Chapter 891
Lillian nodded. "Just because you're not in a relationship now doesn't mean you won't be in the future. Ambrose, what's her name? Do I know her?"
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
She felt that Ambrose had a special connection with this woman. If she knew her, she could play matchmaker for them in the future.
Ambrose met her curious gaze and sighed.
"You kind of know her."
Lillian's interest was piqued even more.
"What do you mean, 'kind of'? Do I know her or not? Come on, Ambrose, spill it."
Ambrose knew Lillian could be pretty stubborn. Once she wanted to know something, she wouldn't let it go.
He glanced at Jackson, who was clearly enjoying the drama, then looked back at Lillian with a mix of helplessness and affection.
"Calliope."
Calliope? Lillian was momentarily confused. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it.
Then Ambrose added, "You were watching her show a few days ago."
Lillian blinked, her eyes widening.
"Wait, you mean that actress Calliope? I love her! She's gorgeous, has a great personality, and is super sweet. Ambrose, you've got good taste."
Ambrose sighed again. "I've told you, we don't have that kind of relationship. We just met a few times at business events, and Anouk misunderstood."
Lillian knew about this. She had heard Jackson gossip about it ages ago.
It was when rumors spread about Calliope and Ambrose. Anouk, the spoiled heiress of the Kelly family, had fabricated scandals and blacklisted Calliope.
Ambrose sighed. "Anouk ruined her career. Even after the rumors were cleared up, Calliope's career was pretty much over. I asked her if she wanted to return to the entertainment industry or had other plans.
She said she had only entered the industry to raise money for her mom's medical treatment. After being blacklisted, she didn't want to stay in the industry anymore and chose to leave."
Ambrose shook his head, looking slightly regretful. "At the time, I was mad at Anouk, but since I thought she was Aunt Ophelia's biological daughter, I only scolded her and still protected her."
"I felt guilty towards Calliope and promised her that she could come to me if she ever needed help."
"She didn't contact me for the past two or three years. The last time she reached out was because her mom's illness had relapsed, and she needed my help to find a specialist. That's all."
Ambrose's explanation was thorough, but Lillian's eyes were still shining.
"Ambrose, I really think Calliope is amazing. She didn't get blinded by fame and fortune in the entertainment industry, left gracefully, and is kind and filial. She's so beautiful and classy. If it were someone else with bad intentions, they would have taken advantage of your guilt long ago. But look at Calliope, she's independent, self-respecting, and knows when to advance and retreat. What a wonderful girl. And she has a connection with you! You should seize the opportunity."
Lillian finished speaking and, without waiting for Ambrose's reaction, pulled Jackson out of Ambrose's room.
She looked excited.
A fallen, beautiful actress blacklisted by the entire internet vs. a reserved, gentle, and composed CEO.
Wasn't that a great story?
Jackson looked at Lillian's excited face and chuckled.
"What's got you all worked up?"
"Obviously, I'm thinking about Calliope and Ambrose. Don't you think they'd make a perfect couple?"
Jackson raised an eyebrow. He had only seen Calliope once in a private room and couldn't even remember what she looked like. But hearing Lillian's enthusiasm, he nodded in agreement.
"Perfect match, a handsome guy and a beautiful woman."
"Exactly! Let me tell you, I actually met Calliope once before. She even helped me out. She's super gentle and kind. I think she and Ambrose have a real shot. My intuition is spot on."
That was five years ago when Lillian was still working part-time. There was a banquet, and the pianist they had hired fell ill at the last minute, so Lillian stepped in to play the piano. At the time, she was being harassed by a young male celebrity, and it was Calliope who happened to pass by and helped her out.
Back then, Calliope had just become famous because of a fantasy drama and had quickly risen to stardom. Most actresses wouldn't bother with such matters, but Calliope had stepped in to help. Lillian had always been grateful and remembered this incident. Later, when Calliope was blacklisted, Lillian even used her small Twitter account to speak up for her online. Lillian would still watch Calliope's hit fantasy drama whenever she had free time.
"I think your intuition is pretty accurate. So, do you have any intuition about when we might be together, baby?"
By this time, they had reached the guest room door. Jackson wrapped his arm around Lillian's shoulders and led her inside, closing the door behind them. He lowered his head, and the way he called her "baby" made Lillian's heart skip a beat. She felt the surge of hormones emanating from Jackson enveloping her once again.
Lillian hurriedly shoved the clothes she was holding into Jackson's arms and said, "I did some calculations, and it looks like it'll be at least three to five years before we're together."
With that, she gave Jackson a playful look and, before he could react to the three to five years comment, she ducked under his arm, opened the guest room door, and made her escape.
Jackson watched the door close behind her, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Three to five years? No way I'm waiting that long!"
Lillian ran back to her room, took a moment to catch her breath, and, with nothing else to do, picked up her phone. Earlier that morning, she had anticipated that accompanying Oberon to the Kelly Group would cause a stir online, so she had put her phone on silent. Now, as she picked it up, she saw that her notifications were flooded with Facebook messages and missed calls.
Most were from people expressing concern, while others, who hadn't contacted her in ages, were now trying to get close to her after learning she was the lost heiress of the Kelly family and that Jackson had publicly declared his intention to pursue her.
Lillian selectively replied to some messages and noticed that Shirley had called her over ten times, so she called her back first.
Shirley answered quickly, and before Lillian could say anything, her lively voice came through.
"I haven't talked to you for just two days, and you and Jackson are already official!?"
Lillian laughed, walking out to the balcony with her phone.
"It's not exactly official."
