Chapter 124: Don’t Be Afraid, I Will Protect You
Jared approached Julia in wide strides and pulled her in a tight embrace. His face scrunched in a frown as his heart ached for her sake.
Julia’s tear–filled eyes widened in surprise. Suddenly, their world slowed down, with only her tears. streaming in motion.
“Don’t be afraid. I will protect you.”
Jared’s deep and mellow voice rang in her ears, sending an indescribable tremor in her heart.
“What’s wrong with you?” Julia asked softly.
Jared stepped back with a tender gaze as he cupped her face and gently wiped her tears. He didn’t. answer her question but looked back at Joseph.
“Go and block Yasmin’s entire online presence. Ban all the accounts that attacked and insulted Julia. Also, hold a press conference and tell them that Julia is Jared Brooks‘ wife. My wife!” Jared’s voice roared like a king as he told the last two words of his order.
Julia’s wide eyes blinked in confusion.
‘What’s going on?‘
She grabbed Jared’s arm and asked with concern, “Everything’s fine, Jared. Why are you doing this? What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” Jared panned his gaze onto her. “The situation had blown over to this extent, and you still kept it from me?” His eyebrows furrowed, wondering why she couldn’t rely on him, even just a little.
“To what extent are you talking about?”
As the words left her mouth, Julia finally realized why he was acting this way.
“I see. You saw Yasmin and her cronies attacking me.” She drew a deep breath and waved it off, “You don’t have to worry about it. I’ve already fought back. Besides, I didn’t it take to heart.”
Julia only slightly turned when Jared raised his voice.
“You’re lying!”
He didn’t believe a single word she said.
“I’m not. I really-” She tried to explain, but he quickly cut her off.
“You were crying a river, and you expected me to believe you didn’t care?”
Jared’s expression turned grimmer the longer he looked at the tear stains on her cheeks.
“What?” baffled, Julia wiped her cheeks in reflex.
‘So, it’s because of this?‘ she thought, briefly glancing at her fingers, then looking back at the furious Jared and burst out laughing.
“No. You’ve got it wrong. I was cutting onions, and the fumes made my eye tear up. It had nothing to do with Yasmin at all.”
Jared stiffened and unknowingly faltered back. His gaze followed as Julia’s hand pointed at the cutting board with diced onions on top.
The atmosphere subtly became awkward.
Jared quickly turned away and glared at Joseph. “Do as I instructed.”
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Chapter 124: Don’t Be Afraid, I Will Protect You
“Yes, boss,” Joseph responded, turning to work on it immediately, but Julia called out to him.
“Wait!”
Now pitted between two massive forces, Joseph stopped. He certainly wouldn’t dare to disobey his boss’s wife.
“What’s the matter?” Jared asked in confusion. “Are you worried because she’s your step–sister?”
“Are you kidding me? No! I couldn’t even care less about my biological father, so why would I be worried about that scheming step–sister?” Julia shrugged, flashing an incredulous smile.
“I’ve already done a strong counterattack. Besides, she’s the second female lead in the drama. If she gets banned from everything, it could prevent the network from airing the TV show.”
That was what Julia was most concerned about. Alexander put in a lot of effort for this drama, and she didn’t want his hard work to go down the drain because of her personal affairs.
“Then, are you worried about Alexander?” Jared’s eyes squinted slightly, casting a shadow over his dark gaze as they settled on Julia.
Julia raised an eyebrow, her beautiful starry eyes widening.
“I hold a genuine appreciation for the original work, and I’m eager to witness its transformation through adaptation into film and television,” she explained, her words grounded in reason, but Jared was unconvinced.
He stared intently into her eyes, attempting to pressure her to tell the truth. However, Julia remained unfazed. She maintained eye contact without blinking, and two stood at a standstill, both unwilling to yield.
Between them was poor Joseph, awkwardly waiting for their instructions.
‘They should get a room if they wanted to look at each other! Why do I have to watch my boss and his wife’s PDA?‘ Joseph bitterly whined in his head.
His boss eventually lost the battle as expected, but the matter didn’t conclude there.
Although Yasmin didn’t get banned, the influential bloggers and hundreds of troll accounts that bullied Julia got wiped out.
“What? They’re all blocked?!” Yasmin’s eyes widened in shock.
Even her assistant couldn’t believe it.
“This bitch Julia must have been backed by someone!” Yasmin gritted her teeth in frustration. She knew for sure that was the case. How else could those accounts get all wiped out at once? Blocking multiple accounts took a lot of work. Whoever it was behind Julia, they were highly influential.
Julia, you crazy bitch! This is not over!‘
Yasmin groaned, fuming with anger.
Her assistant, who saw her expression contorted every second, suddenly pitched an idea, “Yasmin, I’ve got a better idea. You’ve got those diehard fans who’ve been sticking with you for ages, right? How about riling them up a bit and getting them to take revenge on your behalf?” Yasmin’s eyes lit up
up at her suggestion.
“That’s a great idea! Let’s give it a shot.”
Following that, Yasmin threw on a worn–out look with some pale makeup, snapped a photo, and posted it on Instagram.
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Chapter 124: Don’t Be Afraid, I Will Protect You
She looked like a poor victim with a forced smile and the caption, [No need to worry about me, everything is just a misunderstanding, I’m fine.]
As soon as that photo hit the platform, anyone with even a smidgen of insight could tell Yasmin was putting on a front.
A bunch of devoted fans started buzzing in a chat group.
[Did you see how drained Yasmin looks? My heart goes out to her!]
[Bet it’s her step–sister giving her hell!]
“[No doubt! And those big–shot bloggers who spilled the beans got silenced. Even the haters who bashed Julia got shut down. Let’s not kid ourselves Julia’s definitely got some loaded. Mediterranean sugar daddy backing her.]
[Ugh, shameless homewrecker!]
Yasmin hopped onto her secret account and read the nasty messages aimed at Julia. It was kind of therapeutic.
“Let me set the tone,” the assistant said, tweaking a message and tossing it into the fans. [Seeing Yasmin having to prove she’s okay with pics? Obviously, someone’s pulling her strings! Probably that high–profile backer of Julia’s. Since she can’t act her way out of a paper bag, how about we teach Julia a lesson?]
[Got my vote!]
[I’m in!]
[Count me too!]
While most folks had their heads straight, quite a few hardcore fans were totally game.
[But, what should we do? Violence and arson are a no–go, right?]
[Let’s not go breaking the law. We can track Julia, figure out who’s sponsoring her, and bring them. out in the open. Then, the original wife will step in, and we’ll get a front–row seat to a showdown |
[Brilliant! #thumbsup!]
And so, their plan was set.
On the bustling street, Julia strolled alongside the pregnant Maddie, acting like her personal guardian.
“Julia, are you maybe taking this a bit too seriously?”
Julia glanced at Maddie’s belly, then explained seriously, “You’ve got three kids to look after now. With this many people around, any slip–up could spell disaster for everyone.”
Maddie clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, that’s not the most optimistic outlook.” She reached out to gently touch her belly. Though it wasn’t showing yet, she felt a sense of accomplishment.
“Julia, you’re not pulling my leg, are you? Am I really having three girls?”
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Chapter 125: Is Julia Pregnant?
