Lizetta felt a sudden pang at her nose, a sensation she couldn''t quite ce, and snapped the box shut with a decisive thud.


    "Who are you calling grandma and grandpa anyway? Mr. Dashiell, you better watch it, or Grandpa Nelson might juste after you with his trusty cane."


    Remington wasn''t referring to Fiona Dashiell or thete Mr. Dashiell, but rather to Grandpa Nelson and Grandma Bernice.


    He was talking about the ivory hairpin Grandpa gave Grandma over forty years ago, something Lizetta had seen herself.


    Though Grandma''s mind was not as sharp as it used to be, she treasured that hairpin dearly and would not let anyone touch it.


    Lizetta had always admired her grandparents'' rtionship and found herself pleasantly surprised that Remington was following in Grandpa''s footsteps by gifting her a hairpin.


    And, just like the one Grandpa had given Grandma, it was crafted by the same master artisan.


    As far as Lizetta knew, this artist rarely carved jewelry, favoringndscapes and figurines instead.


    This had to be one of the only two hairpins ever made by Mr. Ethan Jade, making Remington''s gift all the more thoughtful.


    "Every time Grandpa hits me, I''ll call him that again. Eventually, he''ll get used to it and won''t have the heart to hit me anymore."


    Lizetta chuckled softly, "You seem quite confident. I''m off to work now, gotta go."


    With that, Lizetta hung up without a moment''s hesitation.


    On the other end, Remington was left holding the phone, slightly stunned by the abrupt end to their conversation.


    He shook his head with an amused smile, a hint of resignation in his eyes.


    Just then, Cedric walked into the room.


    "Mr. Dashiell, I''ve got a couple of videos and some photos for you to look at." Cedric ced a tablet in front of Remington and yed the videos.


    The first video showed Ste''s glove identally catching fire, revealing her missing fingers to all.


    The second video featured Remington cradling a baby, with Ste leaning in to gently touch the child''s forehead.


    Remington recognized the scene; it was from the time he had run into the nanny at the hospital with Ron.


    He had stayedte that night to care for the child, with only Ste and the West family''s nanny present.


    Apparently, the nanny had secretly recorded the moment.


    And it was unlikely she would do so without Ste''s prompting.


    The video was brief, barely ten seconds long, which is why Remington hadn''t realized it had been filmed.


    As for the photos Cedric mentioned, Remington opened them and felt his temper re.


    They were all strategically taken, showing him and Ste in seemingly intimate situations, either by clever angles or by cropping out others.


    At first nce, one might easily jump to conclusions about their rtionship.


    "Mr. Dashiell, these videos and photos are making the rounds in severalpany chat groups in Zion City, and people are talking..."


    Cedric stood by, exining the situation, as Remington''s expression grew colder by the second.


    Remington tossed the tablet back onto the table with frustration, and looked up at Cedric.


    "What are they saying? Out with it!"


    "People are saying you and Ms.


    West have been childhood sweethearts, that she lost her fingers saving you from kidnappers. Now that she''s back they think you two are together, and some even specte that Mr. Ron might be..."


    "Might be what?"


    Remington''s eyes glinted like shards of ice.


    Cedric swallowed hard, "They believe Mr. Ron is your and Ms. West''s child."


    Remington let out a dryugh.


    No wonder Winters was getting reckless for Ste''s sake after seeing such nonsense.


    He had no idea he and Ste supposedly even had a child together. It was utterly ridiculous.


    "Mr. Dashiell, these days, spreading rumors is easy. They say it takes only a mouth to start a rumor, but running to clear it up can wear you


    out. You shouldn''t let people who don''t even know you get under your skin."


    BUMS


    Cedric tried to console him, and Remington exhaled slowly.


    "What else are they discussing?"


    He figured if the videos and photos were leading narratives like this, someone must


    be orchestrating the rumors and crafting stories.


    "Oh, there''s more, even your absence at your wedding with Mrs. Dashiell got dragged into it.


    They say Mrs. Dashiell threatened to harm herself to force your hand, and that you were pressured by family to go through with the wedding against your will.


    But, supposedly, because your true love was Ste, you never showed up for the wedding, which made Mrs. Dashiell hate Ste so much that she tried to run her over with a car.


    Unfortunately for her, you showed up just in time to save Ste, risking your life, which led Mrs. Dashiell to divorce you and disappear from Zion City."


    Remington''s forehead pulsed with anger at the ridiculous tales.


    If Lizetta heard this, how hurt and furious would she be?


    It wasn''t hard to guess who was pulling the strings behind this mess.


    Remington''s gaze hardened; the Wests were truly something else.


    They must have realized he wouldn''t give them what they wanted, so they turned to public opinion to try and corner him.


    As if swaying the narrative in the West family''s favor would make himply without question? Preposterous!


    "Mr. Dashiell, II, while these rumors are oundish, the problem is that some of it is based on true events, which makes it harder to clear up. People have preconceived notions, and even if you exin, they might not believe you."  s?novels


    For instance, Remington had indeed missed his wedding, and he had indeed gone


    to pick up Ste that day.


    And Lizetta really had driven into Ste, causing quite a scene.


    Even if they tried to keep it under wraps, secrets have a way of slipping through the


    cracks. Walls can only hold so much before whispers start leaking out.


    Cedric was worried sick. If this situation wasn''t handled properly, it could spell disaster for the boss''s romantic pursuit. He feared the CEO''s path to winning back his love might hit a dead end.