Chapter 406 Public Opinion
Natalie's lips were smothered by Adrian, and she couldn't catch her breath.
Natalie perched on Adrian's lap.
On the big screen, the leads were making out in a sappy rom-com.
Natalie turned red, her heart pounding.
Adrian's move was pretty gutsy.
But when Natalie got back to her seat, she realized it wasn't just him being daring.
The theater was packed with couples, and they weren't the only ones getting bold.
Adrian felt a long-forgotten flutter in his chest.
His eyes locked on Natalie's profile, and in the dim light of the cinema, she looked like an angel.
For the first time, he felt like he wanted to spend forever with a woman. What a shame.
10 PM.
"See ya." Natalie hopped out of the car and waved at Adrian.
Adrian's car stayed parked outside the apartment complex. He didn't budge until Natalie's figure vanished. He lit up a cigarette and took a few drags.
He pulled out his phone, and a bunch of news alerts popped up.
Entertainment media always blew things out of proportion, just to grab some attention.
Even if they got sued for spreading rumors, a few tens of thousands in damages was nothing compared to the profits from the buzz.
Countless reports claimed Alice was in a coma and seriously hurt after saving Claire, lying in the ICU, while the Howard family was ditching the engagement, ungrateful and shady.
The rich Howard family didn't keep their promises.
This drew a lot of public scorn.
Although it didn't hit the Howard Group too hard, the stock might wobble a bit, but nothing major.
However, the public backlash was intense.
Especially since many in the Howard family were watching Adrian.
Donte was just gone, and now this mess. If he didn't marry Alice, he might have to give up the reins of the Howard Group.
Adrian clenched his fists. He headed back to the Howard Villa.
Ruben was still up.
A servant spotted him. "Mr. Adrian Howard, Mr. Ruben Howard asked you to go to the study on the second floor if you came back."
Adrian shrugged off his suit jacket, tossed it to the servant, and went upstairs.
In the study, Joe was there too.
Adrian walked in, "Grandpa, Dad."
Ruben looked at him. "Take a seat."
Adrian plopped down across from Ruben.
Ruben sighed. "The current public opinion is really against us. I want to know what you're thinking."
Adrian replied, "The incident happened out of nowhere, but someone must've messed with the chandelier. I've already started an investigation, but there's no solid info yet, which means the culprit is hiding and has been planning this for a while."
Joe said, "What's their motive? To hurt Claire? But what would they gain from that? If they really wanted to hit the Howard family, wouldn't it make more sense to go after me?"
Adrian raised his eyes slightly and shared his theory. "What if the mastermind was after Alice from the start?"
Ruben asked, "Adrian, you mean Alice was the target all along?"
Adrian said, "Grandpa, my mom has always stayed at the Howard Villa, rarely goes out, and hasn't pissed anyone off. She also doesn't hold any real power. If they were truly targeting the Howard family, they wouldn't have gone after my mom. The Howard family has plenty of enemies, but why go after my mom, who's a recluse and powerless? Maybe we were misled from the start; their target wasn't Claire, but Alice."
"Then what's their motive for targeting Alice?" Joe frowned. "Alice is about to give birth. To strike now... It just doesn't add up."
Suddenly, Joe thought of something.
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