Divorce Failed! My Wife's Secret Identities Shock the World novel Chapter 282

"I hear the Shepherd family has been giving the Whites trouble," Hugh said. "Want me to step in?"

One word from Hugh would be enough to make sure James Shepherd never showed his face in Aethelburg again.

Andres wasn't about to turn down that kind of backing.

"Then I'll be in your debt," he said.

Ever since William Shepherd died, the Shepherds had made a habit of harassing the White family.

They never succeeded, but like a mosquito that couldn't kill you yet never stopped buzzing, it got old fast.

Andres had considered making James Shepherd disappear the hard way—then decided it wasn't worth dirtying his hands for someone like that.

Better to use Hugh's influence and have James removed from Andres's line of sight permanently.

Hugh gave Andres a firm pat on the shoulder.

"You're not only a national asset," Hugh said, "you're also the son-in-law Mr. Griffin picked out from a sea of people."

"Do your job well. Your future is limitless."

After saying goodbye, Andres decided to call Maeve.

He'd just lifted his phone to dial when Hans hurried over. "Mr. White—there's a small situation. You should see this."

Hans held out his phone. On the screen was a candid photo.

The background looked like a major international airport. In the shot, a man and a woman stood close—too close—caught in an angle that made the whole thing feel intimate.

Andres's eyes narrowed. The tall man in a military uniform and combat boots was unmistakably him.

And the woman in the white dress… somehow familiar.

Maybe the camera angle had been deliberate.

At first glance, it looked like the two of them were running straight into each other's arms—like the next second would be a dramatic embrace.

Andres studied the photo for a long moment, then finally asked, baffled, "Who is that?"

Hans cleared his throat. "You don't remember? That's Natalia."

Online writers who loved spinning fanfiction had already started building entire romantic epics off that single image.

Andres's looks were dangerous enough on a normal day.

Add the crisp military uniform, the cold, controlled aura—suddenly he was the perfect template for the "untouchable tycoon" archetype.

The woman in white wasn't breathtaking, but she had a clean, innocent vibe that photographed well.

And just like that, under strangers' keyboards, a love story was born:

The ice-cold powerful man and the pure, clueless Cinderella.

At first, Andres would've dismissed it as meaningless background noise.

But the moment he realized he'd been paired up—with some random woman who'd come out of nowhere—his mind went sharp with alarm.

"No matter what it takes," he said coldly, "erase every trace of this online."

"And Maeve can't find out. Not a word."