The next day, Lambert Group announced the cooperation with MR Group on a new project.

There were comments from the insiders that the situation of the whole country would change if the two giants, Lambert Group and MR Group, joined hands.

Being shocked, the whole industry paid close attention to their cooperation.

Soon, it was exposed that it was Miley who facilitated the cooperation between Lambert Group and MR Group.

For the domestic media, Miley was a strange name.

But she was able to promote the cooperation, which showed that she had a great value for news.

The major media began to dig out Miley's background. It was said that she came from an ordinary family in a town. She was so smart and studious since childhood that she had always won first place and had been recommended for admission to elite schools. She finally went to study at Columbia University in the United States.

The news continued to be hot. Overnight, Miley was described as a successful and encouraging woman who had become a model for kids born in an ordinary family.

But soon, the fact that Miley and Brian were alumni was also revealed. Someone even disclosed that when they were in school, there had been gossips about Miley and Brian.

An encouraging and successful woman, who was young and beautiful and also rumored to have an affair with a big shot in the business world, would undoubtedly become the focus of public opinion.

Some people said that it was very likely for Brian to have a romantic relationship with Miley.

Initially, Brian was a normal man. It was impossible that after he knew Joanne at the age of sixteen, there had been a big blank in his emotional life before he was 30.

Secondly, Miley seemed to be good in all aspects, and she was smart and beautiful enough. It was not surprising that Brian was tempted by such a woman.

Thirdly, if it weren't for the previous relationship with Brian, how could it be possible for Miley alone to achieve the cooperation with Brian?

This kind of seemingly reasonable speculation earned a lot of support and likes. Thus, Miley had another label: Brian's ex-girlfriend.

For a moment, gossips and rumors, like a virus spreading with the air, caused a huge wave and provoked much discussion in the whole of Arlington.

With such a big scene, it was difficult for Joanne to miss this news.

When Freya rushed to ask Joanne what was going on, Joanne was biting her fingers. She looked like an onlooker. "I don't know either..."

Freya wore a look of disbelief. "Didn't you know anything when things got out of hand?"

Joanne thought for a moment and said, "To be exact, it happened under my permission."

Now, Freya looked like an onlooker. "What do you mean?"

"A few days ago, Brian asked me if I minded his cooperating with MR Group. If I did, he was ready to give up on the cooperation." Joanne looked at the ceiling. "But I said that I didn't mind and that Miley is not enough to make me feel threatened..."

Freya was speechless for a long time and then concluded. "It shows one thing..."

Joanne added, "It shows that it would be better to eliminate the love rivals as soon as possible. Otherwise, they will make trouble at any time."

Freya couldn't help complaining. "It's too late for you to be aware of it now!"

Joanne said calmly, "By the way, I will soon meet Miley."

"Let me go with you!" Freya wore a look of generosity and justice. "It has not even been one month after your childbirth. You're too weak now to defeat Miley, but I can kick her away at once!"

Joanne burst into laughter. "What are you thinking? How could I be such a violent person? Brian told me a few days ago that Miley will be present at the dinner for celebrating the first month of Aiden and Romy."

Freya inspected Joanne carefully from head to foot as if she was facing a formidable enemy.

Joanne really couldn't understand Freya's intention. She asked in confusion, "Is there... Any problem with me?"

"No problem at all!" Freya said firmly, "On the way here, I searched for Miley's photos on the American website. She's pretty good at first glance but worse after a close and careful look. You can definitely win her!"

Joanne burst into laughter. "You mean that I have to rely on my face, don't you?"

"Is there any problem with relying on your face?" Freya said seriously, "In fact, face is our greatest talent! What a pity if we don't make use of it!"

Seeing that Freya's words were getting more and more absurd, Joanne stopped her in a hurry. "In a love relationship, there is neither a winner nor a loser. If you have to say there is, then I certainly won't lose to Miley."

Freya thought for a moment and suddenly understood. "That's true. Actually, you defeated Miley when you were ten years old. Hey, you are the real winner at the starting line!"

Joanne ignored Freya's teasing and added, "I'm just curious about what kind of person Miley is."

"Uh-huh." Freya asked, "What kind of person do you expect her to be?"

"..." Joanne pondered for a moment. "Of course, the more outstanding, the better."

Freya was shocked. "Young Miss, what's the logic behind your words?"

Joanne smiled and did not explain. She just said, "Are you stupid?"

Freya thought about it and understood what Joanne meant.

Brian did not care about Miley at all. The more outstanding Miley was, the more frustrated she would be.

An outstanding person, especially such a woman as Miley, who had made a name for herself in the business world, must be a smart person. She would be able to discover in time that Brian only treated her as his friend.

