Ch. 2751..2760

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2751-Rita seethed with annoyance, but her irritation paled in comparison to the shock that hit her when she received a message from Camille.

[What happened? Were you assaulted last night?] Camille's message contained a photo that froze Rita in her tracks-the image of the drunkard hugging her thigh. She did not know how or why it was plastered across the headlines. Whoever wrote the piece clearly had provocative intentions.

[Drunkard Can't Bear to Part with Beautiful Female Reporter-Stay Tuned for More Updates!]

Rita shuddered. Nothing had taken place between her and the drunkard except for the beating that she gave him. However, the photo could easily cause misunderstandings, and the language used for the headline was so vivid that she could not fathom how her father might react upon seeing it.

When Camille did not receive any reply from Rita after waiting for some time, she decided to phone Rita.

"What happened, Rita? Is that you in the news? Did the man assault you yesterday? Why didn't you tell me?" The thought that Rita might have had her innocence taken away made Camille anxious and sad. Rita's voice trembled as she gulped and replied, "Are there any other photos? Did they mention that I beat the drunkard up?"

Camille was silent for a while before responding, "No. The news article dedicated a considerable amount of space to suggest that you two…did it in public." Camille bit her lower lip and found it nauseating to even entertain such a thought.

"So, he didn't do anything to you, then?" Camille asked again. She could only breathe a sigh of relief after hearing Rita reassure her that nothing of the sort happened. "Why were you still out, then? It was already very late."

"I was pursuing a lead from a source and I was waiting for him to talk. I thought I could secure an exclusive interview, but ended up becoming that drunkard's target. But you know me-I'm not the kind of person who will let other people have their way with me. I seized an opportunity to fight back as soon as I could.

How Would I know that someone would be waiting there at such a late hour?

And I didn't think they'd snap photos of me either! I wonder what the reporter was thinking when they put out this piece. Circulating this photo is nothing but a blatant attempt to tarnish my reputation!"

Camille sighed. "Can't you be home a little earlier next time and ease up a bit on your work? Your salary isn't worth all this effort. It's not like you'll get any extra benefits from working so hard."

money. I was the only remaining person after all the other reporters were gone. I can't just give up sol easily. What ifthe was willing to talk?

It'd be a shame to give up then. Gah, what should I do about this, Camille?

My dad will pressure me into quitting once he sees this news."

"He'll want you to quit out of concern more than anything. He'll argue that this is a far too dangerous profession for you, But if itreaches Karen and sadie…" Rita trailed off to a pause before adding, "I'm pretty sure they're going to make a big deal out of it.

You'd better prepare yourself for that."

Rita pursed her lips. "It's about the

Rita's primary concern was that her father would leverage this incident to pressure her into leaving her cakeer.

On the other hand, she could not care less about whatever Karen or Sadie said. There was nothing for them to kick up a fuss about if nothing happened to her.

Alas, had Rita underestimated the power of gossip. That afternoon, Karen stormed into Vince's office with the newspaper.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2752-"Vince! Have you seen this news?" Karen burst into Vince's office and was visibly distressed.

Vince glanced up from the document he was reading. "What's with you today?

Can't you see I'm busy? How many times must I remind you to act with grace and composure? You're the Russells' missus now. You cannot act like you did in the past."

Karen clutched her chest in agitation. "You can't expect me to stay calm after reading this news. I rushed here the moment I saw this! Here, see for yourself!"

"What could possibly make you so-" Vince initially gave the news a casual glance, but his expression soon soured as he digested the headline and the

accompanying photo.

"This is preposterous!" he exclaimed, slamming his hand on the solid wood table.

Karen flinched at first, but she immediately grabbed his hand and inspected it to make sure he did not hurt himself. She soon found that it was entirely red. "You can get angry, but don't hurt yourself by acciden because of that anger," she implored.

"When did this happen?" Vince's face turned ashen as he glanced unhappily at Karen.

"I have no idea when your precious daughter landed herself in this mess," Karen replied. "I wouldn't have known about it at all if Sadie hadn't handed me the newspaper."

