Novel Square
57
As Nelly went upstairs to shower, she was bombarded by messages from her fellow colleagues from the company in their chat group.
The screen of her device was suddenly flooded with hundreds of messages, all discussing the confession made by Morris Corporation and the extravagant gift of a Rolls-Royce Phantom.
Among the photos that were shared, one stood out with its sharp clarity, capturing the eye-catching red sports car.
Thankfully, none of the pictures revealed Nelly ‘s true identity.
Curiosity piqued, a netizen commented, “Is this reporter purposely avoiding showing her face?”
“Could they be filming something?” another speculated, noting how Nelly resembled a movie star.
“Don’t see any cameras or equipment around. Highly unlikely they are filming. But she does look incredible,” someone else chimed in.
“They probably only took pictures of her back because it looks better than her front,” another netizen speculated.
“I’m dying to know what she looks like. Anyone have any information?” pleaded yet another netizen.
“Also, can we talk about that amazing skirt she’s wearing? Any leads?” questioned someone else.
The comments flooded in, all focused on Nelly , completely disregarding the sports car.
Nevertheless, Nelly furrowed her eyebrows in dissatisfaction. Judging from the timestamps, the news had been circulating for a while.
“Who took these pictures?” Nelly inquired.
A playful netizen responded, “We don’t know, but they were obviously taken from a distance, Ms. Jackson . If this continues, your true identity as Ms. Wealthy will be exposed.”
Another netizen chimed in, “I could add your face to the pictures and shut the haters up. Are you okay with that, Ms. Jackson ?”
Nelly simply replied, “Why don’t you give it a try.”
Immediately, the netizen followed her suggestion and uploaded an edited photo.
Nelly dried her hair and tossed the towel aside before turning on her computer. With a few clicks on the keyboard, she effortlessly wiped the content from the internet.
One of the netizens noticed and asked, “What did you all do? Why are the news articles gone?”
Others attempted to refresh the page but failed to find any trace of the articles.
Someone mentioned Nelly in a comment, saying, “It’s you, isn’t it, Ms. Wealthy? Just because you’re a programmer doesn’t mean you can abuse your power and stop our gossip.”
Nelly left one final reply before shutting down her computer: “It’s best to steer clear of false information. Otherwise, you’ll be led astray!”
The netizens immediately went into a frenzy.
Eventually, they reached a consensus: gossiping about a programmer was a terrible idea.
Despite the removal of the news articles, they had already reached a large number of people, including Tony, Ben, and Donna.
“The car was gifted by Alpha Kilian?” Ben asked, gathering with his siblings around a phone.
Tony raised an eyebrow in confusion. “But Nelly said she bought it.”
“Then how do you explain this news article?” Ben questioned. “They look exactly the same! It was reported on the same day. It’s unlikely to be fake, don’t you think?”
Tony fell silent, and Donna spoke up, “Do you think Nelly is lying to us, that’s why she said she bought it?”
“Nelly wouldn’t lie,” Tony defended her.
“Does that mean Nelly bought it from Alpha Kilian?” Ben guessed.
The three siblings fell into deep thought for a moment before Donna let her imagination run wild. “Maybe Mr. Handsome confessed his love to Mommy but got rejected, so he decided to gift her the car instead. And then Mommy proudly offered to buy it from him.”
Impressed by Donna’s creativity, her siblings gave her a thumbs-up.
“But doesn’t Alpha Kilian have a girlfriend?” Ben questioned.
Again, they fell into silence. Finally, Tony exclaimed, “That scumbag!”
Donna disagreed, “I don’t think so. I’ve seen the woman, and Mr. Handsome didn’t seem close to her. So that’s probably not true. Besides, Nelly is much prettier than her.”
“Are you sure?” Ben and Tony looked at their sister, silently asking her to elaborate.
With confidence, Donna asserted, “In terms of looks, I’m a hundred percent sure.”
The three checked the news again, only to find that the articles had been removed.
“Someone must have taken down the articles about Nelly,” Ben stated, putting his phone away.
“Looks like Mr. Handsome is probably Dad,” Tony concluded.
Upon hearing this, Ben turned to Tony. “Any updates from Sara?”
“He’s probably busy with his missions. I couldn’t reach him, but the results should be out already.”
“Why does he have to keep us hanging like this? It’s supposed to be a minor matter, but he’s got me all worked up,” Ben complained, furrowing his brows.
While the three whispered to each other, Nelly suddenly emerged from her room.
They quickly dispersed, trying to act nonchalant.
“What are you guys plotting again?” Nelly questioned, narrowing her eyes at them.
As usual, Ben and Tony remained silent, pushing Donna to the front.
“Mommy, I just saw someone who looks like you on the news,” Donna chuckled mischievously.
Nelly was taken aback, realizing she wasn’t as quick as she thought.
“Actually, it was you,” Donna clarified. “Not everyone can look as beautiful as you.”
Nelly nodded, appreciating the compliment. “And?”
“Did you get the car from an admirer?” Donna asked with a raised eyebrow, revealing her true intentions.
Knowing exactly what her children were thinking, Nelly shook her head firmly. “If it were true, do you think I wouldn’t tell you?”
“But the car-”
“It was a gift from a friend of Grandpa’s. He treats me like his own granddaughter, but I politely declined and bought it from him instead,” Nelly explained.
Ben rolled his eyes at Nelly, seeing through her crafty choice of words. Donna, on the other hand, nodded with a touch of seriousness. “I see. He must be a very generous man, just like Gramps, isn’t he, Mommy?”Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g
Nelly chuckled, replying, “Yes, indeed.”
“Can I meet him?” Donna pleaded.
Nelly hesitated, unsure of how to answer.
“That’s not fair, Mommy!” Ben protested, pointing at Donna.
Nelly smiled. “Look how adorable she is. I think I’ll keep her by my side.”
Ben reluctantly went along with his mother’s decision. “Whatever, Mom. The unfairness in this family is unbearable!”
Donna playfully leaned against Nelly, exclaiming, “Don’t be jealous, Ben. Since I’m so lovable, you should appreciate me too.”
Nelly tried to suppress her emotions, diverting her attention to Tony and Ben. “Anything else, boys?”
“No,” they both replied, shaking their heads.
“In that case, go help your Gramps in the kitchen,” Nelly instructed.
Tony immediately followed her command, but Ben pointed at Donna. “What about her?”
“Isn’t she adorable? I think I’ll keep her close to me,” Nelly replied, causing Ben to protest.
“You’ve got a problem with that?”
Though not thrilled with his mother’s decision, Ben didn’t press the matter. “Nope. The unfairness in this family is truly unbearable!”
“Stop being jealous, Ben. Mommy loves us all,” Donna playfully teased, leaning against Nelly with a smile.