Chapter 581: Bombshell

Chapter 581: Chapter 581: Bombshell

"Aethelgard?" Joan Jacobs was intrigued.

City E was a coastal city, no match for an international metropolis like Aethelgard. Owning three properties in a place like that was a sign of considerable power.

Theo Rhodes deliberately held her gaze and continued his seduction. "My father has a multinational corporation waiting for me to inherit, and I’m an only child."

Joan Jacobs was practically buzzing with anticipation. She couldn’t help but ask, "Would you still want a woman like me? I’ve been with other men."

Theo Rhodes smiled faintly. "We’re all adults, not some innocent kids falling in love for the first time. Surely you don’t expect me to be a virgin, do you?"

Hearing this, Joan Jacobs finally dropped all her reservations. She wrapped her arms around his and said, "Assistant Rhodes, I see you’re quite the player yourself. So, do you want to... with me..."

Theo Rhodes pulled back slightly, putting on an aloof air. "Sorry, I have a thing about not getting involved with women who are already taken. But if you were to break up with your boyfriend, that would be a different story."

Joan Jacobs felt a pang of disappointment and said quietly, "You city folk are so particular. Well then, I’ll break up with my boyfriend first. Will you wait for me?"

"Of course," Theo Rhodes replied, giving her chin a little squeeze.

The flirtatious gesture made Joan Jacobs’s heart skip a beat. This was definitely what it felt like to be smitten.

"Assistant Rhodes..." Joan Jacobs blinked at him helplessly. "Tonight’s the perfect opportunity... Are you sure you don’t want to give it a try?"

Theo Rhodes held firm. "Right now, you haven’t given me a reason to break my own rules. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Joan Jacobs asked eagerly.

"My father gave me a task. I need to be promoted to deputy editor-in-chief of the Astoria Daily within a year so I can run publicity for my family’s company. But as you know, I haven’t been at the paper for long. I don’t have the resources or a big story. If you could help me produce a story that makes national headlines, like the ones my mentor used to write, then maybe... I’d agree to your proposal immediately."

As soon as Joan Jacobs heard this, her interest was piqued again. Bolstered by the alcohol, she suddenly grew bold.

"Funnily enough, I do have a major scoop for you. It would definitely be a huge help."

"What is it?" Theo asked.

Joan Jacobs took a quiet breath and whispered, "The medicine from the Miracle Health Clinic... it’s actually fake."

Theo Rhodes feigned a look of surprise. "No way. My mentor and I visited their factory. All the permits were in order, and we didn’t see anything counterfeit."

Joan Jacobs smiled. "The factory is real, that’s true. But in reality, all of the Miracle Health Clinic’s ’ancestral medicine’ is made at *my* factory. And you have no idea... the medicinal catalysts they use... ugh, they’re absolutely disgusting!"

Theo Rhodes feigned shock. "What do you mean?"

Joan Jacobs leaned close to his ear and whispered.

The more he heard, the darker Theo Rhodes’s expression grew, and a chill began to radiate from him.

’These people... They’re utterly depraved!’

-

That night, Claire Sinclair played the recording of Joan Jacobs’s final words over and over. The more she listened, the colder her heart became, while a fire of rage burned ever brighter within her.

Around three in the morning, Theo Rhodes finally managed to get away from Joan Jacobs. He couldn’t wait to get back to Claire Sinclair.