Chapter 275
Knowing that he couldn’t avoid it. Carlson finally bit the bullet and answered the phone.
He could practically feel the Yeager family’s anger radiating through the phone.
Knowing he was in the wrong. Carlson could only withstand the reprimand until the person on the other end calmed down.
Carlson explained. “I was just talking to Hope about this. Someone is trying to frame her. She and that man have no relationship, the photos were manipulated using camera angles and Al. They’re trying to sabotage our collaboration.”
These words were partly true and partly false.
The head of the Yeager family was cunning, so of course he understood.
Someone must have arranged for the photos to be delivered to the Jones family at this specific time.
But Hope wasn’t as innocent as Carlson said.
The company’s technical staff reviewed the photos and confirmed none were Al–generated.
But it was unclear whether the photos were staged.
In short, it was a very disgraceful thing for the Yeager family.
Within their social group, infidelity before marriage had always been attributed to men. This was the first instance where a woman had experienced such a situation.
If the truth were to emerge, the marriage contract between the two families would be annulled regardless of the woman’s innocence.
Those gossipmongers and rivals wouldn’t hesitate to attack if they found any fault, ignoring the truth and swarming like flies at the slightest hint of trouble.
After all this preparation, the Yeager family couldn’t accept that something like this had happened.
The head of the Yeager family snapped, “You need to fix this. If those photos leak, the wedding is off?”
Though frustrated, Carlson hid his feelings and worked to reassure the Yeager family, promising to find a solution.
Furious after ending the call, Carlson kicked the table in front of him.
Who does he think he is?” he furned. “How dare he lecture mel
Still angry, Carlson turned to see Hope standing beside him, her face etched with displeasure. “This is all your fault!” he spat
When Carlson lost his temper at work and directed his frustration towards his family, everyone, even four–year–old Kevin,
became extra cautious
The servants were terrified of making the slightest sound and incurring his wrath.
This time was no exception.
Hope remained silent, burrowing deeper into her mother’s embrace
Karen’s heart ached as she saw her daughter in such distress.
Taking a deep breath, she spoke softly to her husband, Carlson, who was furing. “Carlson,” she said, “why don’t we contact
1/3
14.34 F 11 Apr
Chapter 275
the person who sent these photos and find out their asking price? We might be able to negotiate something”
While not as influential as the Jones family, Karen’s family held a position of considerable standing in Strate City.
11
Karen paused for a moment before replying quietly. “Or I could go home and ask my parents for the money. I’d give them whatever they wanted if they’d just delete Hope’s photos.”
Hope cried even harder when she heard her mother’s words.
She now deeply regretted her actions
Had she insisted, this wouldn’t have happened.
Carlson’s expression darkened at Karen’s words.
He snapped, “Do you believe money solves everything? Hope’s actions are disgraceful, and you want to publicize them even further?”
Resentful after being scolded, Karen closed her mouth and didn’t say a word.
“I already explained, the person behind this is trying to sabotage the collaboration between our family and the Yeager family. They won’t stop until it’s ruined, and they don’t care about your money!” she added after a moment of thought.
Moments later, the assistant forwarded Carlson an anonymous email, as expected.
Carlson’s face contorted with displeasure as he quickly clicked open the email and read its contents.
Carlson was threatened with the release of the photos if they didn’t break off the engagement with the Yeager family.
Despite the initial joy surrounding the two families‘ union, the publication of the photos would subject them to widespread mockery and scorn.
Ending the engagement this way would at least help them save face and avoid public ridicule.
Carlson had spent so much time planning the wedding that he couldn’t bear to cancel it at the last minute.
His face was livid, fists clenched tight, and anger consumed him with every passing thought.
Karen hoped to convince him to end the engagement with the Yeager family, believing this would protect Hope’s
reputation.
Releasing the photos would be harmful to both families and would also damage Hope’s reputation.
Karen’s tendency to empathize with Hope’s point of view often led to disagreements between her and Carlson.
Ultimately, Carlson’s views tend to prevail in these disputes.
Karen had a relatively weak personality, and she was deeply sensitive due to her upbringing.
Her husband shared a similar personality with her father, often coming home and arguing heatedly with her mother when
work frustrations arose.
This cast a huge shadow on Karen when she was very young
Growing up, she developed a pronounced fear of male anger. This fear was so strong that even encountering an agitated stranger yelling at her would trigger an instinctive apology.
To benefit her family, Karen’s father arranged her marriage to Carlson, who was similarly prone to emotional volatility.
2/3
14:35 HI, 11 Apr
Chapter 275
Their marriage was all right at first, before Carlson revealed his true na
As time went on, his temper worsened
Karen realized that Carlson’s temper hadn’t changed; he just used to hide it from her, and now he didn’t bother.
She ended up becoming just like her mother.
Karen couldn’t risk those photos surfacing now. A marriage with the Yeager family was out of the question, but Hope would eventually need to marry.
Hope’s marriage prospects would be jeopardized if the photos were made public.
Even if she married, it would likely be for convenience, and her husband might treat her poorly after seeing her photos
Despite her fear of upsetting Carlson, Karen knew she had to speak her mind.
Fortunately, Carlson agreed with her this time, so he didn’t get angry.
He called the Yeager family again, and after much discussion, the two families called off the marriage.
Concerned that delaying the announcement would worsen the impact, they decided to announce the termination of the engagement tomorrow since there was no deadline.
Carlson hung up the phone and frowned irritably at his tearful daughter. “Stop crying. It won’t help. Do you have any idea how much money I lost?”
Hope’s tears ceased to flow as his words hung in the air, though her trembling intensified.
Carlson demanded impatiently, “Who is that man in the photo? Tell me his name and where he lives.
Carlson didn’t intend to let the person who framed them get away with it
Despite having a few suspects, he needed a thorough investigation to identify the mastermind.
A closer look at the photos revealed only the man’s back; none of them clearly showed his face.
Tears streamed down Hope’s face as she shook her head blankly
I, I don’t know..” she muttered.
They had known each other for about two weeks, but besides the fact that he was male, she knew nothing else about him.
“Do you have any photo of him? Carlson asked.
Hope quickly grabbed her phone. She had taken numerous pictures, some of which included the man.
As she opened her photo album and looked at the pictures, her finger stiffened, slowing to a hesitant scroll.
Tol
Comment
¡eratel:
e pho
