GOSSIP 272

Chapter 272 Claim Of Ownership

“Tak, tsk. tsk. Poor thing.” Isabella complained.

When the others heard her, they had no idea she was actually talking about Damien.

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“Right? I feel sorry that Deborah is destined to marry such a man. I really wish I could wreck their engagement party,” Elaine chimed in boldly. “Maybe 1 should arrange for a few handsome men to lure Deborah away just to prevent her from being picked up by this piece of trash,”

“I don’t think Deborah would pay any attention to you, Roland stated.

Elaine scoffed. “She told me that she and Oliver are just a couple in name only. They’re even planning on having kids through IVF

“You’re right. Deborah’s a bit of a clean freak,” Ines remarked.

This was the first time Isabella had heard of this, and she immediately she felt much better inside. Otherwise, she would have always felt Deborah was just a good girl who had been ruined by something

vile.

Warching the two carry on with their engagement ceremony and exchanging rings was still utterly nauseating.

Finally, Oliver picked up the microphone.

“I’m thrilled to be engaged to Deborah and believe that we’re well on our way to a happy, forever marriage.”

Isabella: He sure has a way with words! I’d assumed he’d continue to act recklessly and embarrass himself in such a

situation.

Then, Oliver looked deeply into Deborah’s eyes and announced, “Deborah, from this moment on, you are officially my fiancée.”

After he finished speaking, he pulled the woman into a hug.

Deborah paused, finding the statement rather odd. It felt as though there was an unnecessary emphasis on ownership, which made her uncomfortable. She had assumed that Oliver also understood that their relationship was purely professional.

Still, she kept the show going and cooperated very well.

Isabella was speechless as she watched the scene. Suddenly, Alexander, who was beside her, turned to Elaine. “Elaine, can I borrow your sunglasses?”

Elaine’s sunglasses were so huge that they covered half of her face. They were a part of her look today, so she didn’t take them off when she came in.

Hearing Alexander’s sudden serious request for her sunglasses, she didn’t give it much thought and simply handed then over.

As a result, the man immediately helped Isabella put them on.

Chapter 272 Claim Of Ownership

“There are reporters here” Alexander explained, clearly displeased.

This took Isabella by surprise.

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It wasn’t that she was afraid of being photographed. There had been reporters at events she attended in the past, but these individuals were always credentialed and wouldn’t take inappropriate pictures. However, there had not been any sightings of such reporters today, so she had assumed that the Winters family didn’t engage in such practices,

Hence, in this case, any photos taken would be considered unauthorized and could easily be used to fabricate stories and manipulate public sentiment. To prevent this, Danielle had advised Isabella to cover” her face when encountering such situations, as it would make dealing with them a bit easier.

Unexpectedly, she hadn’t picked up on the presence of paparazzi. On the other hand, Alexander was even more perceptive despite not being an artist.

“Where are they?” she asked with the sunglasses kept on

“What? There’s paparazzi? How could the Winters family do this? They never gave a heads–up!”

Everyone from the small group was taken aback.

Alexander frowned. “Damien didn’t arrange this. It must have been Oliver. People are secretly filming at the table where his business partners are seated.”

Everyone looked over. Sure enough, they saw several people sneakily holding various equipment in their arms, clearly taking photos and videos in secret.

“What on earth is Oliver up to? Why is he getting people to film him secretly?” Aiden was utterly confused.

Alexander didn’t respond. Instead, he directly contacted Damien on the phone and informed him of the

situation.

The ceremony had concluded, and everyone partook in the toast. Upon receiving the message, Damien immediately sought out Lydia.

Immediately, Lydia summoned Oliver and began to question him.

“What’s wrong? Can’t I promote my own engagement party? You may think of my company as nothing. but I’ve put all my time and energy into running it, Mom.”

Observing her son’s rebellious demeanor, Lydia felt a sense of helplessness. She couldn’t understand why she could guide other people’s children effectively, yet her own child was a complete mess.

“Hmph! All you do is tatile to my mom. Just you wait.

Oliver often made threats like these, but Damien would pretend not to hear them, knowing full well he couldn’t deal with him anyway.

Lydia massaged her temples, a clear sign that her head hurt. Then, she finally spoke. Today’s a special day, so don’t stir up any trouble. If you insist on filming, I have only one request–do not take pictures and videos of the guests.”

Oliver shrugged nonchalantly. It appeared he had never intended to include the guests in the first place

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Upon seeing his unusual compliance, Lydia breathed sigh of relief. Then, as if she had suddenly. remembered something, she asked Damien to leave first, indicating that she wanted to have a private word. with Oliver.

Yet, Oliver appeared impatient. “What?”

Lydia initially wanted to express her warmth, but she was left unsure of how to smile. “I know you’ve always been at odds with Damien, and I can somewhat understand how you feel,” she began. “But you must remember that we are mother and son. It’s impossible for me to favor Damien over you, but I’ve spent more effort on him is because be indeed has talent, which makes him capable of shouldering the responsibilities of the Winters family.”

Lydia considered herself impartial and professional, but Oliver’s expression turned glum anyway. “So, I’m just not as good as him in your eyes, huh?

Lydia truly didn’t understand him. Despite herself being the decision maker of her family and her husband taking a seat back as if he were invisible, he never seemed to be uncomfortable with such an arrangement. Everyone had their own strengths, after all, so why the need for competition? They were such a content couple, but why was their son so aggressive?

“You have your own strengths. Besides, once Damien takes over the family business, you’ll be free to do whatever you want. That’s not a bad deal, right?” Lydia expressed gently, not wanting any

discord. especially now that her son was about to get married.

Immediately, Oliver struggled to maintain his composure. “So, they really are going to announce him as the heir today, and you’ve come to console me beforehand?”

“This was a decision made by the elders of the entire family,”

Oliver couldn’t accept what he had heard. All he believed was that if his mother had just let Damien be and instead focused on helping him, then that position would have been his.

He didn’t care whether he had the ability or not; he simply believed in himself. It was others who underestimated him, and it was Damien’s presence that held him back.

Don’t blame me for dragging everyone down with me, then.

Oliver scoffed, “Damien might not be as great as you think he is. Just make sure you won’t regret choosing him.”

After saying his piece, he walked away without looking back.

Elsewhere, Damien had already gotten back to Alexander. He knew the latter well enough to understand that he was undoubtedly worried about his celebrity wife. Thus, he quickly assured him that the reporters wouldn’t be taking pictures of the guests.

Even so, Alexander still didn’t let Isabella take off those sunglasses.

“What’s he playing at? Using this engagement party as a marketing tool for his own company? Is he really that career–oriented?” Elaine mocked.

“If they’re not taking pictures of the guests, then why the need for such secrecy?” Ines questioned.

“Something feels off,” Aiden suspected.

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Chapter 272 Claim Of Ownership

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After some thought, Roland turned to Alexander. “Could it be that they got caught, so he just desperately came up with a lame excuse? Still, they probably won’t dare to do it again from here on.”

Isabella gazed at Alexander, curious.

The man furrowed his brows. “It can’t be that simple. With all the effort he’s put into arranging this, he must have some ulterior motive.”

With all that being said, there was a need to look into this.

Isabella: Not only is Oliver carrying on his affair at his own engagement party, but he’s also planning something else? Let’s see… He had invited these reporters was mainly to… What? To catch him red–handed for the affair!?

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