Chapter 71: Adverse rumors
After a moment of hesitation, Erica chose to deceive herself with her feelings when giving the answer: “Because you asked me for help. We are friends, so I can’t forgive you when you’re in trouble. towel”. Erica said, avoiding looking at Ansel for too long. She feared that her resolute attempt to conceal her feelings would be shaken.
Erica’s reaction made Ansel feel sad and disappointed. He wanted to explain to Erica that his proposal at the party was real, not fake. He loves her and wants to build a future together. Unfortunately, Erica believes Ansel just needs her help. She did not feel Ansel’s sincere love. Ansel feels that her feelings for Erica are not reciprocated, as she only sees him as a friend. Meanwhile, Erica worries that Ansel will discover her personal feelings with her help. Erica doesn’t want Ansel to know about her unrequited love for him, which will only hurt her even more because she thinks Ansel doesn’t love her.
Ansel felt desperate and didn’t know what to do at this point. He wonders if he should let Erica know about his feelings. He looked at her with hopeful eyes, but she avoided facing him. This made Ansel feel like she had missed an important opportunity to clarify the truth and build a formal relationship with Erica.
Both missed the opportunity to express their feelings and understand each other better. Misunderstandings and difficult thinking make them unable to connect sincerely with each other. They continued to sit on the bench in silence until Erica decided to break the silence.
“Ansel, what do you think now?”
“About what?” Ansel didn’t understand what Erica meant.
“About that offer.” Erica worriedly said, “The proposal is fake; sooner or later it will be discovered. I’m afraid…”
“For now, let’s leave it as it is.” Ansel explained his handling approach: “Erica, can you help me keep this a secret?”
“I’m okay with it, but…”
“I will solve everything satisfactorily. So, you just need to trust me.” Ansel spoke sincerely, and Erica nodded in agreement.
“Thank you.” Ansel expressed his gratitude, and Erica smiled in response.
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After Ansel and his parents left the party, Nika acted as his representative and thanked the guests for attending the evening’s festivities. He then disbanded the gathering, although some guests remained unsatisfied and had unanswered questions. Thanks to Nika’s quick thinking, news of Ansel’s proposal to Erica was prevented from spreading beyond the ballroom. Only those present at the party were aware of the event, and they were sworn to secrecy, especially from reporters. Anyone caught divulging the news would be sued and required to pay compensation.
However, total secrecy was impossible to maintain, as there were people who opposed the Brown family, especially Ansel. One such person quietly leaked the news to the press.
The next day, the bad news about the party reached Ansel’s ears. Although he quickly resolved the issue to quash the rumors, the brief period during which the news circulated caused Brown’s stock to plummet. For the moment, there were no serious consequences, but it was clear that the matter was far from over. Ansel did not need to investigate to know who was behind the incident. It could only be Desi and her family, still harboring resentment over Ansel not choosing her.
Ansel didn’t want the bad news to spread to his parents, so he tried everything he could to hide it. Afterward, he needed to resolve the issue as soon as possible to prevent it from becoming more serious. Ansel decided to meet with Erica and request her help.
At the moment, Ansel and Erica are sitting on a sofa, with Ansel on the right and Erica on the left. Ansel stares intently at Erica, while Erica looks down at the ground, feeling embarrassed and anxious when Ansel suddenly comes to the university to find her.
Ansel is very tense and worried. He knows that news of the leaked proposal could cause significant damage to the Brown company and family. In addition, the news is causing Erica to face public scrutiny on social media. Indeed, Ansel is very angry when he sees comparisons between Erica and Desi on the internet. Most of them think that Erica is inferior to Desi in every way. They also criticize and insult Erica very badly, saying many terrible things about her. They even accuse Erica of being a third party and ruining someone else’s happiness. Desi and her fans are truly frightening. Ansel wants to meet Desi to give her a deserved thrashing, but he has to control himself; otherwise, he will fall into Desi and the Scott family’s trap. Currently, Ansel just wants to salvage the situation and avoid any risks, and he needs to focus on that goal instead.
Ansel continued to look intently at Erica and hesitantly said, “Erica, I’m sorry for the trouble you’re going through because of me.”
“It’s not your fault,” Erica reassured Ansel. “I agreed to help you, so I have to accept the obvious consequences.”
“But it’s not fair to you,” Ansel said, feeling even more remorseful.
“People say what they want; just let it be,” Erica comforted Ansel. “What’s important is that we don’t feel ashamed in our hearts and that we don’t live our lives wrongly.”
Erica’s sincere smile helped Ansel alleviate a lot of his anxiety. “Thank you, Erica. Your kindness has saved me many times,” Ansel sincerely said, and Erica nodded appreciatively.
“Ansel, what are you planning to do now?” Erica asked with concern. “I’m sure you have a plan to deal with this, right?”
“Yes,” Ansel admitted. “That’s why I came to find you.”
“Why did you come to me? Is it related to me?” Erica asked, feeling a bit nervous, when Ansel mentioned he needed her help.
Ansel didn’t hesitate and went straight to the point: “Erica, I know this situation is causing Brown a lot of difficulties and disadvantages. I need your help to avoid any potential risks.” His voice sounded very serious.
“What can I do to help you?” Erica asked cautiously. For some reason, Ansel’s sudden pause made her feel uneasy.
As soon as Erica asked, Ansel quickly spoke up: “Erica, I want to marry you next month. Can you help me with that?”
“What? Married?”
Erica was in complete shock, her eyes wide and her mouth gaping as she stared at Ansel. Ansel simply kept quiet, letting Erica slowly absorb and process all the complicated information he had just imparted to her.