Chapter 29 Henry Gets Provoked

As the online drama heated up, folks started digging into Alice's past.

They claimed Alice was a country bumpkin who'd never been to school but somehow got into Loshanda University, one of Stellaria's top schools, making a mockery of the whole education system.

They said she spent her nights in clubs, making dirty money, and had a bunch of sugar daddies.

They accused her of trying to break up Clara and Oliver's relationship with an early engagement, just to marry into a rich family and become a socialite.

Once the rumors started, all sorts of wild accusations were thrown at Alice.

In the Howard Group President's Office.

Ethan walked in with two cups of coffee, handing one to Henry and the other to Rupert.

Rupert took a sip and said, "Henry, I came here today because I need to ask you something."

Henry looked at his steaming coffee and chuckled, "About Alice? What do you want to know?"

"Henry, you're sharp," Rupert cleared his throat. "I want to pursue her. Alice is exactly my type. I'm actually grateful Oliver betrayed her, or I wouldn't have this chance."

Henry tapped the rim of his cup, his voice cool, "That's your business."

Rupert patted his chest. "Last night, when you grabbed my neck, you almost hurt me. Just giving you a heads-up since you seem to care about Alice."

Henry said nothing, just sipped his coffee.

Rupert smiled, scrolling through his phone. "I need to figure out how to make a simple girl like Alice happy."

Henry lowered his eyes, sneering inwardly.

Alice, simple?

Would a simple girl know how to find herself another man?

"Oh my God! Who did this? How could they slander my Alice like this?" Rupert frowned at his phone. "If I find out who it is, I'll kill them!"

Henry's brows furrowed at some sensitive words. "What's wrong?"

Rupert showed him his phone. "Some jerk is spreading rumors about Alice. She's getting cyberbullied."

Henry glanced at the screen and saw an article claiming Alice was using her sugar daddy's power to retaliate against classmates.

This morning, Wesley had called to say he'd already punished Sarah and the others as planned.

It seemed Sarah and her group had taken their anger out on Alice.

Though Henry's face was calm, his eyes were filled with anger.

He pressed the intercom. "Ethan, go delete..."

Before Henry could finish, Rupert was already on the phone, "Get all the news about Alice off the internet. Yeah, expose some other celebrity scandal to divert attention! Hurry up!"

Henry ended the call. What position was he in to help Alice now?

Thinking about yesterday, he laughed at himself. Her admirers would naturally solve these problems for her.

The Facebook group chat was buzzing.

Kieran: [Rupert, did you see Alice is being cyberbullied?]

Rupert: [I saw it. I'm getting someone to handle it! These shameless bastards are spreading rumors about Alice!]

Charles: [You're pretty quick!]

Rupert: [Of course, she's my future girlfriend!]

Looking at the chat messages, Henry's deep eyes were like a bottomless abyss, and his fingers tightened around his phone.

In less than half an hour, all the news about Alice was wiped from the internet, and even her name couldn't be found.

Netizens couldn't help but marvel that Alice indeed had a sugar daddy with some serious power.

Meanwhile, Rupert took to Twitter: [Alice is the girl I'm pursuing. Anyone who slanders her will face jail time!]

This tweet nearly broke Twitter, and everyone quickly learned that Alice's sugar daddy was none other than Rupert, the heir to the Astor Family in Loshanda.

Loshanda had six major families: the Howards, the Yorks, the Astors, the Colemans, the Stuarts, and the Boleyns.

These families didn't just control Loshanda's economy; they had a grip on Stellaria's entire economic lifeline.

Rupert, known as the Astor Family's playboy heir, had never publicly admitted to pursuing a girl before. This was a first.

Usually, women flocked to him without him lifting a finger. Alice was the first girl he actually tried to impress.

Everyone got the message: messing with Alice meant angering Rupert, and the online trolls quickly went silent.

Henry narrowed his eyes. Rupert had never been this serious about anyone. It seemed he was genuinely interested.

But the Astor Family valued status, and Alice probably didn't meet their standards. If it weren't for the early engagement, a Savoy girl wouldn't have been able to marry into the Howard Family.

Still, there were exceptions. What if the Astor Family went along with Rupert's wishes?

Henry pressed his temples, his lips tight.

When Esme called, Alice was busy making a cake.

"Alice, did you see the news online?"

"Yeah, I saw it." Alice put her phone on speaker and set it on the table. She turned off the mixer and moved the bowl of whipped egg whites aside. "I'm making a cake roll. Come over and get some."

"Sure! I miss your desserts." Esme frowned, "Wait, we're talking serious stuff here! Those online trolls are tearing you apart! Why don't you delete the news? Clara's crazy fans are even threatening you. Maybe lay low for a bit."

"What are you afraid of? What can they do to me?" Alice stirred the batter. "Come over later. It's gonna be delicious!"

Esme exclaimed, "Alice, the news online has been deleted! Rupert did it! He even tweeted that he's pursuing you and will make anyone who slanders you spend their life in jail!"

Alice paused, "He did?"

"Yeah, looks like Rupert's serious about you."

"I don't like him and I don't want to owe him. Can you bring him a piece of cake later and make it clear it's a thank-you gift?"

"Sure, no problem. But are you really not giving Rupert a chance?"

Alice poured the batter into the mold, tapped out the bubbles, and put it in the oven, "No way."

Rupert, who had no chance, was thrilled when Charles told him there was a cake to pick up.

Henry glanced at him. "If you have nothing to do, leave. Don't disturb my work."

Rupert almost threw his phone at Henry's face. "Oh my God! Alice made this herself! The cake looks amazing!" He sent the picture to the group chat to show off.

He put away his phone, smirking, "Henry, I'm going to pick up the cake now. I'll take pictures and share my joy with you. I've really found a treasure girl!"

After the noisy Rupert finally left, Henry pressed his temples. Rupert was really too loud.

He grabbed his phone, stared at a picture of the cake roll for a moment, then tugged at his tie and threw the phone on the table.

He pressed the intercom, his voice cold, "Report from all departments in ten minutes."