Novel Square
Chapter 11
The private room suddenly got really quiet, but Audrey didn’t seem to notice. She kept playing a game on her phone with Brian. Suddenly, she got a message from Carly. [Baby, why don’t you come see me? Don’t you love me anymore?]
Audrey replied, [I’ll come see you in a couple of days!]
Carly: [I’ll be waiting!]
Audrey: [See you then!]
After replying, Audrey went back to playing the game with Brian. The only sound in the room was them playing. Audrey’s character in the game was surrounded by five enemies. She took down four of them and was about to attack the fifth when a news alert popped up on her screen. It read, “Popular actress visits the Clifford family with her parents, warmly welcomed by Dylan Clifford. Rumors say they’re getting engaged.”
After seeing the news, Audrey heard her character get defeated. She pouted and put her phone aside, annoyed.
Brian finished his game and put his phone down too. He kept glancing over at Dylan, frowning a bit.
Neither Dylan nor Audrey spoke, making the room feel awkwardly quiet until Dylan’s phone rang.
Dylan answered, hearing Cade asking, “Mr. Clifford, are you really getting engaged to that Sarah?”
Dylan frowned, annoyed. “What engagement?”
“You don’t know? The news about you and Sarah’s engagement is all over the internet! Everyone’s talking about it! I already shared the link in the group.”
“Hold on!” Dylan frowned and checked the group chat, seeing Andrew and Shawn also asking about it.
After reading the news, Dylan coldly posted in the group chat. [Sarah? I don’t know her!]
Shawn immediately replied in the group chat. [Aren’t you at the Clifford family \mansion?]
Dylan raised his phone and snapped a picture of his surroundings, sending it to the group. The photo showed a bit of Audrey’s hand, delicate and clearly a girl’s hand.
Shawn: [Are you out with a woman?]
Dylan: [Yeah, with my girlfriend.]
Andrew, Shawn, and Cade all fell silent.
Dylan exited the group chat and said coldly into the phone still connected to Cade, “Use your account to clear up the rumors.” With that, he hung up.
Cade silently rolled his eyes, wondering why these annoying tasks always fell to him.
Cade was the CEO of a game mpany called Jurassic King, and he had a verified account online. He took two minutes to craft a message and then posted it with his account. “Hey, guys, I know everyone’s curious if certain news is true. I just got the answer from Mr. Clifford.”
Attached was a screenshot of Dylan’s earlier group message.
Sarah, knowing she was going to the Clifford family house for lunch today, had her assistant contact reporter
to stake out near the house. She told them to take pictures of her entering the Clifford family mansion and to write in the news that she was warmly welcomed by Dylan, hinting at their engagement.
Sarah had been heavily criticized online yesterday, so she came up with this plan to save her reputation. To ensure its success, she even paid to make it a trending topic. But save her reputation. To ensure its s to her shock, the rumor was exposed as fake news just ten minutes after it started trending.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.
Cade’s post quickly became a trending topic, and everyone online started mocking and insulting Sarah.
“What a shameless bitch. She made everyone think Dylan personally welcomed her, but he wasn’t even at the Clifford family mansion! She’s such a clown!”
“Looks like Dylan already has a girlfriend? So Sarah is a homewrecker? Wow, like mother, like daughter!”
“I used to think she was pretty and kind, now I find her disgusting!”
At the Clifford family mansion, Sarah was chatting with Claire, feeling a bit down because she was there to discuss her engagement to Dylan, but Dylan wasn’t home.
“How about the 5th of next month? That date looks pretty good!” Claire suggested, looking at a calendar.
“Sounds great! We’ll go with your choice!” Rebecca said with a smile, then frowned, adding, “But if we set the date like this, won’t Mr. Clifford have an opinion?”
The Hernandez family was wealthy, but nowhere near as rich as the Clifford family. Ten Hernandez families couldn’t match the Clifford family’s wealth. Plus, Dylan was the most respected man in Northville. Rebecca didn’t dare to offend him.
Hearing Dylan’s name, Claire’s expression turned slightly displeased. She said, “Don’t worry, if I set the date, he won’t dare to oppose it!”
“That’s great.” Rebecca felt relieved hearing Claire’s words.
Sarah sat quietly beside them. Suddenly, she noticed her phone buzzing in her bag. Glancing at Rebecca and Claire who were still chatting, she stepped aside to take the call.
“Don’t you know I have important things to do today? Why are you calling me non- stop?” Sarah said impatiently.
“Sarah, it’s urgent! You better check the news online and come back to the office quickly!” her assistant said urgently.
“Got it!” Sarah snapped, hanging up. She opened her phone to check the news, and her face turned pale as she read.
Sarah was shocked. She had planned everything perfectly and couldn’t understand why Cade would suddenly post a message at this moment. Suddenly, Audrey’s face popped into her mind. She was sure the hand in Dylan’s photo belonged to Audrey. She had long suspected Audrey was back for revenge, trying to steal Dylan from her. Now, she was even more convinced.
“Sarah, don’t just stand there. Come over and talk to Mrs. Clifford!” Rebecca called out, but was surprised to see Sarah’s face twisted in anger.
Noticing Rebecca looking at her, Sarah quickly changed her expression to one of sadness and pity. Her eyes filled with tears, and Rebecca felt a pang of sympathy.
“Sarah, what’s wrong? Tell me why you’re upset,” Rebecca asked with concern.
William and Claire also looked at Sarah. Seeing her sad and teary–eyed, William felt his heart ache. “Sarah, tell us what’s going on.”
“Mom, Dad, how could Dylan do this to me?” Sarah’s expression grew more sorrowful as tears streamed down her face.
At the mention of Dylan, Claire’s expression changed. “Sarah, what happened? Did Dylan hurt you? Tell me, and I’ll make sure he pays for it!”
“Dylan is with my sister!” Sarah shouted.