Chapter 17 The Photo Scandal

"I'm talking about you right now. Hugging another man? What does that do to our family's reputation? What about Lawrence?" Luna yelled, her voice filled with anger.

Hazel calmly placed the photos on the table. "Who gave you these photos? Bring that person here, and I'll confront them face-to-face. If they took such good shots, there must be more. Let's see all of them. What's the point of just these two?"

Hazel then turned to Jeremy. "Grandpa, I have no idea who took these photos with such bad intentions. Aunt Luna jumped to conclusions, accusing me of being involved with another man. Why don't we check the mall's surveillance footage to see what really happened? And Lawrence should know about this. I'm his wife, and I can't let him think I've cheated on him because of some misleading photos."

Her voice was steady, showing no sign of guilt or panic.

"This is such a minor issue. Why do we need to check the surveillance and tell Lawrence? You're just causing trouble for the family," Luna cut in before Jeremy could respond.

Hazel almost laughed in frustration. "How can this be a minor issue, Aunt Luna? You even called Grandpa out, and it concerns Lawrence's reputation. We need to get to the bottom of this."

Hazel's determined expression made Luna uneasy, sensing things might not go her way.

She couldn't let Hazel off the hook!

"Jeremy, I..." Before Luna could finish, Jeremy interrupted her. "Enough. This is clearly someone trying to cause trouble between Lawrence and Hazel. Let's end this here."

Luna was stunned, not expecting the issue to be resolved so quickly.

She wanted to say more, but Jeremy's displeased look made her reluctantly shut her mouth.

She thought she could use these photos to make Hazel suffer.

Now, she looked like the fool.

"Hazel, what do you think?" Jeremy asked.

Hazel smiled slightly. "Grandpa is right. Someone must be trying to stir up trouble. Aunt Luna, you should be more careful next time and not be used by others."

Seeing her so sensible, Jeremy's expression softened a bit. "Hazel, I'm sorry you had to go through this today. But since you're married to Lawrence, I hope you handle your relationships well to avoid misunderstandings."

"I understand, Grandpa," Hazel replied, bowing her head slightly.

Jeremy initially wanted to punish her severely, but then he let her off easily. If she had shown any hesitation or weakness earlier, the outcome might have been different.

"Grandpa, I'm a bit tired. I'll go upstairs to rest." Hazel said.

Jeremy didn't stop her, waving his hand to let her go.

Hazel glanced down at Luna from the stairs before heading up.

Luna disliked her and wanted to marry her niece Sandra to Lawrence. Luna might have been behind today's incident.

In the living room, after Hazel went upstairs, Luna couldn't help but speak. "Jeremy, we can't just let this go. What if outsiders talk about our family? It won't just be her being looked down upon."

The evidence was there, but Jeremy said to let it go.

"Enough!" Jeremy's stern gaze swept over her. "Do you think everyone is a fool? Didn't I warn you last time to stop your schemes? If you don't want peace in this house, you can leave!"

With that, Jeremy slammed his hand on the coffee table.

The tea on the table spilled a bit, scaring not only Luna but also the other servants.

Hazel saw the whole scene from upstairs.

She didn't go into her room immediately but stood there watching.

It was quite an interesting scene.

Jeremy's voice was loud enough for her to hear from upstairs. It seemed he knew Luna's intentions.

With a hint of sarcasm in her eyes, Hazel went into her room.

This matter would soon reach Lawrence. She wondered how he would react.

Closing the door, Hazel threw herself onto the bed in frustration.

They hadn't gotten the perfume formula from her, and the Anderson family wouldn't let it go.

She had a feeling Randy would come after her again.

She needed to become stronger quickly to stand up to Keith and the others.

And with the Johnson family, she had to stand firmly with Lawrence.

Half-asleep, Hazel was startled awake by the sound of Lawrence entering the room.

She sat up quickly, her eyes meeting Lawrence's.

Seeing her confused expression, Lawrence raised an eyebrow. "Did I scare you?"

After a few seconds, Hazel rubbed her face and got out of bed. "Did you just get back?"

Lawrence replied, "I've been back for a while. I just finished dinner."

Hearing this, Hazel realized she hadn't eaten dinner yet, and her stomach growled in response.

Noticing her embarrassment, Lawrence spoke up. "Ruby said you didn't eat dinner. I had them heat up some food for you. It'll be brought up soon."

Surprised by his thoughtfulness, Hazel blinked and then smiled. "Thanks, honey."

Lawrence said, "The housekeeper told me about what happened tonight. I'll have someone look into it."

Knowing he was referring to the photos, Hazel nodded.

Lawrence had more resources than she did and could easily find out a lot. There was no need for her to trouble herself.

Plus, if he found out the truth himself, he would trust it more.

"Lawrence, aren't you going to ask if I'm still in contact with Randy?" Hazel moved closer to Lawrence, blinking as she asked.

Lawrence lifted her chin. "You wouldn't be that stupid, would you?"

Swatting his hand away, Hazel glared at him. "I'm not dumb. I stopped liking him a long time ago. Next time, why don't you have someone beat him up and I'll cheer you on from the side?"

Lawrence replied, "Hitting people is illegal."

Hazel fell silent.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. A servant brought in the heated dinner. Hazel's stomach growled louder at the smell.

"You eat. I'll go take a shower." Lawrence said.

Hazel didn't hold back, finishing all the food the servant brought. When Lawrence came out and saw the empty plates, he clicked his tongue. "Next time you go out, let Jason follow you. People might think the Johnson family can't afford to feed you."

Hearing the teasing in Lawrence's words, Hazel didn't get angry. "Sure, I'll have Jason come with me tomorrow."

She had to run around for market research in the coming days. If someone annoying showed up, Jason could help fend them off.