Martin Riley was silent for a long time. He didn't agree immediately, but he didn't refuse either. The way Crystal Foster interacted with Otto last night was still fresh in his mind. He could clearly sense that Otto was genuinely happy. At that moment, her eyes were filled with love for Otto. Should he give her a chance?
After much hesitation, Martin decided to trust her once more, but not without a warning. "I'll give you this chance, but if you ever mistreat Otto again, you know the consequences."
Crystal quickly assured him, "Don't worry, I won't let you down."
When they arrived at the hospital, Otto was throwing a tantrum, his cries echoing throughout the entire floor. His heart-wrenching sobs tugged at Crystal's heartstrings.
"Otto! What's wrong? Who upset you?" Crystal rushed forward, pushing open the door to the hospital room. She scooped the crying Otto, who was standing on the bed, into her arms. Her urgency surprised even Martin.
"Mommy?" Otto paused for a moment, then hugged Crystal's neck tightly, bursting into tears. "Mommy, where did you go? I thought you didn't want me anymore! Is it because Otto did something wrong? I can change."
Otto's small voice, filled with sadness, nearly broke Crystal's heart as he sniffled in her embrace.
"Mommy didn't leave. I promised Otto that I would never leave you again. No more crying, okay? You won't look handsome if you cry."
She gently wiped the tears from Otto's face with her thumb. "Our Otto is a brave little man. How can a brave man cry?"
Otto sniffled as he tried to stop his tears, but he still clung to Crystal Foster's hand, his big, watery eyes filled with hope and expectation as he looked at her.
"Mommy, I stopped crying. Can you have breakfast with me?"
"Of course, sweetie. Let's go wash your face," Crystal said, picking Otto up and carrying him to the bathroom. Martin Riley stood at the door, watching their interaction, unsure of what to feel.
"Sir, the doctor said the young master can go home today, but we need to be careful with his diet. I've noted everything down," Henry said, bringing breakfast over. He was no longer surprised by how close Crystal and Otto had become overnight.
"Alright, once we're home, Otto will stay with Mrs. Foster. Whatever she says goes, and you must meet all her requests," Martin instructed.
Henry was so shocked his mouth fell open, but with Martin's clear directive, he had no choice but to comply.
On the way home, Otto stuck close to Crystal, his big round eyes never leaving her face, a constant smile on his lips. This new mommy felt so gentle, and he wanted to stay with her forever.Back home, Crystal felt like she had a little shadow following her, but she enjoyed spending time with Otto. It was relaxing, and she could be herself around him.
This continued until the USB drives she ordered online arrived. She had bought several, copying the videos she had recorded onto them, and sent them to Hyland Riley's rivals. She kept a close eye on the online reactions.
"Mommy, the teacher said we shouldn't look at screens too much. It's bad for our eyes," Otto said, sitting next to Crystal with a glass of milk. "Mommy, have some milk."
Crystal playfully tapped Otto's nose. "This is your milk, darling. You need to drink it all to grow tall. Mommy is looking at something very important."
As she spoke, she refreshed the trending topics list and suddenly noticed a change in the rankings.
"Hyland Riley Takes New Lover for Prenatal Checkup, His Deep Affection Was Just an Act," followed by a big "Explosive" tag.
She scrolled through the comments below, and the netizens did not disappoint her.
"His wife just passed away, and he's already taking a new lover for a checkup. Clearly, he was cheating. What a jerk!"
"How can someone like him cry about being deeply in love in front of the media? He doesn't even try to hide it. This is outrageous! I'm starting to suspect Crystal Foster's death might be related to him!""The person above might be onto something. I have the same suspicion. This is just too much. Isn't anyone going to do something about it?"
Crystal Foster scrolled through the comments one by one, smiling with satisfaction, but she knew this was just the beginning.
She didn't rely solely on Hyland Riley's rivals; she had also hired a lot of online trolls to fan the flames and keep the topic hot.
---
The phone in Hyland Riley's office hadn't stopped ringing. Frustrated, he ran his hand through his hair and finally yanked the phone cord out of the wall.
His assistant burst through the door, looking panicked. "Boss, this is bad. That video's impact is huge. The investors for the new development are pulling out!"
As he spoke, the assistant couldn't help but feel some disdain for Hyland. His current success was all thanks to his late wife, and now, just after her passing, he was taking a new lover for a prenatal checkup. If that's not cheating, what is?
The worst part was how blatant he was about it, damaging the company's reputation and causing the stock to plummet.
At this rate, who knows how long the company can hold on?
Unfortunately, as a mere employee, he couldn't do anything about his boss's actions, so he could only vent his frustrations internally."Then get someone to suppress the trending topic immediately! Do I have to teach you everything?" Hyland Riley shouted, throwing the folder in his hand across the room. "If you can't handle this job, then get out!"
The assistant couldn't hold back any longer. "Fine, I'll leave! You think I care about staying in this dump? You're just a loser who'll never amount to anything. All your success is thanks to your wife. Do you really think you're that great?"
With a cold stare, the assistant looked at Hyland. "I don't want to work for a spoiled brat like you. It's not you firing me—it's me realizing this place isn't worth my time!"
With that, the assistant walked out confidently, leaving Hyland fuming and cursing in frustration. Colleagues outside watched in awe, admiring the assistant's boldness, though they couldn't afford to be as daring due to their own responsibilities.
Meanwhile, Stella found herself at the center of a social media storm. Observant netizens had uncovered her close friendship with Crystal Foster, leaving her personal account flooded with hateful comments.
"Your friend just died, and you're already parading around with her husband? Can't wait to take her place, huh? Homewrecker!"
"Never trust a friend! Crystal Foster was blind to have known someone like you!"
"Don't disgrace the word 'friend.' You don't deserve to be called Crystal's friend. You and that man deserve the worst!""Is being a homewrecker fun? Is someone else's husband that appealing? If you have no shame, donate your face."
Stella read the comments and couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.