Chapter 10
When Daphne finished her dance, she casually walked out of the studio holding her high heels and got into her car.
As the vehicle disappeared into the distance, Mark suddenly snapped out of his reverie, holding his camera and looking puzzled. “What was 1 supposed to be filming again?”
He slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering he had planned to follow Daphne to get the scoop on her divorce from Yancey.
But as he replayed the footage, he couldn’t help but he drawn in by her graceful performance. Before he knew it, he blurted out, “She’s trully a natural bom dancer.”
Her, physique, her moves–they were like royalty pulled straight from a textbook. Mark immediately uploaded the video online, tagging it with keywords about the Goodman Group president’s divorce, and captioned it (Who cares about the divorce? She stands strong on her own]
Just thirty minutes after posting, the video was reshared over ten thousand times, and the comments section erupted.
[Did Yancey really marry Daphne? What a perfect match! I could fangirl over this for a hundred years.)
[Are you blind? Look closely at the post, they’re divorced.]
Wait, what? I didn’t even know they got married ]
[Quick, go watch the live stream of the Sheppard Group’s charity auction this year. You’ll thank me later.]
[I watched it, and wow, it was some intense drama, Hannah even took her sister’s husband.
[Men are the worst; I’m all about cheering for Daphne rocking it solo)
[Am I the only one who noticed how stunning Daphne’s looks and dance moves are
The video spread like wildfire, and the comments overflowed with support for Daphne, propelling her to the top of the trending list. The overwhelming media support stirred anxiety in some, particularly Mason
Daphne had just returned to the Sheppard manor when her phone rang, and it was Mason. As soon as she answered, he began shouting before she could even greet himn
He sounded so furious that it felt like he was on the brink of a heart attack. “Have you lost your mind tonight? How could you ruin Hannah’s repucation in such a public place with so many people watching!
“And what’s going on with you and Chester? You haven’t even finalized your divorce, yet you’re all lovey–dovey in front of the media. Are you trying to disgrace the Slaw family! Have you no shame
Daphne paused for a moment, then let out a cold laugh. “Did I say anything untrue? Why are you so angry?”
If Hannah wasnt after Yancey, I wouldn’t have said that, and no one would have bebeved me. Hannah and Mason are so flustered just because I’ve pulled back the veil on their deceit, leaving them feeling exposed and ashamed, she snecked silently.
Mason was momentarily speechless, seething silently before delivering a furious retort. Hannah is too young to understand. It’s normal for her to make some mistakes. Can’t you cut her some slack?”
“Why should I go easy on her?” Daphne sneered. “She’s in her twenties but still too young to understand? Is she brain–impaired or lacking intelligence
Back then, Hannah had dumped Yancey for not being the heir and then disappeared overseas. Mason had tricked Daphne into coming back home to take Hannah’s place in the marriage.
It was only on the wedding right, when Yancey had humiliated Daphne severely, that she realized she had been set up.
At that moment, Mason had pleaded and concocted excuses, claiming it was to save the company, manipulating her into compliance.
Daphne had entered that marriage thinking she was fullling her dreams, only to be ensnared in a tragle scheme. It took her three years to move on from that tragedy, and now, no one could ever make her go through that again.
“Now that you feel independent, you don’t even listen to me anymore and have no regard for this family, huh! Even s the company your mother and I built with great effon. Do you want to watch it fail?
“Come home tomorrow. I have something to talk to you about, Mason said brinly, sounding like a strict dad.
so, you should at least consider
“Tis getting a divorce tomorrow, No time, Daphne said coldly. That house wasn’t her home anymore–it was Hannah’s and their parents place
now.
1/2
Chapter 10
Furious, Mason slammed the table and shouted, “How long could it possibly take? Once it’s done, come back.”
Just say whatever you need to say over the phone,” Daphne responded, her resolve unyielding.
Mason, struggling to control his rage, found himself at the end of his patience with the defiant Daphne. “It’s about your mother. If you want to come back, fine. If not, I’ll have the butler throw all her things out.”
“Mom’s stuff!” Daphne frowned. It had been years since her mother, Yolanda Sheppard, passed away, and all her things had been taken by people Matthew sent over. No one ever said anything about her mom’s belongings still being at the Shaw residence.
And with Yvonne’s personality, there was no way she’d let Yolanda’s things stay in the house. If she found then, she’d probably just destroy them.
Mason coughed a few times before finally saying, “You’ll see when you get home. And let’s be honest, in all the years you’ve been married into the Goodman family, you haven’t done much to help our family or the company.
“I don’t blame you for that, but right now, the company’s struggling with cash flow. If you could reach out to Chester, it family
I would
really help the
Everything suddenly made sense. Daphne finally got why Hannah was so desperate to come back and why Mason didn’t seem to care about her divorce from Yancey,
All he cared about was protecting Flannah’s reputation. He wanted Hannah–the one who could actually bring real benefits to the family–to Daphine’s place as Yancey’s wife.
o take
Daphne had been stubborn, unwilling to take advantage of the Goodman family’s resources, unlike Hannah, who was compliant and ambitious. To strengthen her position within the Goodman family, Hannah would certainly leverage every opportunity to benefit the Shaw family.
“No wonder Hannah jumped right back to Yancey the second she returned and made her ambitions so obvious. Turns out she’s got Mason’s full support behind her: Daphne thought.
Her eyes turned icy as she replied flatly, her voice devoiding of any emotion, I have nothing to do with Chester.”
Mason shook his head helplessly. “Forget it. Talking to you is useless”
Daphne pressed her lips together, choosing silence over argument.
Mason opened his mouth to deliver another warning, but before he could even start, the call unexpectedly disconnected. He stared at his phone in disbelief before placing it down on the table with a thud.
Yvonne rushed over, her face etched with concern. “So, what happened? Is she coming back?”
Mason nodded. “Of course the will come back. Would she dare not listen to me?”
Yvonne shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. “Hannah’s reputation is ruled because of her. Everyone online is slandering Hannah. Aren’t you going to do something?”
Feeling the weight of the situation, Mason quickly replied, “Don’t worry. I’ll contact someone to take those trending topics down right away.”
The Sheppard family’s annual charity event was always a big deal in town. It was a huge production, completely recorded and live–streamed. This time, Hannah hadiruly “gone viral.”
