Still in her MPV, Zoe was scrolling through the news on her phone distractedly.More articles were appearing online, almost snuffing out the scandal between Kyle and Noel.She eventually reached Levine Manor, and she alighted to find Jay standing by the front door, seemingly waiting for her.Zoe simply strode past him, pretending not to see him."Zoe," he called out, but she ignored that too."Zoe," he called out again, reaching out to grab her wrist.She promptly raised her hand, avoiding his touch while wheeling on him with a cool look. "Don't touch me. You'll get your filth on me."Jay's fingers clenched as he lowered his hand, asking, "Have you considered what you're going to do about the scandal?""My management company is on it. Don't worry, it won't affect the TV series.""It's Johnny in that photo, right? At my father's seventieth birthday." Jay sounded positive, but Zoe did not respond even as he continued, "I can talk to him on your behalf, see if he could enforce
Zoe's scandal continued to top search trends the next day.After all, her management company could not enforce a full media blackout—especially not with Kyle pressuring the press in secret.Kyle was in a good mood as he watched the news, and after some thought, he decided to call Cordy.Cordy had seen what was going on in the news as well, and she naturally could tell that it was Kyle.He was actually smart enough to use another scandal to snuff out his, just to shield Jessop Corp from further harm by his own scandal."Oh, Cordy… Do you think John Levine would come forward to help Zoe York?" Kyle asked with contempt when she answered.Cordy honestly did not want to waste her breath with Kyle, not to mention that he would have an aneurysm if she told him that Zoe was actually a member of the Levine family. "Do you think John would go public with his relationship with Zoe or try to snuff out the scandal in secret?" Kyle continued to scoff at her. "See? You're just one of his wome
At the very least, Cordy considered Jay to be more reliable at a white-collar job than Zoe.John's reply to that was: [My grandfather forbids it.]While Cordy was left puzzled again, he added:[Since Jay is adopted, my grandfather doesn't want him getting involved in Levine Ventures to avoid a power struggle that would affect the family.]Cordy actually understood the reasoning, but she also found it very obviously unfair toward Jay.Did none of them put Jay's feelings into consideration?Still, she quickly realized that John was misdirecting her—something he seemed to have a flair for. [So, aren't you going to help Zoe?][She'll handle it on her own, or she'll come to me if she can't do it.]Fine. Cordy thought then that since Zoe was a member of the Levine family, the Levines would not just sit by and watch while she got harassed. However, just as she tapped out of the chat box with John and got prepared to work, another text popped up. [That's it?]Cordy frowned—wha
At 6 pm, John brought Richard as agreed to give Cordy a ride from work."Mommy!"Richard's crisp, innocent voice melted Cordy's heart every time. She gave the boy a hug, and she sat with him as they had a pleasant chat.John was scowling from being ignored. "Aren't you happy to see Mommy?" Richard asked seriously, frowning just then."I am," John replied rather coolly. "But you're frowning like this," Richard said, imitating John by furrowing his little brow.He had always been a miniature version of John, and he looked especially identical as he frowned.Cordy could not help laughing out loud, and even the chauffeur was quite amused.Although John was scowling harder, Richard was further encouraged to see Cordy laughing. "Mommy, don't mind Daddy. I think he's having PMS."Cordy laughed harder at that—John might have educated him too well!Fortunately, the restaurant they were going to was close, and they soon arrived.John might get a stroke otherwise!They took a win
John thought to himself that Cordy should be sweet-talking him instead of asking about Jessica! Still, he nodded. "Yeah." "What's the relationship there?" Cordy asked bluntly—after she had that misunderstanding with John and Zoe, she had decided to ask about everything since."Our grandfathers were comrades in the war and close friends, often keeping in touch even though we lived in different cities. My grandfather especially loved to visit them, so he brought me to Stuart Hall in Rocktown on many occasions. As for Jessica Stuart, she's…"John trailed off as he searched for the right word, and Cordy raised a brow. "Your childhood friend?""No." John denied it. "More like the girl next door."The girl next door?! That felt way more ambiguous than necessary!John then continued, "Anyway, when my grandfather sent me abroad for studies, William Stuart—her grandfather—sent her abroad as well. After we graduated from university, I worked on expanding Levine Ventures in foreign mar
As Cordy rode the elevator upstairs to her apartment, the doors eventually revealed Zoe leaning against Cordy's door. Zoe’s face was red.She was clearly drunk. Cordy quickly went up to her. "Zoe?"Zoe was clearly muddled even as she opened her eyes, on the verge of tears when she saw Cordy. "You're finally back.""What are you doing here?" Cordy asked. "You're really drunk, too.""Shooting ended early today, so I went drinking with some friends," Zoe replied, her breath stinking of alcohol.How much did she drink, really?!"With Quinn?" Cordy asked."No, she's too busy and went on a business trip anyway. I went with other friends… Burp! Drinking buddies," Zoe said, and belched. Zoe certainly knew that Quinn was not that unreliable. Still, she quickly opened the door and helped Zoe inside, asking, "Why didn't you call me if you're out here?""Dear John would murder me if I disturbed your date," Zoe said, and she began to retch. Cordy quickly helped her to the bathroom,
The eye-catching title was written large and bold: [Meet Jay Parker, Zoe York's Rumored Lover!]Cordy watched as Zoe's fingers shook, and she quickly took out her phone as well to read the article.The article gave a simple recap of the scandal on Zoe before, and now confirmed the relationship between Zoe and Jay. They even went out of their way to mention that Mandy Jessop was originally the female lead for Pomp and Circumstance, but the role was ultimately given to Zoe.Fueled by speculation, the relationship was no different from confirmed.Cordy tapped on the photos attached to the article, where Zoe and Jay were keeping their distance from each other. Even though the photos were taken quite far away, one could tell that they were arguing.The article simply posited it as them getting upset from getting photographed, causing the scandal before.Still, it was not surprising that the media would be convinced that Jay was the one from the photos censored with mosaic before. Anyo
Looking up at Cordy just then, Zoe asked, "You must be curious as to how John ended up bringing Dicky home, aren't you?"Cordy nodded, and Zoe gave her an 'I-knew-it' look. "Of course he doesn't tell you a thing."In reality, Cordy simply did not ask. At the same time, Zoe searched her memory and said, "John was twenty-one when Dicky was brought home… and by our grandfather, at that. Actually, John did not even know that he had a kid, but as for how our grandfather knows? Let's just say he's omnipotent and leave it at that. Anyway, I remembered that John was still abroad when our grandfather came home with Dicky, and I overheard him speaking over the phone that the mother abandoned Dicky at the hospital after delivering him, so our grandfather brought him back."Cordy felt a pain in her chest.Although John had told her that Richard's mother had abandoned him, she was still stunned to find out that Richard was abandoned at birth.The very thought left her suffocating, just as sh