Chapter 204: Chapter 204

Flora, startled, instinctively asked, "Who is it?" As soon as she saw a couple naked on the screen, she quickly closed the laptop, without closely examining who it was. Now, after Kevin mentioned it, she was really curious.

"Just see for yourself," Kevin chuckled.

Flora opened the laptop again, continuing to watch the embarrassing scene that made her blush. When she saw the figures clearly, her face was covered with a look of shock.

Rubbing her eyes vigorously, yes, it was indeed Chiyoko and Philip! It was them? Flora asked in astonishment, looking at the silent phone, "How do you have... um... this kind of video with them?"

"It's everywhere on the internet now. I just randomly downloaded it from a website, and the first thing I thought of was to show it to you. Aren't I so considerate?" Kevin proudly invited attention.

Flora slapped her flushed and heated face with her hand, unkindly saying, "Although it is indeed surprising, you didn't have to think of showing it to me first."

"It's fun to corrupt you. Perhaps Maxwell will like your naughty side," Kevin taunted, laughing, then quickly changing his tone to seriousness. "Alright, enjoy it. I'll go back to my meeting."

After hanging up the phone, Flora closed the ongoing restricted-level scene and opened her favorite news website. There were indeed numerous video thumbnail images, pixelated, but still clear enough to see the faces of those involved.

Flora was puzzled how there were suddenly so many news stories about Chiyoko. Not only were they featured as headline news, but they were also written in a way that was unbearable to read, with sharp wording. It was evident that someone was deliberately manipulating it.

Who could this person be? What was their purpose in doing this? And why was Kevin gloating and mocking them? She didn't understand! She really couldn't comprehend it!

As she passed by the first floor, she saw Mrs. Smith staring intently at the newspaper on the table. Flora approached and saw that it was the same news, with a large graphic taking up almost half of the page.

She thought to herself that the mastermind behind this was willing to spend a lot of money, so they must be someone formidable!

Mrs. Smith tossed the newspaper aside, disdainfully saying, "I never thought Chiyoko would be this kind of person. She even made the headlines, serves her right!" Her words and thoughts were filled with disdain towards Chiyoko, unlike the time when she had been protecting her.

Flora just smiled and turned around, preparing to stroll in the garden. However, she stopped in her tracks because of a statement Mrs. Smith made.

Mrs. Smith exclaimed with joy, "Didn't Maxwell say he was looking for evidence of Chiyoko's affair? Now there's plenty of it."

Flora was startled as if suddenly awakened. Yes! Wasn't Maxwell looking for evidence? Then he must have been the one who released this video, right? But... shaking her head, she felt it was unlikely. She could tell that Maxwell was at a loss when he left this morning, it couldn't have been him who released it. Then who could it be...?

Flora suddenly remembered the nonsensical things Kevin said when they met Philip two nights ago. Who else besides Kevin had the power to manipulate the entire media section?

Her heart trembled, and she quickly walked out of the garden, took out her phone, and dialed Kevin's number again.

Flora cleared her throat and asked eagerly, "Kevin, did you create and spread that video?"

Kevin was initially taken aback, then smiled, "Flora, you're overestimating my abilities. How could I create such high-quality footage? You watched the original version, remember?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Quickly tell me if it was you who spread it," Flora's heart was anxious, and she was furious, "It must have been you, right? Aren't you afraid of provoking Philip and the Yota Gang? Aren't you afraid of getting caught up in this dangerous game like Maxwell?"

Kevin chuckled indifferently, "Don't worry, I'm not as reckless as your partner."

"Was it really you who spread it?!" Flora shouted, even more worried.

"It wasn't me," Kevin hurriedly explained, still smiling, "I just said some nonsense, and you heard what I said that day. I just did a good deed to make the news more sensational. That's all."

"And that's what you call doing nothing?" Flora rolled her eyes, not pleased. She finally understood why he deliberately said those things to provoke Philip that day. It turned out that everything was planned!

What was his purpose in doing this? To help Maxwell gather evidence? But he always hated Maxwell! How could he help him?