Such was the difference between Karen and Vince's attitude toward Rita. When Vince saw the news, the first emotion he felt was pure distress and concern. Though he could not comprehend why Rita was so adamant about pursuing a career in journalism, seeing his beloved daughter lying on the ground with an assailant like that was simply too much for him to bear.

Moreover, the article's insinuations were designed to stoke the salacious imaginations of the public. It was slander through and through!

"Who's the publishing house of this newspaper? I'm going to sue them!" Vince thundered as he slammed his palm on the table again. He got up from his seat abruptly and planned to head over to the publisher. He wanted to give them a piece of his mind for writing up such a provocative article about his daughter!

Karen intervened swiftly. "What good will it do to storm into their offices now?

"I share the same view as you do, but.

do you think other people will think that way too? We believe in Rita's, innocence because were her parents, but other people might not share the same view as us. I know you're angry, and I know you want to take the writer of that news article to task, but we need to consider this from the perspective of Rita's future.

The damage is done, and the news has been published! You'll only draw more attention to this if you act rashly. Do you want Rita's reputation to be tarnished forever?"

"How is this related to Rita?" Vince scoffed. "The language they use makes it clear that they were trying to leave things up to the imagination, and it doesn't take a genius to see what their true intentions are. Rita is the victim here. I have every right to confront the publisher!"

"No one knows about this so far, but it won't be long before they do. What will they think of us then? How are we supposed to introduce future.

suitors to her? Are we going to just let her be single for the rest of her life?"

Karen seethed with frustration when she saw that his concern over Rita never seemed to wane in favor of Sadie.

Karen's words brought Vince to a somber realization. "Then what do you suggest we do? We can't let Rita face all this."

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2753-Karen tried to comfort him, but at the same time, she found an opportunity to insert a casual suggestion. "First and foremost, I believe we should ask Rita to come home. We need to know if she's been assaulted. If so, we'll have to involve the police, don't you think?"

Vince appeared somewhat uneasy. "I can't bring myself to ask her that. I warned her long ago not to pursue a career in journalism, but she chose to disregard my advice. Where did that bring her now? Having to answer to people is bad enough. Now she got herself violated by someone."

The image of Rita being gripped tightly by a drunken assailant was heartbreaking for Vince.

"You're right." Vince snapped back resolutely to his senses. "I'll tell her to come back home and ask her about what happened. If she didn't do anything, then we will have to clear her name as quickly as possible. I don't want her to be judged by other people."

Karen nodded. "You're right. That is the best course of action. I'm just worried Rita might be too stubborn to confide in us."

"She won't. Rita has always been a mature person when it comes to handling something this significant." Vince expressed his confidence with a wave of his hand. He then escorted Karen back to their villa and promptly called Rita to invite her home for dinner.

After receiving her father's call, Rita immediately called Camille. "Your predictions came true. My dad just asked me to come home for dinner tonight.

Do you think I'll be walking right into a minefield?"

Nothing else concerned her except for whether or not her father would exploit the opportunity to coerce her into abandoning her fledgling career as a reporter. Meanwhile, Camille' expressed fears that Karen and Sadie might exploit the situation to Rita's disadvantage.

"I can already imagine the accusations they'll hurl at me," Rita mused aloud.

The more she feigned indifference, the more distressed Camille was.

"If all else fails, I'll contact the newspaper tomorrow and demand a retraction.

They're in the wrong for sullying your reputation!" Camille suggested.

Rita smiled and felt touched by her friend's concern. "The article has been published. A retraction won't undo the damage. Those who have read it will remember. But you know what, Camille? I couldn't care less. You can never stop those rumors. The only way to set the record straight is to do my job as a reporter and do it well. There weren't a lot of reporters present that night, and I was the only one remaining when the incident happened. The only people who could've known about this must've been someone I've met before."

Camille sighed. "You shouldn't have been exposed to so many soap operas as a child. Just look at your passion for journalism."

