Chapter 89 The Online Public Opinion Storm
Watching Edward hold Anne's hand as they headed to the main bedroom, I felt my heart ache, and tears just started flowing. Edward kept giving me hope, only to let me down over and over, leaving me more confused about love than ever.
I pulled myself together, knowing I'd leave eventually. Determined not to make things harder for myself, I straightened up and returned to my room.
In the huge Howard Villa, this small room was my only personal space. Right now, Edward was wrapped up with Anne, and no one else would bother me, which was just fine by me.
I took a shower and lay on the bed, scrolling through my phone. The day's events had drained me. The court date was coming up, and I needed to be ready. Getting some rest was crucial, so I planned to chill for a bit.
Just as I was about to drift off, Edward knocked on my door. "Diana, you in there?"
I dragged myself out of bed and opened the door. Edward stood there with his phone. He pointed to it and mouthed, "It's Mom."
I was surprised. What did Clara want with me, and why didn't she call me directly but had Edward relay the message?
Edward put the call on speaker, and Clara's gentle voice came through, "Diana, how have you been lately?"
Hearing her long-lost concern, I felt a bit moved. "I've been fine. How are you and Hayden?"
Clara sighed. "Hayden and I are fine; you don't need to worry. It's you who always makes us uneasy."
I didn't get why she said that, so I just listened as she went on.
"Diana, are you still working at the law firm?" Seeing that I didn't respond, Clara nudged the conversation along.
I replied, "Yeah, I'm still at the law firm. I've only taken on one case recently, so I'm not super busy."
Clara said, "I've heard about the case you took on, but it doesn't seem to be a good one."
"Clara, what do you mean?" I didn't get why she said that.
As a lawyer, we didn't measure the worth of a case by its popularity or the client's moral standing. Our focus was on deploying our skills effectively to secure a win.
Since she's not in this line of work, Clara couldn't possibly think like this.
I guessed she was probably talking about the recent bad rumors about me online and was worried. Since my fallout with Anne, Clara had been concerned but not as close as before. I got it, after all, I married into the Howard family, and Edward was a Howard, while Anne was Clara's biological daughter. It was natural for Clara to prioritize her family's interests when conflicts arose.
I said, "Clara, I don't get what you mean."
Clara sighed on the other end of the line.
"Diana, your case has caused a very negative social impact. I hope you can resolve it quickly." She paused slightly. "If you can't resolve it, can you ask Edward to help you?"
I looked at Edward, confused. He took the phone, "Mom, her issue isn't that serious. Diana can handle it herself."
"Edward, you always say Diana can handle it, but look at the public opinion now. How is Diana solving the problem?" Clara seemed a bit angry. "I'm serious. The Howard family's achievements and status today are the result of Hayden's hard work. Even if you don't care about your achievements, you should consider Hayden's health. He has dedicated half of his life to the Howard family's business. You can't let him worry even on his deathbed, can you?"
Clara's voice lowered, and I could tell she was genuinely upset.
"Mom, it's not as serious as you think," Edward said softly, trying to calm her down. "It's just a big deal online. It won't have any real impact on our family. Our clients are big-time businesspeople; they won't care about such trivial stuff." He turned off the speaker and walked back to the main bedroom, still speaking quietly.
Edward and I had reached this point, and I still didn't know the specifics of what Clara was talking about, and he wouldn't explain it to me.
Edward closed the main bedroom door, and the hallway fell silent. I went back to my room, but I couldn't sleep at all.
I usually didn't go online much and wasn't very aware of many things on the internet. I opened a webpage and refreshed it, scrolling through the cluttered site until I finally found a clue: an article titled "Famous Internet Celebrity Alice's Lawyer Exposed as a Wealthy Socialite?"
I clicked on the report, and the content was unbearable. The comments criticized me for making money by handling divorce cases and even accused me of being a bimbo relying on Edward. Reading these news articles made my chest tighten. As I scrolled further, there were many similar reports.
I called Theo. "Theo, I need to bother you with a personal matter."
"Ms. Cooper, please go ahead." Theo remained courteous despite my intention to sell my shares in the Cooper Group.
"This has nothing to do with the company. Even if you handle it well, it won't benefit you," I clarified things with Theo ahead of time.
"Ms. Cooper, you don't need to be so formal. Since your mother passed away, I have been your secretary. Even if it's a personal matter, I am at your service." Theo took his responsibilities seriously.
"Alright, I need you to help me investigate the recent rumors about me online." My voice was a bit weary.
"Ms. Cooper, there are some things you might be better off not knowing." Theo's voice carried a gentle refusal.
"What do you mean?" I was puzzled.
Theo said, "The recent online rumors about you are not good. Many of them are not true. Why get angry over false rumors?" Hearing Theo say this, I became more suspicious.
"Theo, do you know something?" I hesitated.
Theo continued, "Yes, there's no need to deliberately investigate those online rumors. You just don't go online often, so you have no idea."
Seeing that Theo didn't want to say more, I had to stop asking for now. "Alright, since you're my secretary, I need you to handle this information for me."
Theo's professional and emotionless voice came through again, "Got it. I've already had the PR department start handling it, but it might take some time."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright, I understand, but it needs to be done quickly."
I didn't want my issues to affect the Cooper Group and the Howard Group. Since Clara said the online rumors were damaging to the Howard Group's reputation, as the president of the Cooper Group, my negative news would inevitably also negatively impact the Cooper Group.
Therefore, it made sense that Theo had already had the PR department handle it before I asked him. After all, he was still the president's secretary, second only to me in the Cooper Group.
Dealing with company public opinion was part of his job.
Before hanging up, I remembered something else. "Theo, there's one more thing I need you to do."
Theo remained polite, "Ms. Cooper, please go ahead."
I said, "I need you to find out where these false rumors originated."
Theo hesitated.
"What's wrong? Is it difficult?" I was a bit angry.
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