Chapter 349 Public Opinion Storm
The two woke up again in the afternoon, without having lunch, and were awakened by the phone ringing. Matthew reached for his phone, gently soothing the woman disturbed in his arms. "I'll answer the phone, you keep sleeping." Then he gently lifted the covers, got out of bed, and walked to the bathroom to answer the call.
The call was from Liam.
"Hello, Liam. What's up?" Matthew asked.
“Did you watch the news?” Liam asked curiously. Hearing Matthew's calm tone, he figured Matthew hadn't seen the news yet.
"What's going on?" Matthew frowned. He didn't have time to keep up with the news.
Liam quickly explained the online situation to Matthew, "Yesterday, the proposal at the cinema was secretly filmed and uploaded online. Personal information about Madison has been exposed. We are already arranging for posts to be deleted, but the situation is escalating quickly, and there are still many leaks."
The more Matthew listened, the deeper his frown became. He hadn't thought about clearing the scene after the proposal yesterday. They were not celebrities, and he didn't expect someone to secretly film and upload it online.
He underestimated his title as the CEO of JK Group.
"Why delete the posts?" Matthew asked sternly. Even if the proposal was filmed and uploaded online, it shouldn't be a big deal. He and Madison were clearly a married couple, not sneaking around.
"You better... take a look yourself. Those netizens have said a lot of unpleasant things about Madison." Liam asked Matthew to have a check for himself. He couldn't bring himself to repeat the things those netizens were saying.
Those netizens accused Madison of her infidelity, saying she was a temptress who destroyed families, and also suggested that she obviously wasn't a good woman at first glance.
In short, the comments online were as harsh as they could get.
After hanging up the phone, Matthew immediately opened a webpage, and glaring headlines popped up.
[JK Group’s CEO has been married for a long time, with two children already.]
[Mysterious CEO caught cheating, having an affair, and proposing in a rented cinema.]
[Pitiful wife with two children, CEO was seduced by a homewrecker.]
Matthew looked at the increasingly outrageous news headlines, almost dropping his phone in anger. He immediately sent a message in their group chat. [Take down all the news online now, not a single one should remain.]
Mitchell and Liam had actually been arranging for this since early morning. The online uproar was escalating, with people digging up news about Madison's studio and her previous participation in a competition in Paris.
It was starting to feel uncontrollable.
JK Group first issued a statement, stating that they would hold accountable those spreading rumors, prominently displayed on the company's official website.
Matthew returned to the room from the bathroom, and Madison, still unaware of the situation outside, woke up slowly, her voice slightly hoarse as she asked, "Matthew, what's going on?"
Matthew remained silent for a moment before saying, "Someone secretly filmed the proposal at the cinema yesterday."
Madison, upon hearing this, exclaimed, "What? Someone actually filmed it secretly?" She had no idea that netizens had misunderstood her as a homewrecker.
Matthew was somewhat at a loss for words. He didn't care what they said about him, but when it came to his wife, it was a different story.
Madison sat up with a smile. "It's okay. Netizens have short attention spans. It'll blow over in a few days."
Matthew, with a heavy heart, said, "They're calling you a homewrecker."
Madison was taken aback, a mix of surprise and amusement. Then her phone rang, it was Rachel calling. "Hello, Rachel, what's up?"
Rachel sounded a bit anxious. "Madison, you've seen the news online, right?"
Madison glanced at Matthew and replied into the phone, "Yes, Matthew just told me."
Rachel, hearing her cheerful tone, figured there wasn't much of a problem. She thought Matthew would handle it. She then said, "Don't come to the studio for now. I'll take care of things here. We'll contact you if anything comes up."
Madison was puzzled. "Why?"
"The reporters and content creators are camping outside the studio. Sarah and I were startled this morning, a few guys managed to block them, or else they would have rushed in. They're all here for you," Rachel briefly explained the situation at the studio this morning to Madison. "So, it's better if you stay away for now. Some have left now that they know you're not here, but there are still people waiting downstairs. Wait until Mr. Nelson resolves this, then you can come back."
"Is it... that serious?" This was the first time Madison had encountered such a situation. She couldn't believe that a proposal video could cause such chaos.
"Mr. Nelson is the CEO of JK Group, so this has news value," Rachel reminded Madison to stay safe before hanging up.
Matthew, standing nearby, heard Rachel's words and furrowed his brow.
It seemed that issuing a statement alone wouldn't be enough.
After ending the call, Madison opened her phone's browser. Although many gossip posts had been deleted, some had slipped through. Content creators were using sensational headlines to attract attention, spreading unverified rumors that garnered millions of shares, making it hard to control.
Looking at words like “cheater” and “homewrecker”, even though Madison knew they were just online rumors, she couldn't help but feel upset. She didn't know these people, but how could they say such things?
She was surprised by how terrifying online rumors could be. What had seemed insignificant moments ago now weighed heavily on her mind. Holding Matthew's hand, she asked in a subdued tone, "Matthew, what should we do?"
Matthew held her hand with one hand and gently stroked her head with the other. "Don't worry. everything will be fine."
Matthew first called Nelson Mansion, asking William Nelson to watch over Quentin and Hannah and not take them out these days. The security at Nelson Mansion was tight, and reporters wouldn't be able to get in. As long as the kids stayed indoors for now, there shouldn't be any issues.
He then called Liam, instructing him to clear the schedule for the highest-rated talk show on their own TV station tonight.
If everyone was so interested in them and eager to watch, then they would give them something to see.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