Rita chuckled softly. "Wish me luck, then! I have a lot on my plate lately, but let's grab a meal together when I have the time. I already miss you."

Rita knew that she might have crumbled under the pressure without Camille's support, which would be exactly what Sadie and Karen wanted.

At the moment, there were two priorities-investigating the

developer, as well as uncovering the

people conspiring against her Rita

sighed, knowing that the path ahead would be one that was fraught with plenty. obstaclies.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2754-Above all, however, there was one problem Rita had to go through firstconfronting her father's interrogation.

That evening, as she entered her family home and changed her shoes in the hallway, she noticed Donna shaking her head subtly at her.

"Your father isn't in a good mood," Donna remarked quietly.

Rita nodded. She knew that Donna cared about her and always had a knack for preemptively gauging the atmosphere. "Okay. Is there anything special for dinner tonight?" Rita attempted to lighten the mood with a smile.

"When have I ever failed to cook your favorite dish when you're here? If only you'd come back more frequently so my cooking skills wouldn't go to waste,"

Donna replied warmly.

Their hushed conversation unexpectedly caught the attention of someone else.

"You have some nerve asking if she cooked something special for you? Don't you find that embarrassing?" Sadie's voice resonated from upstairs. She stood haughtily with her arms folded and glared at Rita disdainfully.

Rita ignored Sadie and continued to talk to Donna. "I'll bring you over to my place when things go well for me at my job. Then you can cook for me every day," she quipped.

Donna nodded. "That sounds wonderful. I'll be more than happy to take care of you for the rest of your life."

"Are you deaf? Can't you hear me? If I were in your position, I'd never set foot in the Russell household again," Sadie retorted sharply, refusing to det Rita off the hook so easily. "If I were as filthy as you are, I wouldn't even show up in this villa and be an eyesore. And you always say that Dad doesn't treat you well," Sadie continued.

Rita did not respond to Sadie; her father's opinion was the only one that mattered to her. Aside from Donna's, of course. Everyone else's opinion did not matter to her.

On the other hand, Donna could not bring herself to remain silent at Sadie's harsh words. "Miss Sadie, those are merely rumors. How can you take them at face value? In my opinion, you should focus more on your studies rather than on this sort of idle gossip."

Infuriated by Donna's intervention, Sadie lashed out, "Who do you think you are? You're just a servant. How dare you use that tone with me!"

Donna bowed and recognized the truth in Sadie's words. Though she was angry, she understood the dynamics of the household. Sadie and Karen did not treat the servants with care and consideration, unlike Rita's mother Taya who viewed everyone as part of one family.

To Karen and Sadie, there was a hierarchy, and servants were treated as nothing more than people whose job was to serve them. Worse still servants were often subjected to disparaging remarks by the two of them, and they seemed to target those who like Donna, who had been there since Taya's time.

"Watch your words," Rita interjected and turned to face Sadie. She stood several inches taller than her, so her sense of superiority over Sadie seemed to be more profound.

Becoming the savior and trying to charm others. Anyone can do that,"

Sadie mocked. "It's a shame that things had to end on abad noteffor those ukiochave been here since your mother was alive. Anyway, you'd better have your script ready for Dad.

You've been defiled, so I'm pretty sure no one would want to marry you. I can't imagine the sort of headache my mother will have to go through."

Rita stepped forward and grabbed Sadie's arm as the latter attempted to leave..

"What did you jusf say? if yu spread these sorts of rumors again, I will have you dragged right to the police station!"

"Ah, yes, that's all you can do.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2755-"Who are you accusing of spreading rumors? It's not a rumor when the evidence is there. And you can't stop me from talking about it! A lot of other people are talking about it too!

"Besides, you brought this upon yourself. It's not my place to say all this if your mother is alive, but she died young, and it's now my mother's responsibility to find a suitable match for you. You probably won't understand if you haven't experienced a mother's care before. I pity you, really," Sadie retorted proudly.

She knew that she was superior to Rita in that aspect.

