But Stella, a housewife with no elite education-what right did she have to be better than him? The thought of finally beating her filled Israel with immense satisfaction.

He was in such a good mood that he invited a few buddies out for drinks at a bar. They were only halfway through their first round when a wealthy heir, with whom Israel had always had a poor relationship, sauntered over to their table.

"Well, well. I always heard the Williams family was a class act. Every one of you a real catch, the kind of men every woman in our circle dreams of marrying. I actually believed you were all so squeaky clean. But it turns out... tsk, tsk, tsk. The so-called 'number one debutante' is actually an illegitimate child. And as for Mr. Israel, the man who supposedly never fools around with women..."

The man looked Israel up and down with a smirk. "Turns out you have quite the history. You know what they say, a single night of passion can create a lasting bond. You're a cold one, Mr. Israel. You got a woman pregnant and then forced her to have an abortion. That's practically murder. Even the wildest guys in our circle, if they don't want a kid, at least have the decency to negotiate with the woman. Whether it's through threats, bribes, or just paying them off, they get the girl to agree. If they can't, they suck it up and accept the child. But you, the great second son of the Williams family, you actually dragged a woman to a clinic against her will. To protect your precious reputation, you'd even kill your own child. That's a real eye-opener!"

Israel froze for a second before his face flushed with rage. He lunged forward and grabbed the man by the collar.

"You say one more damn word, and I'll rip your mouth off!"

The man just sneered. "One more word? It's all over the internet! And she has video evidence of you dragging her to the clinic."

Stunned, Israel instinctively reached for his phone. Just then, a friend who had been scrolling through his own device quickly handed it over.

"Israel, it's true! There's news about you everywhere!"

Israel snatched the phone. One look at the screen and he nearly fainted. It was ther*. This was supposed to have been taken care of tong ago Why was it resurfacing now

Just then, his phone rang. Jonathan's cold, hard voice came through the line. "Israel, get home. Now."

Israel didn't dare delay. When he arrived, the entire Williams family, minus Stella, was gathered in the living room. The scandal had exploded, spreading with terrifying speed. Though the family was trying to suppress the news for every negative story they took down another one popped up, like weeds after a spring rain. They had some control in Solmaris, but they were powerless in other countries, especially Novaris, where the Williams family was a subject of intense public interest. Gossip was flying everywhere.

"My God, what is going on with the Williams family? First the illegitimate daughter, now this... Weren't they supposed to have zero scandals, zero negative press?"

"Zero scandals? You mean they just bury everything and silence everyone? What a joke."

"Aren't the Williamses supposed to be paragons of virtue? Getting a woman pregnant and then forcing an abortion that's what you call Virtuous? Sounds more like a criminal to me."

"That poor girl. She was on her knees begging him, and he didn't show an ounce

of compassion."

"No matter what, that was a living being. The child was innocent!"