"Why help Maxwell?" Flora was moved, unable to resist asking this question. Deep down, she had always dreamed of Maxwell and Kevin reconciling and becoming good brothers and friends again. After all, they were family!

Kevin coughed lightly, feeling uneasy. He tried to hide it, "Who said I'm helping him? I just don't want to see you become a widow so early." After a suggestive smile, he continued, "Aren't you also worried that I'll be killed by the Yota Gang? In our hearts, we care about each other, right? We look out for each other!"

This feeling is really nice! Kevin sighed in his heart, realizing that having such a good friend was not bad at all!

"Don't try to get close to me. But I'm truly glad to see that you're willing to help Maxwell. I'll thank you on his behalf. Now, you should go back to your meeting. I promise, I swear, not to interrupt your meeting again," Flora chuckled.

Only then did she realize that she had interrupted him twice in a row earlier. She wondered if the people in the meeting would hate him for it.

"Thank you," Kevin laughed heartily and hung up the phone.

Flora listened to the fading sound on the other end but couldn't find it in herself to laugh. Something about this whole situation didn't seem so simple. She wondered if something else would happen next.

How did this video come about? Moreover, does Maxwell know about the newspaper? It spread so quickly; of course, he must know, right? Flora thought to herself. She wanted to call Maxwell, to hear his voice, to hear how he felt... But she was afraid of disturbing him, just like disturbing Kevin.

In the end, she held back and decided to wait until he returned to talk about it.

The video news was just gossip for the public, forgotten after watching and laughing. But for Chiyoko, it was a huge blow.

She didn't have the habit of reading newspapers, but when she opened the internet in the morning, the first thing she saw was her video. Instantly, she was infuriated and trembling with anger. Shaking, she picked up the phone from the desk and dialed Philip, only to receive an unreachable response.

Anxious, she didn't hesitate and rushed to Philip's residence. As she passed through streets and alleys, she felt like everyone was staring at her. People looked at her like she was crazy, but she didn't care. She casually picked up a newspaper from the ground, and it was all about her.

Clutching the newspaper tightly, her fingertips pressed deep into the flesh, numb to the point of forgetting the pain.

When she arrived at Philip's residence, she walked in and threw the newspaper in his face, glaring at him and shouting, "How could you have this video? Do you know the consequences of what you've done?!"

Philip glanced at the newspaper floating on the floor, then looked at her, coldly saying, "Being ruthless is what you taught me, isn't it? Did you forget so quickly?"

"You planned it all from the beginning! You recorded everything that happened, waiting for this moment to get back at me, didn't you?" Chiyoko glared at him fiercely. The video displayed precisely the intimate scenes when they were together in a small room during the abduction of Flora. He even hid a camera around, and she had no idea!

"Miss Chiyoko, I've known what kind of person you are for a long time, so I kept something in reserve. I warned you not to be too arrogant, but... you never changed. So, I had no choice but to do this!"

"You didn't say you were going to do this!" Chiyoko growled. If she had known he had a recording, if she had known he would spread this video today, she wouldn't have said those hurtful words last time, no matter what!

Last time, she was indeed drunk, and being intoxicated made her spiteful in her speech. Alcohol was truly harmful, and she regretted it. Besides regret, there was nothing she could do. Nothing at all!

"If I had told you, would you have continued to use me? Use me to obtain the position of Mrs. Smith?" Philip laughed heartily. This time, Chiyoko was sober, while Philip himself seemed intoxicated, his face turning red and purple. His smile was lewd and terrifying, making one feel empty inside, a sense of uncertainty.

Chiyoko stood frozen in place, and opened her mouth to speak but couldn't utter a word because of anger.

Philip had no intention of listening to her. He contained his smile and continued taunting, "Weren't you always so confident? Weren't you always convinced that Chairman Itou would protect you? I want to see how he will defend you this time. The whole world has seen you engaged with another man. Does Chairman Itou still have a reason to threaten Maxwell into marrying you?"

"You'll die for what you've done! Uncle won't let you get away with this!" Chiyoko shouted, even though it was already too late, she couldn't control herself and continued to scream, because she could already feel it... it was all over!