Rita's demeanor suddenly shifted in the next moment, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She typically remained emotionally composed, but her falling tears accentuated her delicate features and made her look even more fragile.

Sadie frowned and wondered what Rita was planning when a voice echoed from upstairs.

"Is that how you're supposed to speak to your sister?" Vince's stern voice pierced through the tension.

Sadie trembled and turned around to see Vince standing there. That was when she realized what Rita was playing at.

"Dad, you're home early," Sadie greeted with a forced smile.

Karen stood beside Vince with a similarly sour expression and tried to hold Vince's arm as they went down, only to be met with Vince's rebuff.

"If I hadn't returned early, I wouldn't have known that this is how the two of you treat my daughter all the time!" Vince's tone was heavy with disappointment.

Rita lowered her head and wiped away her tears. "Dad… Don't blame Sadie.

She's still young," she interjected softly.

"Yes, Vince," Karen hurriedly intervened, "Sadie's still immature, so she sometimes speaks without thinking.

We're all family here, and promise she doesn't mean any harm. Sadie, apologize to your sister and promise not to speak like this again."

Rita's conciliatory attitude was all the more heart-wrenching for Vince. "If I hadn't returned early today, I wouldn't have known that you've been calling my daughter a motherless child behind my back! Is this how you've raised your daughter, Karen? I married. you and brought your daughter along even though people judge me for that, and I did it so my daughter could have a maternal figure in her life. I'm starting to think that was a mistake."

Though Vince's remarks were somewhat tactful, each question struck at Karen's conscience. She took a few steps forward and grabbed Sadie's arm forcefully.

"Don't just stand there! Apologize to your sister right now!

"Please believe me, Vince. Sadie can be impulsive, but she means no harm.

"I can't say I fully understand my own daughter, let alone someone else's,"

Vince replied and his remark left Karen thoroughly crestfallen.

"What do you mean by that, Vince?"

Karen shifted to a pleading tone. "I've put in so much effort in this o m house old did, treating your daughter as my own and fulfilling my duties as a mother. None of that was good enough for you, was it?

She's been in this household for so long! I'm sure you understand her character."

"Rita probably won't be able to warm up to me at her age, but am I

blame when I'm the stepmother? You said you accepted us as your family despite other people's jydgment, but da you know that l face the same pressure too? Do you know how many times people refer to me as Rita's stepmother when I'm in public?"

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2756-Karen knew Vince very well since they had been married for so many years.

Sure enough, he seemed to be hesitating when he saw her crying.

However, before Vince could say anything, Rita said with tears in her eyes, "Dad, I know Sadie is still a child, and her words shouldn't count. But I believe if it weren't for adults teaching her, she wouldn't say such things. I understand things change, and you three are a family now, but my mother used to live here too! Why should I endure the humiliation of being pointed at and called a child without a mother? Dad…"

Rita cried harder and harder. Eventually, her tears seemed somewhat genuine.

Deep down, she felt her soul and body were divided into two halves. Her soul seemed to hover above, watching this scene, thinking it incredibly strange and ironic.

However, she had no choice but to put up this act in front of her father.

Otherwise, her life would only become harder in the future.

Karen's fake crying softened. She hung her head, silently scrutinizing Rita. 'She seems to be diverting the blame onto me. Isn't she implying that Sadie wouldn't have called her a motherless child if it weren't for my teaching?' Thinking of this, Karen's crying intensified once again.

"Rita, what are you saying? I've never thought about replacing your mother.

Since the day I met you, I've been determined to be a good mother to you. I have a daughter too, and I understand how hurt you must feel, but how could you say such things about me? Even if I'm an adult, I can still feel hurt, you know? Consider it as something I owe you. Can you please not fabricate such lies in front of your father in the future? If possible, I hope you won't pursue a career as a reporter either. Do you know what people outside say about me and your father? They say we're heartless for kicking you out of the house!" Karen clasped her chest, tears clouding her eyes as she looked at Vince. "I didn't dare defend myself against those people because I was afraid that speaking up might only lead to me being branded as a wicked stepmother. I had no choice but to endure all the mockery."

