, was she meant to post such a thing, knowing it would affect our family’s name? Couldn’t she have come home to settle things?” Mr Smith asked angrily as they walked into the study.
“Your daughter started it, Mr Smith, they are both young, you shouldn’t expect Lily not to have a temper” Lily’s father replied with a solemn tone, further fueling Mr Smith and ego.
“Call her home and ask her to delete the post this instant, then she will apologise to Meridsa on her school page just as she had made the post and we can both forget all this is happening or else!” he threatened, thinking he could make Lily take the fall and they could settle everything with the Stark family.
Lily’s fathered face darkened at the threat “Or else what? We will lose our job working with you? We are already leaving!” he replied angrily.
“I don’t think I need to remind you who started this in the first place. Not only was it your daughter who pushed mine down the stairs for the competition spot, but she even instigated others to spread rumours about her, for what? What did we do to you?” he asked.
Despite being as angry as his wife, he was able to keep his calm as the head of the family. Mr Smith, shocked at the man’s outburst, remained silent for a brief moment, trying to find his way around. If they wanted to clear things off with the Stark family, they would need Lily to verify that the story was not true.
He took a deep breath. “My daughter was just being young and ignorant about life, I’m sure she didn’t mean anything she said in those clips” he started. “I will ask people to take it down and then we can settle this within our families. We will compensate you massively” he offered and the other man shook his head.
“We do not need your compensation. Who would have thought our family’s hard work for yours is considered begging? Did you not notice? There are a lot of things wrong with what your daughter did, we knew back then in the hospital who the culprit was but we said nothing, hoping she would learn her lesson and change, but no” he breathed out.
“I can’t allow my daughter to continue to suffer the grievance quietly. I quit, you and your family can keep your job and your charity” he announced and walked out of the study to see his wife waiting impatiently by the door.
He smiled at her and held her hands as they began to walk away. Mr Smith kicked off the small table at the centre of the study, scattering its content everywhere. His phone went off and his face palmed.
“Hello Chairman Stark” he greeted with a nervous chuckle.
“Mr Smith, we are still awaiting an explanation from you and your daughter! Did you not know our Stark family and that young man’s family are rivals that should not stay under the same roof?” The old man demanded and Mr Smith’s heart sank.
“It is not as the rumour says Chairman Stark, my daughter would never do such a thing. I’m waiting for her to come back from school right now and I will bring her to you for an explanation”
“You expect my family to marry someone already used by the Brent scum family? Never! I am withdrawing my investments in the state construction project! You ungrateful rascal!” He announced and cut off the line.
Mr Smith sank into the chair with a defeated look and pulled his hair in frustration. Merissa walked in to see Lily’s family leaving their house. She pursed her lips and put on an innocent face.
“I did not do any of those! They are lies!” She rushed to them and announced while holding Lily’s mother’s arm.
“What did you not do?” Chloe asked in annoyance, shrugging off Merissa’s hand. “You didn’t push her off the stairs or you didn’t say all those hate-filled words towards her? I can only imagine what my daughter has put up with just so we can continue to work with you and even that you see our hard work as your charity! May karma visit you in ten folds!” She sneered and pushed Merissa out of the way.
Mrs Smith moved forward angrily after seeing her daughter being pushed. “What is your problem? What has my daughter done to your family for her to be slandered? She even apologised and you pushed her! You all are just hateful and jealous!” She yelled and Chloe snapped.
She dropped the bag in her hand and turned to face Mrs Smith. “You expect me to believe that your scheming daughter who takes after you did nothing to my daughter? Hmph, forget it! I will not stoop to your level! Continue using your power to bully the poor! Heaven is watching and it will make the perfect judgement on scoundrels like you!” She yelled into Mrs Smith’s face.
“Your family can only bark! You cannot do anything to my daughter! Wait till the post is taken down and we prove it’s all fake! Your daughter will face a lawsuit!” Mrs Smith threatened, trying to scare them away, but the threat backfired as Lily walked in, still dressed in her attire from the restaurant.
“You want to sue my family? Fine, we will meet you in court and let’s see which one of us will get locked up!” She declared firmly, startling the mother and daughter.
Mrs Smith opened and closed her mouth, unable to say a thing, she wasn’t sure how much more evidence Lily had about the things she had done, and running her mouth would only pull her family deeper into the abyss.
She could tell that the Lily standing there with a daring look is different from the former Lily who could easily be manipulated and scared. “Come on, let’s go. You can no longer work for this kind of people!” Lily announced and dragged her parents away.
“Wait!” Mr Smith called out as he exited the study room to see Lily and Merissa had arrived. “We will compensate you for the damage that our daughter has done, as long as you clarify that the things you posted were lies” he offered and Lily scoffed.
“Are they lies?” Mr Smith, you can ask your daughter about it. I even have video proof to show you they aren’t lies and I don’t have any reason to cover the truth” she replied while shooting Merissa a meaningful glare.
Merissa shivered while trying to hide behind her mother. Mr Smith looked at his wife and daughter and pursed his lips. “If the Stark family break up the engagement with Merissa, we will lose a large investment, can you please do this for us? I promise your family will not be treated poorly in the future. Your parents’ salary will also be doubled!” He offered once again.NôvelDrama.Org: owner of this content.
Thinking his daughter would compromise, Lily’s father tapped her shoulder. “We don’t need your charity, Mr Smith, I will keep the post there and depending on my mood, I will post the videos in a few days. If you threaten my family because of this, be ready to have your daughter’s reputation ruined forever!” She threatened and walked away.
Merissa stepped forward, wanting to say a few words but as the image of the golden card flashed through her mind, she swallowed her words and turned to her mother with an aggrieved expression and tear-filled eyes.
“Can’t you have other people take down the post? My reputation in the school is already ruined and I may end up being kicked out if it stays for long” She cried and Mr Smith’s face contoured in anger.
“Get your daughter dressed, we are going to appease Young Master Zayn!”