Chapter 594:

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People with a little insider knowledge knew Marvin and Marcelo weren’t close. But Sarah—and Marcelo’s wife—certainly were.

With Katharine and Marvin making their stances clear, the tide of public opinion began to shift.

Then the media published a statement attributed to Luke, taken from his exchange with Gary outside the King Group building: “Mr. King, do you believe that you… oh, sorry, I misspoke. Do you believe that someone spreading rumors about Mr. Marcelo will guarantee you control of the company? It won’t be that easy.”

Conspiracy theories immediately took off.

If Marcelo fell, who benefited the most?

The answer was obvious: Gary and his family.

Before long, it was exposed that Gary was Paul’s illegitimate son, born out of wedlock.

The wealthy family’s internal power struggle—combined with the revelation of an illegitimate child—pushed the incident’s popularity to a fever pitch.

“Sir, should we keep guiding public opinion?” Luke asked over the phone. “By the way, was it you who contacted Miss Lambert and Mr. Hill? Should I arrange thank-you gifts?”

𝗪𝗵a𝗍 𝗲𝘃𝘦𝘳y𝗈n𝗲 𝗂ѕ 𝘳𝗲a𝖽𝗶ո𝗀 o𝗇 g𝘢𝗹𝗻𝗈𝘷𝗲𝘭s.𝖼om

“No. It’s not necessary,” Marcelo replied, indifferent.

He hadn’t contacted Katharine or Marvin.

If anyone had, it could only have been Renee.

Marcelo ended the call, unable to suppress a quiet smile.

Everyone craved affection.

Everyone liked being cared for—liked feeling special.

Renee could tell Marcelo was in a particularly good mood that night. His passion left her overwhelmed, and she finally couldn’t take it anymore. She threw a pillow at him.

Unwilling to go out, Renee invited Sarah to the mansion.

But before Sarah arrived, Ivan walked in.

Renee’s startled expression didn’t escape him. “Renee, you forgot I live next door, didn’t you?” he asked, one brow lifting.

With an embarrassed smile, Renee lied, “No, of course not!”

She absolutely had.

She had been so busy lately that her time with Ivan had become scattered, and she barely saw him.

“Your exams start next month, don’t they?” Renee asked, then added, “After that, you’ll be free.”

Ivan tilted his head. His expression was accusatory, as if it said, You forgot about me, so I’m mad.

Just then, Sarah walked in and caught Renee trying to placate him. Ivan had clearly been sulking, but the moment he noticed someone approaching, he stopped and put on a cool, indifferent face.

Renee introduced them.

It was Ivan and Sarah’s first time meeting, but they had heard of each other before.

When they settled in, Renee lowered her voice and asked Sarah, “What’s going on between you and Marvin?”

Marvin had spoken up for Marcelo. Since Renee had accepted the favor, she couldn’t help being curious.

Sarah flicked a glance at Ivan, then shot Renee a look. She took a sip of water, buying herself a moment.

When Ivan left the room to grab snacks, Renee turned to Sarah and said bluntly, “At Marvin’s birthday party, I saw him kiss you. And you didn’t resist.”

“He didn’t kiss me forcefully,” Sarah said at once, setting her glass down. “Actually, I was the one who initiated it.”

Renee froze, stunned and confused. After a beat, she asked, “So you’re together?”

Sarah shook her head. “The day after that, I went to Sacrapa for an auction. I only got back yesterday, and I haven’t had time to sort things out between him and me.”

Renee wanted to comment, but she swallowed her words.

Suddenly, there was a noise behind them.

Ivan came in, arms full of snacks, wobbling under the load. A few slipped from his grasp and hit the floor.

He stared at them, dumbfounded.

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