Chapter 285

By the time they returned to Azure Bay, it was already 10:30 pm. They went through their usual nightly ritual, part of their ongoing effort toward the baby plan. After their passion faded, Lucius took the initiative to confess something to Valerie. "I need to show you something. Just don't get mad." He handed her his phone. On the screen was the tabloid photo taken at Afrasia International Airport—the one showing him and Bella in what looked like an intimate embrace. Thanks to Keane's behind-the-scenes work, most traces of the rumor online had been scrubbed away. Even so, Lucius decided Valerie deserved to hear it from him directly. Whoever was pulling the strings wouldn't stop at one smear campaign. They were clearly trying to pit him and Valerie against each other through fabricated gossip. Valerie took one look at the photo and burst out laughing. "Whoever photoshopped this has no eye for detail. It's ridiculously fake." Lucius blinked. "Is it edited?" Although he remembere