Chapter 5

Clearly, someone had suppressed the trending topics.

Money really could buy anything.

She scrolled through all the posts under the hashtag, finding that even those explicit bedroom photos from the engagement party had vanished without a trace.

A mocking smile curved Molly's lips as her slender fingers continued swiping across the screen.

After reviewing everything, she took a deep breath, feeling suffocated.

Her phone suddenly rang—it was her best friend Juniper calling.

After composing herself, she answered.

"Hey, Juniper."

Juniper's furious voice exploded through the speaker, "Where is that bastard Oliver? I'm going to kill him!"

Juniper had woken up to news about the failed engagement between the Smith and Johnson families, and she was absolutely livid.

She'd never liked Oliver and had opposed Molly dating him from the start.

That jerk was already lucky enough to have Molly agree to marry him.

Not only did he cherish Molly, but he even cheated at their engagement party. The most disgusting thing was that he even hired a bunch of trolls online to spread rumors that Molly's promiscuous lifestyle was the reason for the failed engagement.

These trolls were making things up out of thin air, and Juniper had gotten into heated arguments with them.

"Why dirty your hands over him?" Molly had expected this drama, though she hadn't anticipated Oliver would be so ruthless.

"My heart breaks for you—four years of your life wasted."

"Don't worry, I won't let myself lose out."

Juniper frowned. "Speaking of which, didn't you marry the Howard family heir? Why not ask your husband to help clear this up?"

With Edward's influence, he could definitely handle this situation.

Edward's indifferent and disdainful face instantly flashed in Molly's mind."Ask him for help? He'd rather strangle me."

Juniper was confused and asked, "Are things really that tense between you two?"

"He was forced into this marriage. We're just using each other. I wouldn't dare trouble him. I should be grateful if he doesn't come after me." Molly felt helpless and replied.

Juniper looked puzzled. They were supposedly newlyweds, but Molly described them as bitter enemies.

After Molly explained the whole situation to Juniper, Juniper could only marvel at Molly's boldness.

"Having a rich man give birth to an heir, and also receiving a large sum of money, sounds pretty good."

"Honestly, Edward is quite handsome, at least I'm not losing out in the looks department."

Juniper was helpless. "You're gorgeous, too; he's not losing out either."

"Too bad he won't live much longer."

"Haven't you considered that Edward might die before you even get pregnant?"

Then she'd end up with nothing.

"High risk, high reward. I'll figure out how to win him over eventually." Molly spoke with confidence.

"What about Oliver? How are you going to handle him?"

"Don't worry about him. Let him keep making a fool of himself—I have my own plan."

Molly's tone was nonchalant.

Her so-called plan was simple: she wanted Oliver's complete social ruin.

Did he think deleting those photos online meant she'd suffer in silence?

After hanging up, Molly immediately posted those bedroom photos online, mass-sending them to all her chat groups and posting them across social media platforms.

Unlike the photos from the engagement party, this time the woman's face was crystal clear.

Soon, these photos began gaining traction online.

Oliver panicked when he saw the news, while Clara, beside him, dissolved into tears.

"How could Molly disregard our sisterhood like this? How can I show my face in public now?"

Oliver was already overwhelmed, watching the buzz steadily climb while his calls went unanswered.

He wanted nothing more than to tear Molly apart.

Meanwhile, Molly admired her handiwork on her phone, quite satisfied.

Little did she know that Edward, in his office, was also aware of this development.

His assistant, Mike Gray, briefed Edward on the news, carefully asking, "Should we help Mrs. Howard handle this situation?"

When he heard "Mrs. Howard," Edward's handsome but sickly pale face showed clear displeasure.

Alicia had found Molly as Edward's wife and wanted the entire household to treat her well.

But Edward was disgusted to the extreme.

"She created this mess—she can clean it up herself."

"But Oliver isn't someone to mess with. He might cause trouble for Mrs. Howard."

Edward let out a cold laugh. "Adults should think before they act. The Howard family isn't her shield—if something happens, she deserves it."

Hearing this, Mike said nothing more.

That evening, after her shower, Molly lay on the couch staring at the ceiling.

She calculated that she'd been here three days already, with zero romantic progress.

Tonight, Edward would sleep in the study again.

At this rate, how long would it take to conceive?

It wasn't that she was eager to sleep with Edward; she just felt that at their current pace, Edward might die before she ever got pregnant.

Taking a quiet breath and steeling herself, she carried a glass of milk into the study.

The study door was open, and from the doorway she could see Edward's focused silhouette bathed in soft light.

"Edward," Molly called softly, leaning against the doorframe.

Edward looked toward the sound, his eyes vaguely reflecting a graceful figure.

He couldn't see clearly, but he could sense the sultry quality in her voice.

"Have some milk."

After being rebuffed this morning, this woman was already eagerly offering milk by evening.

"Looks like I underestimated your resilience. Your skin is thicker than a fortress wall."

"Really? I'm that tough?" Molly forced a smile, responding to his mockery with a joking tone.

The smile lasted barely three seconds before Edward's harsh voice cut through, "Get out."

"Don't be so mean." Molly looked up at him, her eyes misty with tears. "Edward, could you sleep with me tonight? I'm scared alone."

Edward remained silent, his gaze fixed on her face.

He desperately wanted to see clearly what kind of coquettish act Molly was putting on.

"That trick won't work on me. If you don't want me to despise you even more, get out now!"

Her invitation to sleep together had failed. No matter how thick-skinned she was, she couldn't persist.

She'd have to find another opportunity.

Returning to the bedroom, Molly stared at the empty bed and sighed deeply.

Taking risks didn't scare her; what scared her was not being able to escape unscathed.

That petty Edward, to spite her, had moved everything from the bed to the study and told the housekeeper not to let her sleep in his bed.

"Childish. Just because you forbid it doesn't mean I won't sleep there." Molly grumbled as she retrieved a spare comforter from the closet, spread it on the bed, and crawled under the covers, closing her eyes.

During the night, torrential rain pounded outside, and the chill seeped into the room, making her shiver repeatedly.

The next morning, Molly groggily opened her eyes, feeling weak as water.

Edward returned to the bedroom to get his tie, and the moment he entered, he heard constant coughing.

His brow furrowed in displeasure.

Molly's coughing was too obvious and irritating.

"Edward." Molly's eyes were teary as she called weakly to the figure before her.

She felt absolutely miserable.