CHAPTER 157: CHAPTER 157: WEIBO

The next day, Jean Ellison woke up and habitually picked up her phone from the bedside to check the time, only to have her attention caught by a local hot news headline.

"Is a marriage imminent between the Holdens and the Sutton family of Kingswell? Leah Sutton, the seventh daughter, suspected to be pregnant!"

Her fingers paused for a moment before she clicked into the article.

The article was written quite convincingly, claiming that numerous insiders had revealed that Young Master Holden and Leah Sutton, the seventh daughter of the Sutton family, were about to have a happy event. Leah was already several months pregnant, and the two families were soon to officially hold the wedding.

There was also a slightly blurred photo showing Leah’s slightly protruding belly, wearing maternity clothes and flat shoes while undergoing a prenatal checkup.

Jean Ellison scrolled down expressionlessly, finding the comments section quite lively.

"A match between a talented man and a beautiful woman, truly a match made in heaven!"

"Unwed pregnancy? They’re getting married only when the baby is almost born? Was this an ultimatum that succeeded?"

"Is Young Master Holden referring to Lawyer Justin Holden? I saw him at a business forum last week, and there was no mention of him getting married."

"It’s just a marriage alliance within wealthy families, based on interests. What’s so unusual about it?"

"Young Master Holden and I were schoolmates, and I heard he had a girlfriend back in college, I think her last name was Chu? She got into trouble and was incarcerated? Does anyone else remember this, or am I the only one? The internet truly has no memory."

"The person above, stop bringing up that fraudster, it’s unlucky. At least the seventh daughter of the Sutton family hasn’t committed any crimes; she’s clean."

Jean Ellison felt like something lightly pricked her heart, not painful but numbly sore.

She recalled the two missed calls from Justin Holden last night.

Did he call specifically to inform her about his wedding, inviting her to attend?

She sneered self-deprecatingly. Given her past role as a reporter under Leah Sutton, it seemed reasonable to be invited if she were still in Kingswell.

But now she was in the United States, not attending felt reasonable as well.

The company’s former colleagues probably wouldn’t associate this event with her.

Besides, Jean Ellison knew very well that Leah Sutton absolutely wouldn’t want to see her in that setting.

She remembered promising Leah Sutton that she would completely disappear with Jesse from the Holdens’ view.

She put down her phone, got out of bed, and walked into the living room.

Aunt Mason was in the kitchen preparing breakfast, with the aroma of fried eggs wafting out.

Upon hearing footsteps and seeing Jean Ellison, Aunt Mason’s face suddenly showed a look that was hesitant to speak.

She turned off the stove, wiped her hands, and walked out of the kitchen.

"Miss, did you see the news?"

Aunt Mason’s tone was cautious, her eyes filled with concern.

She had obviously seen the news early on as well.

Jean Ellison sat at the dining table, poured herself a glass of water, speaking calmly, "I saw it."

Aunt Mason watched her expression, and seeing that there wasn’t a big reaction, she relaxed a little and sat beside her, consoling her in a soft voice.

"It’s just as well that you saw it. It’s also a good thing. Once Young Master Holden gets married, has his own family, he shouldn’t bother you anymore. You and the child can truly settle down. Then he won’t discover Jesse’s secret."

Jean Ellison held the glass of water, her fingertips slightly chilled.

She looked up at Aunt Mason, her eyes filled with undisguised worry.

"Aunt Mason, I understand the reasoning. But Justin Holden now lives nearby, at No.77. We’re so close that we see each other frequently, and I can’t sleep soundly fearing he might find out one day."

This was what she feared the most.

Physical proximity made any concealment precariously fragile.

Upon hearing this, Aunt Mason furrowed her brow.

She pondered for a moment, then suddenly made up her mind, speaking in a hushed voice.

"Miss, I have an idea. Let’s just say that Jesse is Diana’s child, okay?"

Jean Ellison froze in shock, looking at Aunt Mason incredulously.

