CEO Plus-Size Ex-Wife

Chapter 129: Shut Up

After shattering his wine glass on the floor, Valentine Anderson turned to face Margret Willow, who was reclining on the sofa, sipping from her own glass with an air of calm. “I can’t wait any longer, let’s head to Vegas City,” he declared.

Margret, still leisurely enjoying her wine, replied, “Don’t rush. What if Andrea's press conference was just a ploy to lure you out?”

Valentine clenched his fists, his expression darkening with impatience. “I don’t care. If you’re not coming with me, I’ll go alone.”

Without another word, Valentine spun on his heel and strode toward the door. “Pascal!” Margret called after him, concern lacing her voice, but he didn't pause or look back. He left the room, his determination unwavering.

Unbeknownst to Andrea, her press conference had set off a chain reaction, spurring Valentine to book the next flight to Vegas City.

Once her announcement was made and the internet had erupted into chaos, she drove home, paying no mind to the frenzy of her social media notifications.

Arriving home, she found her son Pete looking deeply troubled. “Pete, what’s wrong?” she asked.

Pete’s eyes, red and watery from what seemed like a hard day, met hers as he asked with a heavy heart, “Mom, is Daddy really my uncle?”

Andrea’s expression shifted to one of concern. “Who told you that?” she asked, her voice tinged with nervousness.

“It’s all over school, and the news said you married Daddy’s twin brother,” Pete replied, barely holding back his emotions.

To soothe him, Andrea gently stroked his hair. “Don’t listen to them. They’re just envious because you have the kindest father in the world,” she reassured him.

Pete, somewhat relieved, managed a small smile. At that moment, Lucas Anderson walked in, holding movie tickets. “I was just out getting groceries and saw there’s a new movie playing. I got us tickets, how about—” He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Pete’s downturned mood.

Approaching Pete with a concerned frown, Lucas inquired, “Pete, what's wrong?”

Pete offered a strained smile. “It’s nothing. I was just telling Mom I want to go to the movies with Dad.”

Lucas, sensing the boy's fib, exchanged a glance with Andrea, who subtly shook her head, signaling him to play along.

“Well then, it’s settled. We’ll all go watch the movie together after dinner,” Lucas announced, his voice bright with a forced cheerfulness.

Pete nodded, grateful for the distraction, and returned to his homework. Meanwhile, Andrea and Lucas retreated upstairs to their bedroom.

"I'm really worried," Andrea confessed, her hands threading through her hair in a gesture of deep frustration.

Lucas Anderson offered her reassuring comfort. "Everything is going to be alright. I have faith in your plan. Tomorrow, we'll clear everything up and return to our everyday lives."

Andrea exhaled a sigh of relief at Lucas's words. "You really think my plan will work?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Lucas Anderson responded confidently, "Absolutely, I have no doubt."

Andrea was about to speak further, but the ringing of her phone cut her off. She signaled to Lucas Anderson before answering. "Andrea, you're a genius," Tony's excited voice resonated from the speaker. "I've just heard from Cardiff; Valentine Anderson is en route to Vegas City."

As Andrea was on the call, a knock sounded at the door. Lucas went to see who it was and found Housekeeper Win standing there.

"Sir, your mother and sister have arrived. They're asking to see you," Housekeeper Win informed him.

Lucas Anderson figured the visit must be related to the upcoming wedding anniversary and the recent rumors circulating online.

"Thank you, Mrs. Win. I'll be right there," Lucas Anderson said, closing the door gently behind him before heading downstairs. As anticipated, Benita and Mrs. Anderson were seated in the living room, awaiting his presence.

"Mom, Benny," he greeted them with a warm smile.

However, concern etched Mrs. Anderson's features, while Benita wore a neutral, unreadable expression.

"Lucas, whose idea was it to celebrate your wedding anniversary?" Mrs. Anderson asked, her tone weighted with worry.

Lucas Anderson replied with calm assurance, "It was my idea, Mom. I thought it would be the best way to bring Valentine back home and to face the truth of who he is."

Andrea arrived just in time to overhear his response. She was taken aback by Lucas's decision to shoulder the blame rather than reveal the truth.

Mrs. Anderson's eyes filled with tears as she spoke, "Do you really believe he's your brother?"

"Yes, Mom. And we'll need your help tomorrow, to lay everything out for him," Lucas Anderson added.

Understanding dawned on Mrs. Anderson, and while she struggled to keep her tears at bay, a radiant smile broke through her concern at the prospect of Valentine Anderson returning home the next day.

Andrea joined the family gathering, and they engaged in a brief conversation. However, Mrs. Anderson and Benita opted to leave without staying for dinner.

After enjoying a quiet dinner together, Lucas Anderson was driving Pete and Andrea to the cinema. As they got out of the car and began to approach the cinema, Lucas was taken aback to see a throng of people milling around the entrance. To his dismay, he realized they were not ordinary moviegoers but journalists.

They swarmed towards Lucas, Pete, and Andrea, their questions flying like arrows:

"Mrs. Singers, is it true you know who killed your husband?"

"Is that man beside you Valentine Anderson?"

"Andrea, who is the father of your child?"

The barrage of inquiries was so intense that Andrea felt her head spinning, while Pete's complexion turned ashen. He appeared deeply distressed and, in a moment of acute anxiety, he yelled, his voice laced with panic, "He is my father, I don't have another father!"

Without the protection of bodyguards, Lucas instinctively positioned himself between the journalists and Andrea and Pete. His protective stance was firm.

"Get back to the car, I'll handle this," Lucas instructed, his arms outstretched to create a barrier between the relentless journalists and his companions.

As the questions continued to fly, one journalist, with an eerie sense of excitement, called out, "Mrs. Singers, are you feeling guilty about killing your real husband and replacing him with his twin brother?"

At this, rage flared in Lucas Anderson's eyes, which had now become bloodshot. He let out a fierce roar, "Shut up!" that echoed through the air, momentarily stunning the crowd into silence.

Seizing the moment, Andrea, with Pete in tow, hurried back to the safety of the car.

"Drive away, now!" Lucas urged, his voice thick with urgency as he maintained his defensive stance between Andrea, Pete, and the voracious press.