"I would die even if I didn't do this, Miss Chiyoko. It's because of you. So... even if it meant death, I wanted you to accompany me on the road to the afterlife, so I wouldn't be lonely, right?"

Philip sneered as he approached her, a faint smile on his face. He tried to appear calm, but inside, his heart was already trembling uncontrollably. After all, no one truly isn't afraid of death.

Chiyoko took a step back in panic, staring at him for a long time. Then, she smiled bitterly and looked at him coldly. "Do you even know the consequences of what you've done? At most, I'll just lose Maxwell. But as for you... I'll make sure you die a gruesome death!"

Although Philip had already accepted that he wouldn't have a chance to survive, her words still startled him. He truly believed that Miss Chiyoko was capable of doing it, and he believed that Itou Tokugawa was capable of it too!

Chiyoko caught a flicker of fear in his eyes, but it couldn't erase her heartache. The pain of losing Maxwell completely, something that could never be replaced by anything!

When Maxwell returned to the Smith Family mansion, he saw Flora inside the bedroom organizing the newspapers on the desk. One glance and he saw it was today's hottest explicit images.

He reached out and snatched the newspaper in front of Flora, throwing it on the floor, his face stern with mock anger. "Do you find other men's bodies attractive? Don't look!" His face was filled with jealousy, making it impossible for people to suppress their laughter.

Flora had originally wanted to say, "You've even seen the true form of the female lead, so why can't I even look at a photo? And it's a censored one at that." But she decided against clinging onto past matters and making herself miserable.

So, she put on an unimpressed tone and changed her tune, "What's the big deal? I've even watched high-definition videos."

As she expected, Maxwell's face immediately darkened, and through gritted teeth, he asked, "Who showed you?" He remembered that when the news came out early in the morning, the authorities had banned all media websites from spreading it, so she couldn't have seen it so quickly.

Flora saw his gloomy expression and awkwardly chuckled, "Uh... hah...". She couldn't possibly reveal Kevin, right? She was afraid his face wouldn't just be dark but turn ashen!

"Kevin did it, didn't he?" Maxwell raised an eyebrow, interrupting her stammering. It wasn't because he hated Kevin, but rather because he didn't like Flora's involvement with him.

Flora shrunk her head and chuckled, "Maxwell, don't be like this. Kevin had good intentions to help you out of trouble. You should be grateful, right? Don't be angry, okay?" While speaking, she pretended to pat his hand soothingly.

"I'm not angry at him; I'm tired of you always being involved with him." Maxwell embraced her tightly and lightly nibbled on her neck. There was no choice, his emotions were always so easily affected by her, especially since Kevin was much gentler and considerate, the type that easily attracted girls. He feared he wouldn't be able to keep her!

Upon seeing the news, he contacted the boss of a certain newspaper to inquire about the details. Although the boss was evasive, Maxwell could still guess that it was Kevin who instructed them to spread it so extensively.

During these days, he had been too preoccupied with Flora, unable to allocate his thoughts to devise a strategy or gather evidence. After Kevin's powerful blow, there was no need to fear that Itou Tokugawa wouldn't acknowledge it, forcing him to find evidence of Chiyoko's affair.

"I don't have anything with him, and you know it." Flora pouted, dissatisfied with his lack of trust. After going through this series of tribulations, she thought she and Maxwell could trust each other more!

"You call that nothing? You reached a telepathic connection even when it comes to adult films, and you call that nothing?" Maxwell lifted her chin, lowered his head, and lightly kissed her rosy lips, a faint smile on his lips.

Flora's face darkened, and she pushed him away angrily. "You're despicable!" When she thought of those alluring scenes, her face involuntarily lowered. Kevin! How could he not understand the meaning of restraint?

After pulling away from his embrace, Flora went back to sit at the table and said, "I'm gathering evidence for you. Be good and go take a shower."

Maxwell once again lifted her from the chair and smiled, saying, "Darling, there's no need to gather anymore. I have already broken off the engagement with Chiyoko Tokugawa." There was a hint of excitement in his voice as his sensual lips lightly pecked her face.

