Chapter 5

Margaret was bombarded with contract termination calls throughout the day.

The media unleashed a ruthless attack on Evan's identity as an illegitimate child, and vandals completely trashed the gallery.

She had no choice but to take him to her home, but the paparazzi caught them and broke the news overnight.

Wesley flew into a rage and stormed out of the house.

Her investigation revealed that all the paparazzi admitted Wesley had leaked the information.

"Margaret, Wesley took all his belongings with him. Should we..." her assistant whispered tentatively.

"Let him go. Just leave him alone," she snapped back irritably.

Evan touched his bruised forehead and said, "Margaret, I'm grateful for your help, but you should go after him. I'd feel terrible if I caused problems between you two."

His eyes were deep and lifeless, and his dejected tone made Margaret feel even more disgusted by Wesley's inhuman behavior.

"Do you know who did it?"

"When I met him before, I tried to comfort him about his insecurities. I told him that being poor wasn't a big deal and mentioned how I was just an unwanted illegitimate child whose father didn't love my mother. I said he was better off than me. Someone with ulterior motives must have overheard our conversation."

Margaret felt her heart tighten in her chest.

She knew exactly who that "someone" was.

Her investigation had revealed that Wesley himself had tipped off the paparazzi.

At first, she couldn't believe it, but after hearing Evan's explanation, her last glimmer of hope vanished.

Evan cast a subtle glance at Margaret.

He stood up and said, "Margaret, you should check on him."

After taking a few steps, he pretended to lose his balance.

Margaret rushed to support him, saying, "Forget about him. He can go wherever he wants. How are you feeling?"

At that moment, the infrared beam from a camera swept through the window.

After years in the entertainment industry, she had become susceptible to infrared lights and camera flashes.

"Who's there!" she called out.

Evan continued his act of unsteadiness and collapsed against Margaret's shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of everything while you focus on getting better," Margaret said softly as she gently patted Evan's shoulder.

Within minutes, new headlines flooded the media outlets.

[Rising Star Margaret Caught in Late-Night Embrace with Porter Family's Illegitimate Son!]

[One Night Stand or Secret Romance?]

Social media notifications bombarded Wesley's phone from every direction.

Wesley heaved as his trembling hands removed the SIM card from his phone in the darkness, snapped it in half, and tossed it out the car window.

My phone remained empty, devoid of any messages.

To prevent myself from dwelling on the past in the future.

Following Wesley's lead, I pulled out my SIM card and threw it out the car window.

"Your dog chewed up the window handle, and now it won't close properly," Wesley growled through clenched teeth, glaring at Dolly and me while struggling with the window.

The wind howled through the broken window, sending dust swirling around us, and I couldn't tell if the moisture on our faces was from tears or the damp evening air.

Wesley and I took turns carrying the dog and dragging our suitcases, only to discover our cards had been frozen when we finally got off.