"He announced to the entire media that he's pursuing you and won't take no for an answer. If that's not going public, I don't know what is. He's as cunning as ever, making such a big scene. Isn't this just his way of pushing you to remarry him and forcing your family to accept him sooner? Plus, with him doing this, anyone else who might have been interested in you will probably back off."
After all, who would dare to compete with Jackson?
Shirley had a falling out with Gray before, and Jackson had helped her out, which somewhat redeemed his reputation in her eyes. When Lillian fell into the lake and was unconscious, Shirley stayed by her side in the hospital the entire time. She had seen firsthand how much Jackson cared for and worried about Lillian, which had significantly changed her opinion of him. But even so, Shirley still spoke of Jackson with a hint of frustration, though her tone had softened somewhat.
Lillian laughed. "He's not as cunning as you make him out to be."
Shirley scoffed. "You really are the perfect example of love being blind. Trust me, Jackson is even more cunning than I say."
Lillian was speechless.
Shirley continued, "By the way, the internet sleuths have dug up the fact that you were Jackson's ex-wife. And the whole scandal with Jackson and Star from Miracalia has resurfaced. Twitter is buzzing with discussions. Some people are supporting you, while others are siding with Star. You should check it out. Who knows if the Price family is behind this."
Shirley, being in the entertainment industry, was always quick to notice online trends.
Lillian nodded, her expression turning cold. "I haven't even settled the score with them yet, and they're already causing trouble again."
Shirley snorted. "It's all because of Jackson, attracting all sorts of troublemakers!"
Lillian replied, "Why do I feel like you're insulting me?"
Shirley laughed. "Lillian, you're an angel in my eyes."
Lillian chuckled. "That's more like it."
Shirley knew Lillian had a lot on her plate today, so after asking a few questions about Oberon and Flora's health and when Lillian would return to Miracalia, she hung up.
Lillian thought about what Shirley had said and opened Twitter.
Sure enough, she saw the related hashtags trending.
Lillian clicked on the #Lillian, Star# trending topic and skimmed through it.
Not only had old photos of her and Jackson been posted, but there were also two videos of Star's injured finger that had circulated in the Miracalia employee group.
Jackson had been furious about this at the time and had tried to suppress the spread, but now it was spreading even faster online.
Lillian frowned slightly as she read through the comments.
As Shirley had said, some people supported her and Jackson being together, saying that Jackson's public declaration of his love for her showed how much he cared. They argued that since she had grown up with the Frane family, her relationship with Jackson was long-standing, and their divorce didn't change that. They found the idea of a powerful man pursuing his childhood sweetheart very appealing.
But more people sympathized with Star, supporting her. People tended to side with the underdog, and Star, with her injured finger, had saved Jackson, making her the more sympathetic figure.
These commenters felt Jackson should be responsible for Star.
They argued that since Lillian and Jackson were already divorced, their relationship was clearly over. So why couldn't Jackson be with Star, who had been through life-and-death situations with him?
[Men are all the same, preferring young and beautiful women and abandoning those who have been through hardships with them. I didn't expect Jackson to be just like any other man.]
[Poor Ms. Price, she saved him and went through so much, only to find another woman by his side when she returned. It's heartbreaking.]
[But Ms. Kelly has had a tough life too, being swapped by her stepmother and growing up outside the family. Mr. Frane must be a beacon of light in her life.]
[Come on, she was taken in by the Frane family. That's not a tough life.]
[Yeah, not tough at all. I'm envious of Ms. Kelly. She was destined for a life of luxury. Ms. Price, on the other hand, is truly pitiful. She was a wealthy heiress who suffered for over twenty years before being found, and now she's physically disabled.]
Lillian frowned at the comments, feeling annoyed. She turned off her phone. Out of sight, out of mind.
In the guest room, Jackson had just finished changing when his phone rang. It was Terry calling. Jackson adjusted his cufflinks, answered the call, and put it on speaker while continuing to get ready.
Terry's voice came through, reporting on the situation.
"Mr. Frane, you asked the PR department to keep an eye on online discussions today. We've been monitoring everything. The public sentiment regarding the Kelly family is overwhelmingly sympathetic, with most people condemning the Lawson family and Kenneth. There haven't been any negative comments. However, your public declaration of pursuing Mrs. Frane has caused quite a stir."
"Go on," Jackson said calmly, fastening his cufflinks. He had anticipated some backlash.
Terry recounted the online speculation about the love triangle between Lillian, Star, and Jackson.
"Right now, there's a lot of support for Star. People think you shouldn't pursue Mrs. Frane and should instead take responsibility for Star for the rest of your life..."
Terry's voice was tinged with frustration. These netizens had no idea what they were talking about, yet they were quick to judge Lillian and Jackson from a moral high ground. They accused Jackson of betrayal and Lillian of being a homewrecker, with some particularly harsh comments.
Jackson's eyes flashed with coldness. "Is this organic, or is someone orchestrating it? Have you found out?"
Terry nodded. "We've traced the initial posts about Star to a couple of marketing accounts. It seems there are paid trolls stirring things up. The other side was cautious, deploying the trolls only briefly before pulling them back."
Even so, the damage was done, and quelling the uproar wouldn't be easy.
Jackson smirked. "Find out who's behind it and gather evidence."
"What about the trending topics involving Mrs. Frane and Star?" Terry asked.
Jackson's voice was icy. "Leave them alone. Let it cool off naturally."
Terry was momentarily stunned. "Don't you want to take them down?"
He was ready to remove the trending topics at any moment. With Jackson's resources, it wouldn't be difficult to erase the posts and comments. But Jackson said to leave them alone?
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