Aunt Mason continued to explain, "After all, Jesse calls me grandma now, and Diana is single. If we say this, then the neighbors around us, or even Young Master Holden if he encounters it, they’ll just believe it, and wouldn’t it be much safer that way?"

"How can that be!"

Jean Ellison immediately refused, her voice rising with urgency.

"That’s so unfair to Mr. Sawyer, why should he bear such a reputation for someone else for no reason? He still wants to date, wants to get married in the future."

However, Aunt Mason shook her head, revealing a trace of bitterness and loneliness.

She held Jean Ellison’s hand, her voice very light.

"He won’t."

Jean Ellison looked at her in confusion.

Aunt Mason sighed and gazed out the window as if recalling something heavy.

"Diana won’t marry again. Nor will he look for any girlfriend."

She turned her head back, looking at Jean Ellison, enunciating each word clearly.

"After Phoebe passed away, in these five years, he has never had a woman by his side."

"The impact of that incident was too great for him. He personally told me, he won’t marry again in this lifetime."

The kitchen fell into silence.

Only the residual oil in the pan occasionally emitted slight sizzling sounds.

Jean Ellison sat there, digesting Aunt Mason’s remarks.

She recalled the photo in Diana Sawyer’s office, recalled the profound sadness beneath his calm demeanor when he mentioned his deceased wife and unborn child.

He feels that deeply.

Aunt Mason gripped her hand once more, her voice filled with pleading, "Miss, just consider it as helping Diana, but also helping yourself and Jesse, can you? With this claim, it could at least put a stop to Young Master Holden’s suspicions and also dissuade those around Diana who always want to introduce him to potential partners. Isn’t this mutual assistance in a way?"

Jean Ellison looked into Aunt Mason’s earnest and worried eyes, thinking of the man next door who was like a ticking bomb, and internally struggled. Doing this would certainly be exploiting Diana Sawyer’s pain, which she couldn’t bear.

But this appeared to be the most straightforward and effective way to protect Jesse at present.

She remained silent for a long time, so long that Aunt Mason almost gave up hope, before she finally nodded with great difficulty, her voice so low it was nearly inaudible, "Alright."

But she immediately added, her tone full of guilt, "But Aunt Mason, it’s really unfair to Mr. Sawyer. I feel bad about it."

Aunt Mason, seeing her agreement, finally showed a relieved expression. She patted the back of Jean Ellison’s hand.

"Don’t think too much, Miss. I’ll talk to Dylan about it. It’s a small matter for your and the child’s safety, he’ll surely understand."

Despite those words, the weight on Jean Ellison’s heart didn’t lighten at all. She took a sip of the slightly cool water, feeling the chill spread from her throat down to her heart.

When Justin Holden woke up on the sofa, it was already noon.

The intense headache made him furrow his brows tightly, the sunlight piercing through the not fully drawn curtains pained his eyes.

He raised his hand to rub his temples, the action pulling at the wound on his palm, a sharp pain ensued.

He looked down to find his right palm wrapped with cloth strips soaked in dried blood, casually treated while drunk last night.

His shirt collar was wide open, stained with dark red traces of blood and liquor, making him look unusually disheveled, far from his usual meticulous image.

He propped himself up with his heavy body and glanced at the glass shards and liquor stains on the floor, along with the phone thrown into the corner.

He bent down to pick up the phone, the screen was cracked but still usable.

Once he turned it on, a dozen missed calls popped up, all from Samual Pryce.

Justin Holden frowned as he dialed back. The call was answered almost immediately, and Samual Pryce’s panicked voice rang out.

"My ancestor, you finally answered, where are you, something big has happened!"

"Speak." Justin Holden’s voice was unusually hoarse due to hangover and dehydration.

"Check the trending topic, it’s gone viral both domestically and abroad! It says you’re getting engaged to Leah Sutton, she’s pregnant with your child, the Holdens and the Sutton family are about to have a happy union! What’s going on here?" Samual Pryce spoke extremely fast.

Engagement? Leah Sutton?