Sadie suddenly burst into tears again. She ran to Karen's side and hugged her tightly. Both mother and daughter sobbed uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry, Ritą, it's all my fault. I've been influenced by all sorts of gossip at school, which led me to be disrespectful toward you. Mom never taught me such things. In fact, she always encouraged me to learn from you and look up to you, and this caused me to hate Rita, please stop defaming my mom!"

After crying for a while, Sadie ran up to Vince. "Dad, you're the only dad I have, and I only have one sister. I admit my mistake, and I won't do it again. I'm sorry, Dad. Please don't regret taking us in." Vince's heart had softened halfway by their crying. Unable to bear it any longer, he reached out and patted Sadie's shoulder.

"I was only joking, my dear. You and your mother are fine. Help your mom back to the room to rest. I have other things to discuss with your sister."

Sadie choked back her tears and forced a smile at him before helping Karen back to her room.

Once inside, Karen straightened up. She quickly went to the dressing table, delicately wiping away her tears with tissues before reapplying her makeup.

"Of all things, why did you have to say those hurtful words right in front. of her? Vince must've seen through it.

I'm potas young as i was, so can you please not drag me into these tearful scenes next time? Otherwise, I won't be able to maintain my looks!"

wouldn't shed a tear even if her bones were broken, yet she was able to cry spiconvineingly in front of mé…"

"

Rita has learned to be manipet as well? Calways thought she

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2757-"Turns out she was putting up a show for Dad to see! I have to say, she's quite the performer. Living outside this past year has made her more adept at it. I wonder who she's trying to seduce with these tactics. Karen massaged her cheeks with a jade roller. "Forget about whom she's trying to seduce. Just trust me, I'll find her a good match."

The mother and daughter exchanged a smile. "Oh Mom, you better find her a good match, but make sure Dad doesn't catch on."

"Naturally. After all, I'm a very kind stepmother. I can't afford to let gossip spread, can I?"

"With you on the case, I have nothing to worry about."

"Alright, everyone's gone. Why are you still standing there stiffly?" Vince sat on the sofa, brushing off nonexistent dust from his knees, gesturing for his daughter to come sit beside him. Rita remained unmoving.

"What, do I have to formally invite you over as your father?" Vince put on a stern demeanor.

Thinking about the news they were about to discuss, she finally compromised and sat beside him. "Why did you call me back, Dad? I'm still working on the news."

As soon as Rita mentioned her work, Vince became furious.

"Do you have to be a stupid reporter? Look at you now, covered in dirt and looking nothing like the respectable young lady you should be! You're the eldest daughter, my only daughter. You should set an example!"

Rita gave him a nonchalant glance. "You just said I'm the only daughter in the family, so who am I setting an example for?"

"Why you!" No matter how foolish Vince was, he knew not to mention Sadie in front of Rita. After all, there was a distinction between blood- relations. Although he would dote on Sadie on a daily basis, when it came to serious matters, he was quite clear-headed.

"Alright, fine. Let's not talk about that matter. Do you know how people outside are speculating about me? If this news gets out, it'll be disastrous. At the last dinner party, I was eyeing some potential matches for you. You're already in your twenties, and it's time to settle down. You just had to bring up this kind of news at such a crucial moment!"

Vince was so frustrated that he slammed his hand on the coffee table several times. Rita winced, feeling sorry for her father's hand.

"Dad, please don't tell me you can't tell that someone is obviously deliberately trying to smear my name."

However, Vince became even angrier at Rita's non chalan tone.

"Of course I can tell, but can the others? They only think you've been defilled by some vagrant But you re clearly innocent, so why should you unjustly bear this? Aren't you worried for yourself? If your

news, what will they think? Doubt will linger in their mind

future in-laws see this kind of

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2758-Rita frowned. "If someone doubts my innocence because of this kind of news, I have no reason to marry that man. Besides, it's the twenty-first century now.

