Yes, I Have a Child with the Villain

Chapter 144: Chapter 144: How Bad?

"Thank goodness the PR department wasn’t slacking off and was keeping a close watch on trending topics. They took them down the second they appeared.

But even though we took them down, some of the family’s collateral branches found out. They’re working with the board of directors and want a clear explanation of the situation.

You’ve made quite a few enemies in the past six months, brother. Not many people know you have a child."

Zoe Grant teased.

As far as she knew, only their two families were aware that Adrian Grant had a child.

But it was impossible that the rumor had come from the Whitman Group.

After all, the news only mentioned Adrian Grant.

This was clearly a targeted attack on Adrian Grant, from someone who didn’t know the mother’s identity.

Zoe recalled her own time working at the corporation. Scandalous rumors about her used to surface constantly, a remarkably similar tactic.

Adrian Grant: "Mm, I know."

"That’s it? You’re not going to do anything?" Zoe Grant was astonished by his reaction. He was far too calm, too nonchalant.

Adrian Grant asked, "Were any photos leaked? Any close-ups of the child’s face?"

Zoe: "No photos of the child were leaked, but there is one blurry shot of your back in a parking garage.

Oh, right, weren’t you caught up in a scandal with some actress before? After you started trending, a retired actress started trending right alongside you.

Apparently, that same actress was rumored to have secretly had a child before. The public opinion is now being deliberately steered toward her."

Adrian Grant frowned. "Who?"

From his reaction, Zoe knew the rumor was completely baseless.

"Luna Lynn. I looked her up. She’s the long-lost daughter of the Lynch Family. I think they just recently acknowledged her.

Brother, have you ever had any contact with her?"

Adrian Grant: "Never."

Zoe: "But I did find out that she had dealings with Vincent Fuller in the past. Brother, you haven’t been set up, have you?"

"..."

Adrian Grant silently took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he leaned back in his chair.

"I heard from Yvonne that a few of the collateral branches plan on taking this to Grandfather, forcing you to prove yourself."

Zoe sounded a little amused. ’Those people can’t find any real leverage against Adrian, so they have to resort to attacking his personal life.’

Everyone knew Grandfather had one cardinal rule: no one in the Grant Family was allowed to have any scandals regarding their personal conduct.

Especially when it came to their love lives, they were forbidden from getting involved with entertainers.

Even though Luna Lynn was a daughter of the Lynch Family and had already retired, bringing her up now was a clear attempt to find and exploit a loophole.

It was a pity they didn’t know that Gavin Grant was fully aware of the real story behind Adrian’s "child born out of wedlock."

They had made the wrong move.

Adrian Grant: "Is that all? Anything else?"

"That’s all."

"Have the PR department keep a constant watch on online activity."

"I’ve already arranged for that. Oh, and the board members want to see you. They’re insisting on a meeting."

Adrian Grant asked, "Did the group’s stock price fluctuate?"

"No."

"Any word from Grandfather?"

"...No."

"Then we’ll revisit it later."

"..."

Adrian Grant hung up, and immediately, a call came in from Jonathan Grant.

"Dad." Adrian answered, then waited quietly for Jonathan Grant to speak.

"You didn’t go to work today?" the voice on the other end asked, already knowing the answer.

Adrian Grant grunted in agreement. "Mm."

"You were photographed when you took the child out with Caroline. Are you aware?"

"I am."

"It blew up again today."

"Mm, Zoe just told me."

Jonathan Grant: "..."

Sometimes, he just couldn’t get through to his son.

The man was deliberately avoiding the main point.

He had no choice but to be direct. "Ryan’s situation is special, and we all understand. But we want to know what you’re thinking. Are you going to make it public, or are you going to keep it a secret?"

Adrian Grant had already given this question some thought. "I’ll discuss it with Caroline and give you a definitive answer then.

However, I don’t want Ryan to come to any harm in this time."

Jonathan Grant considered this. "Alright, I understand."

Just as he hung up, another call came in from Gavin Grant.

The corner of Adrian Grant’s mouth twitched imperceptibly. ’They’re taking turns,’ he thought.

He answered, "Grandfather, if this is about Ryan, Dad and Zoe have already talked to me."

Gavin Grant sounded completely baffled on the other end of the line. "About what?"

Adrian Grant paused for a moment before quickly changing the subject. "What did you need?"

Gavin Grant: "I heard from Ryan that his birthday is coming up. Have you two made any preparations? If not, I’ll handle them."

Adrian Grant: "..."

He paused before asking, "What did you have in mind? Invite everyone?"

That would mean publicly revealing the child’s existence.

Although he hadn’t discussed it with Caroline Whitman, he believed she felt the same way he did—neither of them wanted to expose their child to the public.

Getting him registered was the easy part.

But if the child were to suddenly disappear one day, canceling his registration would be a heartbreaking process.

’Perhaps we’ll have our own Baby Ryan in the future, but no one would want to go through the process of deregistering a child that doesn’t exist yet. It’s far too inauspicious.’

Gavin Grant: "If you don’t want everyone to know, we can do it on the sly. Just us."

He sounded like a child himself.

Before Adrian Grant could reply, Gavin Grant continued, "A little while ago, I received a call about you supposedly having an illegitimate son. Since I know the real story, I can turn a blind eye.

But you need to think this through. Once someone decides to use this against you, they’ll eventually dig up the truth, no matter how well you hide it. I’m not worried about you, but I am worried someone might try to harm Ryan."

Adrian Grant understood.

Gavin Grant’s opinion was to go public.

If Gavin Grant’s great-grandson were known to the public, that title alone would make anyone with malicious intent think twice.

Without that official recognition, if the child’s identity were to be exposed, his position would be illegitimate, which would inevitably lead to trouble.

Adrian Grant: "I’ll consider it. Rest assured, his safety will not be compromised."

"As for Ryan’s birthday, I think it’s better to keep it low-key."

After discussing a few more specific matters about the group with Gavin Grant, he hung up.

He left the guest room and noticed the study door was open.

When he walked in, he saw that Ryan Grant was gone.

Adrian Grant’s heart sank. He turned towards the hallway and called out, "Ryan?"

As he called, he walked towards the master bedroom.

He opened the door and strode a few steps inside. Before he saw anyone, he heard a small, childish voice complaining.

"Mommy, Daddy is so mean."

"How mean is he?"

"While you were taking a nap, Daddy made me do homework. I was writing for so long that my hand got sore."

"Oh, you poor baby. Here, let me give it a little rub." Caroline Whitman’s clear, lovely voice was full of laughter.

As he walked past the closet, he saw a small figure in the dim room, curled up in a ball on the bed beside Caroline Whitman.

Adrian Grant stopped in his tracks. Hearing the noise, the large and small figures on the bed both turned to look at him.

Ryan Grant was the first to speak. "Daddy, are you done with your phone calls?"

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