"She's probably here to see Grandma, right? I'll head back soon. By the way, didn't you have an exam today? Why are you still at home?"

Carter's expression softened as he spoke on the phone, walking towards the exit. "It's this afternoon. I'm leaving now, so I won't be late.”

Anastasia got back half an hour later to find Marina still there.

"Mom, I called and told you Grandma was fine, why did you rush back?" she said, putting her things down and walking over with a helpless smile. "I heard you've been incredibly busy lately."

Marina was exceptionally fond of her daughter-in-law. Her face lit up at the sight of her, and she pulled Anastasia down to sit beside her. "With you at home, I never have to worry. But I just wanted to see for myself. It's not like I don't have a spare moment."

Lady Lancaster sat nearby, a gentle smile on her face as she watched them talk, clearly in good spirits.

As a film director currently in the middle of a shoot, Marina's schedule was tight. After about an hour, she had to leave.

Watching her depart in such a hurry, Anastasia simply assumed she was busy with work and didn't give it much thought.

Later, however, when Carter returned from his exam, he told her, "I think Ms. Lawson is in some kind of trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

Carter, feeling something was amiss earlier, had looked into it and now had a clear picture of the situation.

"An actress from her film crew, Nicola Zade, is accusing Ms. Lawson online of forcing her to sleep with a client, threatening to cut her from the film if she refused. She posted evidence of herself being assaulted by some rich tycoon, and now public opinion is turning heavily against Ms. Lawson."

Anastasia frowned. "Hold on, let me look this up online."

Carter replied, "No need. I've already compiled all the information. I can send it to you."

A moment later, Anastasia received the file from him.

f

The actress, Nicola, was quite well-known The 'evidence' was a short clip from a hotel security camera in it, she could be seen running out of a room, her clothes disheveled, looking terrified. A heavyset man pursues her grabs her by the waist and tries to drag herback into the room. Nicola struggles, and then the video abruptly ends.

【Nicola Zade: I used to admire Ms. Lawson so much; I never imagined she was this kind of person. If a hotel employee hadn't happened to walk by that night, I can't

bear to think about what would have happened to me...】

In her post, Nicola claimed Marina had essentially sold her to a wealthy tycoon. She alleged she had

returned to her hotel room unsuspecting only to find the man waiting for her. She claimed she fought him off and was lucky that a passing hotel employee interrupted the assault, allowing her to escape.

She was now pleading with the public to help her get justice, demanding an apology and compensation from Marina.

With Nicola's substantial fanbase, her personal account, and the video evidence,

the story exploded online. A wave of outrage was directed at Marina, who had yet to make any official response.

Anastasia found the whole thing laughable. Forgetting for a moment that Marina simply wasn't that kind of person one only had to consider her status-the esteemed daughter of the Lawson family and Harrison's mother. Why on earth would

someone of her stature need to sell out an actress to curry favor with some tycoon?

It was illogical. There could only be one explanation: Nicola was lying!