Everyone has some sort of past, and only old- fashioned people care about whether someone has had previous relationships. Dad, you're not one of those old-fashioned people, are you?"

"Where are you going with this? Having a past and being defiled by a vagrant are two completely different things! I'm warning you: sort this out quickly, or you can forget about being a reporter!"

"Dad!"

Vince waved, his decision already made. Perhaps he had been too lenient with his daughter. Who would have thought she would be so careless about her reputation? Rita could have her freedom, but only as long as it did not jeopardize her future interests.

As Vince looked at his daughter, who had grown to be a head shorter than him, all he could think of was her future.

'She's still too young to understand that I'm only looking out for her. When she gets older, perhaps she'll understand my intention,' he thought.

Rita's anger flared. "Dad, you're meddling in my life! You clearly said that if I could achieve something within a year, you'd let me pursue journalism. It's not even a year yet, so why are you interfering now? This is far different from what you promised."

"I made that promise because I didn't expect you to create this kind of news!

You've barely written a few reports of your own, and now you're making frontpage headlines. Do you think that's acceptable? You need to consider not only yourself but also the reputation of the whole family. How would the company's shareholders feel knowing that the esteemed Miss Rita Russell has fallen into such depravity? What about the investors who bought stocks in our company?"

"In the end, you only care about your company, not me. If my actions didn't affect the stock prices, would you even care about me being assaulted by a vagrant? I've been home for so long, and you've never asked me what happened that night, or what happened afterward… What a great Dad you are!" Rita said sarcastically, tears welling up in her eyes.

Rita knew she should not care so much, but she still felt unsettled inside. After all, he was her father, yet he changed himself for that woman!

Vince could not find the words to speak, his throat tight with emotion. "You're standing here in front of me, so you're definitely…"

"I'm definitely what? All I know is since I came home until now, you haven't asked me anything. I know it's natural for you to get lonely after Mom's gone, so it's just a matter of time you find someone new. But I didn't expect that while you were also forget about me. Sometimes I forgetting about Mom, you were wonder if I'm really your daughter."

"Nonsense!" Vince slammed his hand on the coffee table. "When did I forget about your mother? I've never forgotten about her."

Rita genuinely found it amusing.

After all, how could he have shared a bed with another woman if he had not forgotten about her mother? or perhaps men were naturally gifted at saying one thing while thinking another.

Rita turned her head to wipe away her tears. "Whatever, let's just end the conversation here! It handle the matter, and I won't let it affect the company's stock prices."

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2759-Rita left the house again, carrying her bag. Since she reached adulthood, she came and went to the house as if she were just a visitor.

Vince had many things he wanted to say, but as he watched her resolutely leave, he found himself speechless.

He wanted to say he understood her well. If something had really happened, she would not have stood before him so calmly. He wanted to say that it was because he understood her that he did not ask. Even when he appeared on the second floor, he had carefully scrutinized her. If she could stand there without any issues, then she was surely fine. However, to Rita, all of this seemed like his indifference. He sighed, mindlessly touching the jade ring on his ring finger.

It was left behind by Taya all those years ago. Vince had only this ring on his

finger for many years; he did not even have a wedding ceremony when he married Karen.

He had gifted Karen many pieces of jewelry but never a ring. Having Taya's ring on his ring finger was enough for him.

"Taya, am I that terrible of a father? Is that why Rita is always upset with me?

Can you teach me how to be a better father to our daughter?"

Rita drove around for a while before calming down. However, her father was right about one thing-regardless of the reason, she needed to clear up the situation.

'Who else could've been at the scene that night, engaging in such clandestine activities?' Rita fell into deep thought. She ruled out the senior reporters first. They had left the area by mid-afternoon, and they had no connection to her, let alone hold a grudge toward her.

The only reporter she had interacted with, who could have been at the scene, was her slimeball colleague. Rita propped her chin with her fist, pondering whether it could have been Chase.

Rita knew that as a reporter, having evidence was crucial. After some thought, she decided to test him out back at the office.