Justin Holden furrowed his brows tighter, but his first reaction wasn’t the absurdity of the news itself, rather that Jean Ellison must have seen it.

The thought made his heart restless, mixed with an indescribable suffocation.

"Contact the relevant parties immediately, have all related trending topics removed."

Justin Holden’s tone instantly reverted to his usual cold and decisive self, carrying an undeniable command.

"Find out at once which media outlet first published it, trace it to the source, solve it at the root."

"Understood, I’ll do it immediately!"

Samual Pryce promptly agreed.

After hanging up, Justin Holden endured the headache and hand pain, walking to the desk to open his laptop.

He quickly browsed through related news pages and discussions, his gaze growing colder.

He almost didn’t hesitate and directly clicked on the registration page of Weibo.

He had never used this kind of social platform before.

Using a temporary email, he registered with a default avatar and username, both in their original state.

Then, his slender but injured fingers typed an extremely brief statement, worded formally, like a drafted legal document:

"I, Justin Holden, hereby solemnly declare: the recent news of an engagement between myself and Miss Leah Sutton are unfounded rumors. There are no plans for marriage between the Holdens and the Sutton family. Please refrain from believing or spreading rumors. Thank you for your attention."

He did not even use any punctuation to emphasize tone, only calmly stating facts.

Then, he clicked publish.

This post from an inconspicuous account initially went unnoticed.

But soon, some sharp-eyed netizen or interested media spotted it and quickly captured and shared it.

"Shocking! Suspected Weibo account of Justin Holden appears to dispel rumors!"

"This tone, this brisk style, it’s definitely Lawyer Holden himself!"

"My goodness! Senior Counselor Holden actually registered on Weibo? Never thought I’d see the day!"

Instantly, this Weibo post spread and was discussed at an incredible speed.

The account with the original avatar and default username saw its follower count skyrocket, breaking a million in just minutes, and continuing to surge.

Meanwhile, after sending Jesse to kindergarten, Jean Ellison returned home, still thinking about the morning news.

Inexplicably, she picked up her phone again and opened social media.

She was surprised to find the top trending search had changed its subject.

"Justin Holden dispels rumors."

Her heart skipped a beat, and she clicked into it.

The top spot was the widely shared screenshot from an account named "User78346890" containing that brief statement.

Jean Ellison’s fingers trembled slightly, and she entered the profile with the original avatar.

Sure enough, there was only a lone Weibo post, published less than an hour ago.

Below it, the comments had already reached hundreds of thousands.

She couldn’t resist clicking on the comments to take a look.

"Wow! It really is Lawyer Holden, I can’t believe I’m seeing Justin Holden register on Weibo in my lifetime!"

"Lawyer Holden, look here! Can you post some handsome photos, a nine-grid, please."

"I knew it was fake, glad the rumors are dispelled, how could Lawyer Holden fancy that Leah Sutton?"

"Honestly, Leah Sutton is beautiful, but her expressions always seem sharp, not someone nice."

"Glad to see Lawyer Holden dispel the rumors, hoping he can be with Samantha Shaw, they match so well!"

"+1 above! That time Samantha Shaw and Lawyer Holden were photographed together was perfect, double top-tier looks!"

In the comments, Samantha Shaw was mentioned, a currently hot, award-winning actress.

A few months ago, she was involved in a portrait rights dispute, handled by the law firm Justin Holden worked for. After a public legal consultation meeting, the media had captured photos of the two leaving side by side, sparking a minor "look compatibility couple" discussion.

But in reality, Justin Holden was only her representing lawyer.

Jean Ellison looked at these rapidly scrolling comments, and at that cold, emotionless statement, feeling a complex, indescribable feeling.

He personally stepped in, using the most direct way to deny the engagement news.

It made her speculation the night before seem so ridiculous.

She exited Weibo, placed her phone aside, and walked to the window.

The sun was just right, but her heart felt as if something was blocking it, dull and heavy.

His world remained distant from her, full of chaos she didn’t understand and no longer wished to intrude upon.

And her secrets still needed to be carefully hidden.