Winning Her Heart Back

 The Wife Murderer

A few photos and short clips without any audio circulated, leaving their conversation a mystery. Despite that, the ambiguity only fueled curiosity.

Henry's body was still warm in the ward, and yet his son and his wife were fighting for his inheritance outside of his ward. The situation sparked moral outrage and gossip, offering plenty to discuss.

Given William's prior notoriety, he was already known on social media. The news quickly went viral, sparking widespread online debate by the afternoon.

The photos showed William confronting Vanessa with his bodyguards. Because of that, the public mostly sided with Vanessa. Many critics condemned William for bullying his stepmother and using force against her.

The Cloudex Corporation's PR department noticed the backlash and quickly paid to suppress the trending topic.

However, someone was pushing the story from behind the scenes. Whenever Cloudex suppressed the hastag, another quickly came up. Their attempt only fueled the public's interest, making the backlash more intense.

William was once labeled as the "business prince", but now he was seen to be worse than a beast.

The Cloudex's PR department was afraid of making any rash moves, so they called Ashton for guidance, William was at the Middleton family's funeral hall when Ashton took the call. She said, "Mr. Middleton's priority is Mr. Middleton Senior's funeral. Everything else can wait."

Everything else can wait? Were they supposed to let the public outrage spiral out of control?

They could tell Vanessa was going after the family's inheritance. It was obvious that it was her ploy to pressure William through public opinion. She was trying to ruin his reputation and potentially damage the Cloudex Corporation's stock prices.

If things continued, William's reputation would be dragged through the mud. The company's stock value would also be faced with a significant risk. It could potentially cost everyone their jobs.

The PR team was practically in tears, begging Ashton for help. But what Ashton could do?

She glanced at William, who was dressed in a black suit. As he stood there, his expression was cold and indifferent. Even the flickering candlelight beside him failed to warm his expression.NôvelDrama.Org: owner of this content.

William was too distant and unapproachable. Ashton wasn't Emelie; she didn't dare challenge him. The PR team was utterly helpless, not knowing what to do.

It was unclear who stoked the flames, but the situation became even worse. Someone had spread the news that the Aurora Group had terminated its partnership with the Xanther Group.

Everyone knew that Arsen was the first and most significant partner of the Xanther Group. So why did the collaboration suddenly end?

It was hard not to suspect that the Xanther Group was involved in something shady. The Cloudex Corporation was also caught among the speculation too, since the topic of the power struggle between the son and the stepmother was still trending online.

The investors were quick to react, and they started dumping their stocks. Before Henry's funeral was over, the stock prices of both the Xanther Group and Cloudex had already dropped. This was unprecedented in the last three years.

Charles, Beathan, and Bryan arrived at the Middleton family funeral hall. They paid their respects to Henry, then pulled William aside to talk.

However, they weren't here to discuss the stock price drop. "We managed to stop a news story that might have blown up. The headline was: "William Middleton Murdered His Wife,"

William tugged at his lips.

Beathan adjusted his glasses. As he stood in the backlight, his eyes resembled a snake behind his lense. "Who do you think is behind that? Vanessa? Or Ms. Hoven?" he asked.

As they stepped outside, the previously somber funeral hall suddenly turned chaotic. Vanessa had shown up with police and reporters.

"It's him! He killed his wife three years ago and threw her body into the sea! Arrest this murderer!" she announced, pointing at William.