'He doesn't seem like the bold type who'd seek revenge directly, so there's a very high chance he ht resort to sneaky tactics like this,' thought Rita.

én.swnovels.net Before that, she decided to visit Virgil. She arranged for him to work at an orphanage where they happened to be looking for a security guard.

Virgil seemed gentle enough, and the children there would surely like him.

Sure enough, as soon as Rita closed the car door, she saw a group of children surrounding him. He had cleaned up, shaved, and even trimmed his hair. Gone was that net scruffy appearance of a vagrant; he looked gentle and refined instead.

"Mister Virgil, Mister Virgil, I want to play airplane too!"

"Me too, me too!"

"Okay, okay. You'll all get a turn. But first, you need to line up, okay?" said Virgil.

Rita crossed her arms and smiled as she watched him. Perhaps this was the reason she insisted on being a reporter.

Virgil finished playing airplane with the children before noticing Rita quietly observing him.

"Why didn't you join us? And why

didn't you let me know you were here? How long have you been m waiting " There was à thin layer of sweat on his face.

Rita took out a tissue from her bag and handed it to him. "just arived.

I'm relieved to see you're getting along so well with the kids."

"Yeah, they're all very happy. I prefer hanging out with them instead of !

adults. children always say what's on their minds, and I like that."

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2760-"Thanks to you and your friends… If it weren't for you all, I wouldn't know where I'd be right now…" He rubbed his hands together, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Perhaps he would have left behind his wandering life long ago if someone had been willing to lend him a hand from the start.

Rita smiled and said, "Where else could you go? You'd still be stuck at that piece of land of course."

Virgil scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "Heh, you're right. But I still have to thank you all."

Rita nodded. "I also have to thank you for trusting me. Alright, I just came to see you. Since you're settling in so quickly, I'll head back now. There's still a lot of

work to be done."

Virgil walked a few steps with her, hesitated, and finally said, "I know figuring things out can be tough, but since I've settled down now…you don't have to rush the matter. You can just take things at your own pace."

Rita understood his meaning; achieving this task alone would indeed be very difficult for her. Virgil was also afraid she forced herself into a dead-end.

"Don't worry. I've never been alone on this path, and I won't foolishly attempt the impossible," Rita assured him.

Virgil nodded solemnly. "That's good. I don't want you to make such a big sacrifice for me for no reason."

Rita merely smiled. As she drove away, she could still see his diminishing figure in the rearview mirror, standing there seeing her off.

She was not just doing this for Virgil; there could not possibly be only one victim in this matter.

Rita knew that saying these things might come off as pretentious. Others might criticize her for being overly idealistic, but she was driven by a desire to reduce the number of victims and uncover the truth. That was why she chose journalism as her profession. She hoped there would be fewer Virgils in the world.

Rita did not say it, but when she saw Virgil interacting with those kids, she felt a pang in her heart at the warmth in his eyes. She could imagine how much he must have loved his children before this incident, how he lost them, lost his family, and could only watch other people's children.

Was all of this supposed to be acceptable? Rita did not think so.

She pressed down on the accelerator, her destination set for New Capital Times.

There had been too many things happening, with too many tasks waiting for Rita to complete. Even though she had been running around the scene for so long, she was feeling somewhat overwhelmed.

However, it was not all bad news.

As soon as she returned to her desk, she found herself face-to-face with Chase.

Just as she raised her head she caught him avoiding her gaze Rita chuckled inwardly; it seemed her suspicions were not far off the mark. . Chase was just too incompetent, clearly guilty as sin.

"Chase? Chase!"

Chase had been feeling the weight of someone's gaze on him the whole time. Fearing that Rita had O discovered something he did, he pretended to be engrossed in reading some documents.

Little did he know that his colleague, who was trying to hand him some documents, had been calling him several times, but he had not heard a thing.

"Chase!" The colleagues lightly tapped his shoulder, causing him to jump up as if he were on springs.

The commotion caught the attention of their surrounding colleagues, land Rita, loked on with interest.