Chapter 358 - 342: Scandal

The reporters at the gate kept changing, batch after batch, but their numbers never seemed to drop. In fact, they were only growing.

Anxious, Quincy Rhodes called Erin Irving, but the call went unanswered.

She was so furious she slammed her phone on the ground, shattering it in two.

All the news about her was negative. If she didn’t come forward soon, those people would probably dig up everything from her past.

Pacing back and forth in the living room, her thoughts eventually landed on Joanne Donovan.

After all, her daughter was now Erin Irving’s wife. If Joanne Donovan put in a good word for her, whispered a few things in his ear, it might actually work.

In her haste, she picked up the landline to call Joanne Donovan.

Right after the wedding, Joanne Donovan had gone abroad to blow off some steam.

Erin Irving didn’t give a damn about her as his wife. There was little difference before and after the wedding; Joanne Donovan just kept on doing whatever she wanted.

When Quincy Rhodes called, she was on a flight back home and missed it.

The moment she got off the plane, a swarm of reporters circled her, shoving microphones in her face. "Mrs. Irving, were you aware that your mother embezzled public funds during her time as mayor?"

"We hear your mother and your husband conspired to launder money. Did you know about that?"

"What are you talking about!" Joanne Donovan was stunned by the questions. ’What kind of ridiculous questions are these?’

"Mrs. Irving, why didn’t you go on your honeymoon with your husband? Is it because he’s too busy, or is it because your relationship isn’t as blissful as it seems? Did you actually marry Erin Irving just to cover up that previous scandal?"

"What scandal? I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about!"

"Mrs. Irving, I have some photos of you from your trip abroad. You seem to enjoy... playing around. Does Mr. Irving know?"

One reporter’s voice boomed over the others. He pulled several thick stacks of photos from his pocket.

They were all candid shots of Joanne Donovan getting cozy with men during her trip. Some showed intimate contact, while others were even more compromising.

Joanne Donovan was surrounded by a group of foreign men, an expression of pure bliss on her face, looking like a wanton socialite.

"Where did you get these photos? Watch it, or I’ll sue you for libel!" Joanne Donovan’s face fell the instant she saw the pictures.

She shoved the reporter in front of her and lunged for the photos. In the ensuing struggle, several pictures fluttered to the ground and were snatched up by other journalists.

Joanne Donovan grabbed the stack of photos and fled, all semblance of composure gone.

The incident had just happened, and a second later, news about Joanne Donovan was already hitting the headlines.

Digital media was the fastest way to spread news, and most people got their updates from their various electronic devices.

The supposedly loving couple, Erin Irving and Joanne Donovan, were now exposed. Their marriage, it seemed, was just a sham to cover up the money laundering scheme between Erin Irving and Quincy Rhodes.

Joanne Donovan rushed back to her apartment. Meanwhile, Erin Irving, having seen the news, flew into a rage, smashing everything he could get his hands on in his office.

First Quincy Rhodes, now Joanne Donovan. ’That mother and daughter sure are something else,’ he thought, ’creating such a huge scandal for me.’

Especially Joanne Donovan. He had explicitly warned her before the wedding that if he ever saw this kind of news get out, he would make her life a living hell.

’The nerve of this woman,’ he fumed. ’Sleeping around is one thing, but to be stupid enough to let someone take pictures...’

Erin Irving immediately had the company’s lawyers issue a statement to clarify the situation.

The statement argued that Joanne Donovan was, after all, a young lady from a respectable family; she would never do anything to bring such disgrace upon her name.

Most people were skeptical when they saw the news. After all, their lavish wedding had taken place just over a week ago.

Even if they weren’t getting along, things couldn’t have soured this quickly.

However, shortly after Erin Irving’s lawyers released the statement, an anonymous journalist posted a whole series of photos of Joanne Donovan abroad. They were quickly reposted by clickbait accounts, and a flood of paid commenters drove the topic’s popularity through the roof.

Joanne Donovan’s private photos were now public, her intimate relations with numerous foreign men undeniable.

The earlier clarification was now completely useless. The public outcry over the incident grew even louder.

There was no suppressing this scandal for the time being. The only way to handle it was to position himself as the innocent, wronged party.

Fuming, Erin Irving stormed out of his office after his rampage, grabbing his keys on the way.

He called Joanne Donovan as he drove.

Joanne Donovan had just gotten back to the apartment, her conscience already eating at her, when she saw the incoming call from Erin Irving. She was so startled she dropped her phone.

The news was blowing up everywhere; there was no way Erin Irving hadn’t seen it.

His pre-wedding warning rang in her ears. ’What am I going to do?!’

After racking her brain and finding no other option, she called Quincy Rhodes.