"Really?" Flora was surprised. Was it that easy to break off the engagement? "Didn't the leader of the Yota Gang trouble you anymore?" It was said that people in the underworld were very brutal, and she was worried that it might be a trap!

Maxwell just laughed nonchalantly and shook his head slightly. "The underworld has its own rules. As the leader of such a big organization, he wouldn't dare to go against the evidence."

That's right. Even if Itou Tokugawa loved Chiyoko dearly, he wouldn't be foolish enough to ruin his reputation and prestige because of her. However, what would happen next was still unknown, so they had to proceed cautiously.

"So, does that mean we're safe now? Oh, and what about the necklace? Does the Yota Gang still insist on killing us to silence us?" Flora's expression shifted from surprise to joy to worry. She looked up at him as if she was waiting for Maxwell to give her reassurance.

Seeing her eager expression, Maxwell could only smile and nod, letting her rest assured. After all, if she knew that things weren't that simple, it would only increase her worries. It served no purpose!

"That's great! Does that mean I can go out now? I don't have to be stuck here all day?" Flora exclaimed with excitement, laughing happily like a child in Maxwell's arms.

"No!" Maxwell instinctively refused. Seeing Flora's surprise, he smiled and kissed her, whispering in her ear, "You're about to give birth. Stay at home and don't wander around, okay? If you want to go somewhere, tell me, and I'll accompany you."

It turned out he was worried that it would be inconvenient for her with such a big belly. Flora smiled blissfully, holding onto his neck and tiptoeing to kiss him, playfully saying, "Alright, darling"

Maxwell burst into laughter, pressing her head to stop her from leaving, and instead kissed her passionately, deeply.

Flora stared at the man in front of her with wide eyes. Was this the same cold and expressionless Maxwell she knew? It turned out he could also laugh, and he laughed so heartily!

Her heart instantly filled with sweetness. She was excited that she could make him laugh so freely. She had to admit, he looked so handsome and charming when he smiled. Even more charming than usual!

As his lips parted slightly, Flora gazed at him and said with a smile, "You should laugh more often. That's when you're most charming, and your wife will love you even more, you know?"

"Aren't you afraid that other wives will also love me more?" Maxwell smirked at her and playfully pinched her nose. Hearing her praise was a delightful thing, and he enjoyed it!

"Your wife is also in high demand. Aren't you afraid of her seeking revenge?" Flora pouted and lifted her head with an air of confidence. But deep down, his words worried her, and she even began to resent why he had to be so handsome!

"I know, I've already experienced it." Maxwell nodded. Henry, Kevin, these prominent bachelors had all fallen for her charm. Of course, she was in high demand!

"Good to know." Flora finished speaking and unreasonably snuggled into his arms, saying, "So I suggest you better not smile at other women everywhere. Only smile at me, got it?"

Maxwell rolled his eyes. Was she crazy? But it wasn't difficult to only smile at her. Outside, he would remain the same, cold and serious, but only occasionally indulging himself in front of her. Her youthful vitality had infected him and prompted him to change!

"Got it, my dear." Maxwell chuckled as he held her, then lowered his head, gazing at her with sincerity. "Darling, from now on, let's be loyal to each other, for life, okay?"

"Only for life?" Flora grumbled dissatisfied. Being loyal to him was not difficult for her. What she was worried about was whether this heartthrob could be kept in check. Could she keep him?

Maxwell thought for a moment. "Then let's say, for eternity." Yes, a lifetime was too short. He wanted to be with her for eternity!

Flora nodded satisfactorily and moved emotionally, saying, "Maxwell! I will remember what you said today. If you dare to deceive me, I will... I will leave home with our baby!"

"I won't deceive you. I'll never deceive you again, Flora. Believe me." Maxwell whispered in her ear. This was his promise, a promise that would never change!

He held her tightly, their two passionate hearts pressed closely together. How long could this moment of happiness last? No matter what happened in the future, he would do everything in his power to protect her and make her happy!