Chapter 15 Samantha gently stroked Hillary's belly, her eyes glowing with tenderness. "Really? My eldest grandson moved? Let Grandma feel." She bent down and spoke to the bump for a while before straightening, her tone leaving no room for argument. 'I've already consulted the fortune-teller. Next month is an auspicious date. I'll take charge of the wedding preparations-you two don't need to worry about a thing." 'Auntie, you're the best!" Hillary responded sweetly. Samantha tapped her nose with a fond smile. "Silly girl, it's time you called me 'Mom." Mom~" Hillary cooed, her voice sticky-sweet. The two of them laughed and chatted like mother and daughter, while Tristan remained silent or he side. A thought suddenly struck him. Since Meredith was deliberately avoiding him, why not spread the news? When regret hit her, she would come back on her own. Vith that in mind, he immediately called his assistant. "Buy out the headlines for next week. 'romote the news of my wedding with Hillary. The more people who know, the better." lis mother nodded in satisfaction, while relief softened the gleam in Hillary's eyes. She threw er arms around him. Tristan, you'll be good to me and the baby, won't you?" ..Mm." Tristan gave a perfunctory reply, though inwardly he longed for Meredith's reaction. H efused to believe she could remain indifferent. ut once the wedding announcement was released, blessings did not come. Instead, the internet rupted in a storm of condemnation. Why should that murderer Hillary marry into a wealthy family?] There must be a conspiracy in the Palmer family-this deserves a thorough investigation!] she clearly used pregnancy to climb up the ladder. Poor original wife!] Inable to stomach the attacks, Hillary lashed back online. But the more she argued, the more er past was exposed-scandals unearthed one after another. Even her history of bullying lassmates in school was dragged out. very day, grotesque and threatening packages pile up at the door. Terrified, she refused to step utside. She begged Tristan to stay with her, but he was consumed with company crises, pending most nights at the office. n the end, she had no choice but to follow him there. "Tristan, please do something! I didn't do any of those things. Why are they slandering me like this?" Clinging to him, she refused to let go. Meanwhile, Tristan's phone buzzed nonstop with missed calls and urgent messages. Before he could even respond, his assistant rushed in, arms full of documents. "Mr. Palmer, two more partners just terminated their contracts. The entire projects have been shut down-" "Enough!" His roar made both the assistant and Hillary flinch. "Do you ever bring me anything besides bad news?" The assistant froze, unsure how to reply. After all, the cancellations weren't his fault. Everyone in the company whispered that these disasters must be tied to Hillary, but no one dared voice it aloud. Silently, he retreated, leaving only two people in the office. Hillary climbed into Tristan's lap, pressing herself against him. 'You've worked so hard, Tristan. But I believe in you. The baby and I are counting on you." Her words, instead of soothing him, only deepened his irritation. Jnbidden, memories of Meredith surfaced. When the company faced difficulties in the past, she had never wasted breath on empty eassurances. She would simply stay beside him-analyzing the situation, researching solutions hrough the night. n comparison, Hillary could do nothing but whine and act coy. And yet... a spark of anticipation flickered in his chest. Surely, these scandals had Meredith's hand in them. f all this was her way of venting her anger... then perhaps she was already on her way back tc ¡im.