Joanne had just gotten off the plane, still unaware of everything that had transpired back home.

Her call to Quincy’s cell phone didn’t go through, so she tried the landline. It rang seven or eight times before someone finally answered.

Quincy Rhodes had seen the news about Joanne Donovan on television. The moment she answered the phone, she let loose a torrent of abuse.

"Mom, what am I going to do? Erin Irving just called me!" Joanne Donovan cried, feeling utterly trapped.

Quincy Rhodes had been planning to ask Joanne Donovan for help, but now her daughter had gone and created this huge mess. This would definitely strain things with Erin.

"Joanne Donovan, I swear, you must not have a brain in your head! How could you do something like this? Messing around before the wedding was one thing, but to keep fooling around after getting married, and on top of that, getting caught on camera!" Quincy Rhodes was rendered nearly speechless by her daughter’s behavior.

"How was I supposed to know someone would follow me all the way to another country to take pictures!" Joanne Donovan muttered under her breath.

Quincy Rhodes could barely save her own skin. She needed Erin Irving’s help to get out of this mess, and now her good-for-nothing daughter had gone and made a cuckold out of him...

After some discussion, the mother and daughter concluded that Joanne Donovan had to apologize.

At this point, apologizing to Erin Irving was the only option.

But Joanne Donovan refused. She was terrified of even seeing Erin Irving right now. What if...

’That’s right,’ she realized. ’He’s probably already on his way here after seeing the news.’

Her heart seized. She immediately grabbed her bag and rushed for the door.

’No matter what, I need to get out of here and hide for a few days.’

Joanne Donovan had her own apartment in Portmire. She could go stay at her old place for a while.

However, just as Joanne Donovan was about to step out of the apartment building’s elevator, a sinister voice sounded from right in front of her. "And where might you be rushing off to, my dear wife?"

Erin Irving hissed the last three words through gritted teeth, the smile on his face turning even more frigid.

Caught completely off guard by Erin Irving’s sudden appearance, Joanne Donovan jumped, stumbling back against the cold wall.

A chill crept up her spine, and her teeth began to chatter. "E-Erin Irving, why are you back so early!"

"What’s the matter? We’re newlyweds. You don’t want to see me already?"

"Of course not, haha..." Joanne Donovan forced a laugh, every hair on her body standing on end as she stared nervously at the man before her.

’He must have seen the news,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, he wouldn’t have stormed over here from the office.’

They were supposedly married, but they both knew the score. The day after the wedding, as soon as the press conference was over, she had left the country to have fun. There had been zero communication between them.

’I figured that even if we were married, Erin Irving wouldn’t pay me any mind, so I let loose and had fun while I was away.’

Joanne Donovan was now regretting it so much it made her sick. She flinched under the man’s ferocious glare.

The elevator doors slid shut with a DING, and Joanne Donovan’s heart went cold. The car stopped at their apartment floor.

Erin Irving roughly dragged Joanne Donovan into the apartment and threw her aside.

"Erin Irving, what do you think you’re doing!" Joanne Donovan shrieked, her voice rising with panic and fear.

Erin Irving advanced, his jaw clenched. "You should be thankful I don’t hit women!"

The storm was much calmer than Joanne Donovan had expected. Erin Irving didn’t do anything to her, but from that day on, she was forbidden from going anywhere. He even had a few men posted in the apartment to watch her.

’What’s the difference between this and house arrest?’

Joanne Donovan was furious but didn’t dare show it. She just sulked in her room all day, complaining to her friends.

Quincy Rhodes called too, urging her to apologize to Erin Irving.

A man just needed a little sweet-talking, and he’d come around.

’Easier said than done,’ Joanne thought. She and Erin Irving were like oil and water.

With both scandals breaking at once, it wasn’t just Quincy Rhodes’s reputation that was in tatters—Erin Irving wasn’t faring much better.

He was suspected of laundering money with Quincy Rhodes, and government agencies were demanding to audit his company’s books. He couldn’t care less about any of that.

The real problem, however, was the contract that Quincy Rhodes had personally approved. It was flagged, the project was forcibly shut down, and there was no telling when work could resume until the investigation was complete.

Every day of delay cost him millions. If this kept up, all his hard work would be for nothing.

He needed to make a decision, and fast.

He and Quincy Rhodes were in the same boat, but only so long as their interests aligned.

Now that Quincy Rhodes was in peril, all he had to do was cut her loose.

After some thought, Erin Irving had his lawyer draft a statement. But before he could release it, the results of the investigation into Quincy Rhodes’s embezzlement were already out.

’How could the investigation be over so quickly?’ Erin Irving was stunned by the government’s findings. He suspected someone was pulling the strings from behind the scenes.