Chapter 454 - HER REPUTATION

At eleven in the morning, Reuben, Ingrid and the PR officer went to City D's branch of Clover Hotel along with several body guards. They rented one of their conference halls for the press which confused a lot of reporters. Many of them raised their eyebrows, thinking that they're just trying to appease the public and would surely just make up some story to pull the issue under the rug.

Some reporters were just like that. They like to make their own assumptions and they like to judge other people even if they haven't found the truth yet. You can't really avoid people like them.

"Good morning everyone." The PR officer greeted with no pleasantries attached. Ingrid was sitting beside her husband, beautiful as ever, like she didn't go through a painful betrayal.

'Is she really okay? Or is she just putting an act?' the reporters thought while giving her side glances. As for Reuben, they all thought that he was a bastard. Really. Some reporters love to judge people.

"Let's not beat around the bush." The PR officer stated. "I have here Mr. Montefalco, the rumored man who's having an affair with Mrs. Dumrique and together with him is his wife, Mrs. Ingrid Montefalco. They're willing to answer all your questions so, I hope everyone can be civil and cooperate with us peacefully for this press conference to be successful. Who wants to go first?"

Many reporters raised their hands so, the PR officer just randomly picked a reporter from the crowd. "Is the news true that you're having an affair with Mrs. Dumrique?"

Reuben didn't need to stand to answer, he just picked up the microphone from the table and answered, "No, it's not true."

Another reporter raised her hand and questioned next. "There are so many pictures of you together; having coffee, chatting inside the car, shopping things for her and there was even a photograph of you kissing Mrs. Dumrique. Do you have any proof to justify your answer?"

"Yes, I have." Reuben signaled the PR officer and several pictures showed up on the huge screen in front of them. Just several pictures could already shock everyone but they were also able to get back to their senses and took several pictures of these documents. Reuben took a sip of his water before taking the microphone to answer once again. "It's impossible for me and for Mrs. Dumrique to have an affair because she's my one and only daughter. The paternity test can testify this claim."

The reporters jot down their notes as fast as they could and they raised their hands to question him again immediately.

"Even if you didn't cheat on your wife this time, doesn't this mean that you cheated on her a long time ago? After all, Mrs. Dumrique is around twenty-three or twenty-four years old."

Ingrid was the one who defended her husband this time. It's not just unfair for Reuben, it's also unfair for Emerald to be labeled as mistress when she was supposedly the legal wife. "My husband didn't cheat on me. Before he met me, he met Cayenne's mother first. Due to some personal reasons, the two of them broke up and Emerald took their daughter away. She wanted to raise her and we couldn't do anything about it but just help on the side."

"So, you're saying that you've been taking care of your first love and your daughter in secret?" another reporter directed this question to Reuben but Ingrid saved him once again.

"My husband was told to never see them again or there will be consequences to pay. My husband didn't want to lose them so, I helped him take care of this mother and daughter in secret, hoping that the elders in our family won't notice it."

"Aren't you in pain knowing that your husband loves someone else and they even have a daughter?"  another reporter asked Ingrid this follow up question. They all thought that she'd be angry or that she'd refuse to answer it. Who would have thought that she'd laugh?

Yes, Ingrid laughed at this question which made Reuben feel so guilty. The woman beside him loved him so much that she's willing to take care of Cayenne and Emerald without his knowledge. She went out of her way just to help them alleviate a little of their financial crisis. He didn't know any of these until recently, when he finally reconciled with his daughter.

Ingrid held the microphone tightly and smiled sweetly in front of everyone. "How could I say such shameless thing of being in pain? If you think about it, wasn't I the one who got in between them? And I won't try to cover things up either. Don't soil Emerald's name. I don't want to disturb her soul now."

The hall sank into silence, not knowing if they should feel pity for her, salute to her bravery for claiming her mistake or to scold her for being blind and for taking someone else's man.

"After years of marriage, are you just being sweet in public but actually in bad terms behind closed doors? After all, there's no news of your pregnancy or is it that Mr. Montefalco can't get over his love for Cayenne's mother which was why he didn't want to have a child with you?"

"It's not his problem. I'm the one with pregnancy issues." Ingrid, without a doubt, loved her husband. It was obvious that she's healthy and they both know it as well but for the sake of not tarnishing his name, she was claiming everything to be her fault. If you think about it, she was really at fault with all how things turned. If she didn't interfere with his relationship from the very start, none of this will happen. However, she wasn't entirely at fault of this matter.

It was so complicated and it affected a lot of people but one thing was for sure, if someone was to be blame, it should be him. Reuben took the microphone and stood up from his seat. He bowed his head in front of everyone for few seconds before looking at them with calm expression.

"I know you have so many things you wanted to ask about Cayenne's life but it's really complicated. I hope that everyone can understand and could give us the privacy for this matter. We only came her to clarify the issue about our affair. Once again, Cayenne Ardolf- Dumrique is my daughter. Regarding her birth and other matter, I don't want to say anything about this. I don't want to complicate more things."

Because of this press conference, Cayenne's name and reputation wasn't ruined but another layer of mystery was laid around her. A mystery that everyone wanted to know but couldn't.

Those people who threw abuse at her online and posted nasty comments, they immediately apologized to her. At the end of the day, they didn't want to make enemies with Stefan.

Sad to say though, Stefan has already recorded all these comments and Shein were currently digging holes to bury these people.