Chapter 7

After getting discharged and returning home, Roxanne continued to prepare for her departure. Many of the items that had been packed away in boxes contained memories of the past few years. She had written 101 love letters to Brandon while she was pursuing him, and he had only replied to three—all of which had been treasured greatly by her. There was also the pendant with Saint Maxworth carved on it. She had mentioned that she liked his, and though he hadn't been willing to give her his, he still had a replica made for her. Though it was smaller than his, Roxanne had still been thrilled to own her very own Saint Maxworth pendant. However, she had already figured out that he only wore the pendant for Nicole. Thus, she didn't want it anymore. "You're going to throw away the Saint Maxworth pendant I gave you?" Startled, Roxanne raised her head when she heard Brandon's voice. She hadn't even realized he had come home. He was now frowning at her as he watched her throw her belongings into boxes. She answered blankly, "I don't want it anymore." "Why?" A flash of surprise crossed Brandon's eyes. He stepped closer to her. "Why are you suddenly throwing a tantrum?" A laugh escaped Roxanne. He didn't even know why she was angry, and that was because he had only ever had eyes for Nicole. As for Roxanne, she was nothing more than a convenient scapegoat. "Roxanne, you're not a child anymore. Don't throw a tantrum over every little thing," he said as he sat down next to her. "Don't throw these away. These were all gifts from me, so you should take good care of them. If you don't like them anymore, I'll buy new ones for you. Let's go buy them now." He had been like this before, too. It was as if he was worried that his scapegoat would run away, so he'd occasionally toss her a bit of affection as a reward. This had always worked very well on Roxanne. Even now, she could feel herself starting to waver. That was until Brandon's secretary, Joseph Wrant, suddenly rushed in, yelling, "Mr. Slewman! It's bad! Your stepmother is in trouble!" Photos of Nicole attending a private party had been leaked online. In the photos, her clothes were disheveled as she leaned intimately against a bunch of men. There was even one where she was straddling one of the men and looking like an utter tramp. Brandon was both shocked and frustrated when he saw those photos. However, Nicole called him right then. She was crying. "Brandon, don't believe those photos online! I was drugged! My rivals are trying to set me up! I'm innocent!" And with just those few words, Brandon decided to believe Nicole. She clearly hadn't had a choice since she had been drugged, but Brandon still needed to help reduce the backlash online. The photos had already been leaked, and there was no taking them back. After a moment's thought, Brandon turned to Roxanne and said, "I'll hold a press conference. You'll shoulder this matter for Nicole. I'll say that the person in the photo is you, and that way, Nicole's name will be cleared." Roxanne froze. She was in utter disbelief as she asked, "Nicole's reputation is important, but mine isn't?" Brandon frowned. "She's still in her mourning period, after all. Something like this is not only bad for her, but it'll be bad for the Slewman family too. But you're different. Your reputation isn't linked to anyone else's. You'll just need to give a brief explanation, and the backlash will be settled." "But I'm the daughter of the Lesterfield family! I'll bring shame to my parents if I do this!" Brandon was getting impatient. "Help me with this, and I'll make it up to you. Roxanne, trust me. I'll treat you well in the days ahead of us." With that, he gave his secretary a look, and Joseph went to get the bodyguards. The bodyguards then grabbed Roxanne by the shoulders and dragged her to where the press conference was going to be held.