What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 139

Kaia glanced indifferently at his expression and shot back, "Do you have a problem with that?"

Finnian froze, looking up to meet her clear, steady gaze.

Kaia thought back to the video she had watched last night—the footage of him gently, intimately teaching Noelle how to golf. A heavy weight settled in her chest. Unwilling to say another word to him, she turned around, opened the office door, and walked out.

Finnian's face stiffened. Watching her walk away so abruptly that she didn't even pull the door fully shut, his lips pressed into a tight, hard line.

On Tuesday afternoon, an explosive headline titled "A Widow's Troubles" shot to the top of the trending lists online. Although it was scrubbed from the internet within half an hour, it still managed to draw massive attention.

The rumor alleged a scandalous late-night rendezvous between the newly appointed head of Aethelstan, Noelle Lawrence, and a handsome, young business partner named Caleb Ford.

The article was laced with viciously suggestive phrasing: "a lonely widow, desperate for warmth, midnight encounters, finally satisfying her cravings."

The people watching the drama unfold in the comments sections were relentless, eagerly fanning the flames.

One comment read: "Well, a lonely widow always attracts trouble. Especially one so young, beautiful, and successful. Who could stand the cold?"

If the gossip had just stayed on random online forums, it might have been manageable, but people started bringing it up on Aethelstan's internal company boards and various corporate chat groups. It was completely out of control.

When Noelle saw the rumors, she immediately rushed to the conglomerate's headquarters.

Finnian was already aware of the baseless smears. He had immediately ordered Dexter to launch a full investigation and dispatched both the PR and legal teams to shut down all the noise.

"Finnian, I don't know who would spread such disgusting lies. Now it's not just affecting Aethelstan, but Grandview Corp is taking a hit too. We have to handle this immediately before it derails the partnership."

Finnian tried to calm her down. "This is clearly a coordinated attack. I just don't know if they're targeting Aethelstan or Caleb's side. Don't respond to anything right now. Just keep working as usual. I'll have someone reach out to Grandview Corp. Don't worry."

Noelle covered her face with her hands, her voice laced with exhaustion and helplessness. "If this were just an attack on me, I could ignore it. But this is clearly aimed at Aethelstan. It's not just humiliating me; it's a direct challenge to the Sanders family's authority. It's despicable."

Finnian patted her shoulder, his voice low and soothing. "I'll handle it. Trust me."

Noelle nodded, looking at him with absolute reliance. "Finnian, I'm sorry. I'm always causing trouble for you. I wish I had Kaia's mental fortitude, instead of running to you for help the second something goes wrong."

Finnian's eyes darkened. Could Kaia have something to do with this?

"You are you, and she is she. You two are different," Finnian said, glancing at his watch. "Head back to work for now. I have some things to take care of."

Noelle finally turned and left.

Finnian's brows furrowed tightly. It was true that Kaia had never been interested in gossip or entertainment news.

"I just came over to ask," Finnian said, dropping the subject. He stood up, preparing to leave.

"Finnian," Kaia suddenly called out, her voice quiet but sharp. "Did you run all the way over here just to ask me that because you suspect I did it?"

Finnian looked back at her. It seemed he had finally managed to spark a sliver of anger in her, yet his own gaze softened slightly. "I thought you might care about what's happening to the family. If you're too busy to care, then pretend I never asked."

Kaia let out a cold laugh. "I'm not bored enough to care about things that have absolutely nothing to do with me. But while you're at it, why don't you use that biased brain of yours for a second? Noelle's reputation gets ruined, Aethelstan's projects take a hit, the Sanders family is caught in a massive scandal, and our public image takes a beating. How exactly does that benefit me? Don't worry, even if I didn't care about myself or the Sanders family, I'm still Brynlee's mother. I would never joke around with the family's interests."

Kaia's logic was flawless, cutting straight to the core of the issue. Finnian was momentarily stunned, suddenly realizing how incredibly stupid it was to ask her. He knew Kaia; she would never waste her time on something so petty.

Running over here to interrogate her only made him look despicable.

"I'm sorry," Finnian said, a subtle, unreadable smile tugging at his lips. "I understand where you stand now. I won't doubt you again."

Seeing that ambiguous smile on his face, Kaia felt a suffocating weight in her chest.

Elaine had also been keeping a close eye on the rumors about Noelle. Unable to sit still, she came straight to the company.