Joanne hoped that Miley could cut her losses in time. It was still unknown whether Miley could hurt her after making a great mess. But she could guarantee that it would not do any good to Miley.

Freya looked at Joanne and said with a sigh, "On the way here, I was quite worried about you. But now, I am completely relieved."

It turned out that her worry was simply unnecessary.

Seeing Joanne's current state, there was no need to worry about her at all!

"Don't worry." Joanne smiled lightly. "I can handle it."

Freya nodded and clapped with Joanne. "I believe you!"

Outside, the sun had begun to set now.

Freya looked at the time. "Your Mr. Brian should be back soon. I'm leaving now."

As soon as she saw Freya off, Joanne saw Brian's car. So she simply stood at the door and waited for him.

A black car quickly stopped in front of her. Brian got out of the car and walked to Joanne with a frown. "Why are you standing outside?"

Joanne pointed at the sports car that was driving farther and farther away. "Freya just left."

Brian didn't have to guess why Freya had been here. He took Joanne's hand and said, "Let's go in."

After entering into the living room, Brian asked, "Have you seen the news?"

"The news is so hot. I have to know it." Joanne looked helpless.

Brian's beautiful and thin lips moved slightly as if he wanted to explain to Joanne. The latter shook her head with a smile, indicating that he did not need to say anything.

He raised his eyebrows and looked at Joanne in confusion.

Joanne said, "You have told me what you should say. Even if you want to say it again, I don't want to hear it."

Brian had told her long ago that he and Miley were just classmates. The rumors in school were purely groundless.

These sentences were enough to smash all the rumors on the Internet, and she didn't need to listen to his explanation.

With a smile spreading in Brian's deep eyes, he looked at Joanne gently and said, "How about asking someone to eliminate the reports on the Internet?"

"No." Joanne smiled. "The one who would delete the reports will seem very guilty. Leave them alone. I really want to see how the matter will end."

Brian asked, "How do you expect it to end?"

It seemed that he could satisfy all of Joanne's demands no matter what she wanted.

However, Joanne wanted peace and love. She said, "I certainly hope Miley can clarify the rumors so that you don't have to be embarrassed when you meet each other in the future. Also, the cooperation will be natural, which would be great!"

Brian held Joanne's hand and said, "I will temporarily hand over the cooperation with MG Group to Gavin."

"Hmm?" Joanne asked, "Wouldn't this be too deliberate?"

Brian replied, "This is to avoid arousing suspicion." He didn't want the employees of the company to have any suspicions.

"... Okay."

Joanne didn't know much about the business. In her opinion, Brian is always right. She just needed to agree with his decision and without expressing any opinions.

Now, the only thing she needed to care about was whether Miley would clarify the rumors or not.

The fact proved to Joanne that Miley's ambition was much bigger than she had imagined.

The next day, there were only three days left before the dinner for celebrating the first month of Aiden and Romy.

A group of photos suddenly appeared on the Internet.

Those were the typical photos which were taken secretly. The photos were somewhat fuzzy, but it could still be noticed at a glance that the persons in the photos were Brian and Miley.

Miley seemed to be drunk, leaning her whole body in Brian's arms. Although their expressions couldn't be seen clearly, from the perspective in the photos, their posture showed that they were very intimate.

If someone explained that Brian, as a gentleman, was taking care of a drunk woman, the time when they entered and left the hotel made the rumors unable to be clarified at all.

#

According to the time displayed in the lower right corner of the photos, Brian helped Miley into the hotel and came out nearly three hours later.

Staying there for such a long time proved the ambiguous relationship.

The photos were not new. According to the date shown, Joanne was pregnant then.

Since the pieces of information were linked closely, it was hard for people not to imagine too much.

Naturally, the topic got extremely hot on the Internet.

Someone posted about this topic on a certain gossip website, causing heated discussions and boiling responses.

"Who is the one speculating that Brian has an affair with Miley? I want to worship you!"

"When Joanne was pregnant, Brian actually cheated on her! I will never believe in love anymore..."

"Do you think that Joanne is crying now, or crying, or crying?"

But, the answer was disappointing-

Joanne was very calm, much calmer than those onlookers who saw the photos.

She could fully understand why these netizens were so excited. After all, it was the first time they had seen these photos.

However, she was not.

She had already seen the photos as soon as they were taken. She also knew what was going on with these photos.

While thinking, Joanne's phone rang. Habitually, she answered it, and an excited voice was heard.

"Is this Mrs. Lambert? I'm a reporter from XX Weekly!"

"...Mrs. Lambert is busy. If you need to talk to her, call her later."

After that, Joanne hurriedly hung up the phone.