The morning sunlight streamed through the glass windows of the Su Mansion, casting a warm glow over the long dining table where breakfast sat, untouched. The air was deceptively tranquil and at the end of the table, Su Ruoyan fidgeted with her delicate teacup, the soft clinking of porcelain punctuating her unvoiced turmoil.
Just as she started to pick at her meal, the door swung open, and Su Chengyuan strode in with his expression dark and brooding. He clutched his tablet under his arm and set it down on the table with an unsettling thud that echoed through the room.
"Father, Mother," he said, his tone grave, "you both need to see this."
Su Haoran looked up from his newspaper, unease washing over his features as he caught the troubled look on his eldest son's face. "What happened?" he asked, concern creeping into his voice.
Chengyuan quickly unlocked the screen and turned it toward them, revealing a headline,
"'CEO Lu Shenyang Divorces Wife After Her Sacrifices, Rumours Say He Left Her Broken and Alone.'"
Underneath, photos flashed with a grinning Lu Shenyang at a corporate event, and a veiled image of a woman in a wheelchair, her face hidden from the world. Su Haoran's expression darkened, and Shen Yuxin, nearly dropped her teacup. "What, what is this?" she stammered.
"The news broke an hour ago," Chengyuan replied, his voice low. "It's all over the media. They're saying Lu Shenyang divorced her wife because she is crippled and she's been missing ever since."
Su vHaoxuan, scrolling through his phone, slammed it onto the table in frustration. "Those vultures! They're savouring this tragedy as if it's entertainment."
Yichen leaned against the wall, his gaze as cold as steel. "Looks like they've found their tragedy of the week."
Ruoyan remained silent, her eyes locked onto the tablet, absorbing the faceless portrayal the media had crafted. She knew who they were talking about, but they had no idea who she truly was. "They don't even know my name," she said, her voice a whisper as she set her teacup down with a gentle click. "Let them talk as much as they want."
Her mother frowned, concern etching itself across her features. "Ruoyan, this is an act of humiliation and you know we can sue them for doing this. You shouldn't remain silent."
Ruoyan shook her head, her calm demeanour almost unsettling. "They don't even have any idea who is the woman in the veil, Mother. To them, I'm just an unknown figure beside him and no one even knows my name. This is how pathetic my life was before. But trust me, Mother, silence is my strength. If I speak up now, they will uncover my identity, and that's the last thing I want. For now, I'd prefer that they pity the nameless wife rather than recognize me as the daughter of the Su family."
Shen Yuxin's heart ached at her daughter's resigned composure. Her daughter, once a vibrant and warm girl, now had an edge to her calm that hinted at an untamed strength, like a fire she struggled to conceal.
Haoran let out a deep breath as he closed the newspaper he had put down. "The Lu family won't appreciate this scrutiny. They're going to try to suppress this news."
"They're already making efforts," Chengyuan confirmed. "The Lu Group's PR team is scrambling to mitigate the damage, but it's spiralling out of control. Every time they delete a post, three more appear. Scandals sell, especially ones filled with betrayal."
Yichen smirked, a dark amusement in his eyes. "I'm really curious to know who wants to sabotage this, Lu Shenyang. The news came so suddenly that it caught us off guard. Regardless, let the Lu family try. They need to understand that every word they erase will only stoke the flames of public curiosity."
A faint, almost cruel smile crept onto Ruoyan's lips. It wasn't one of joy, but rather a fragile reflection of her resolve. "He built his empire on a path of perfection. Let's see how he navigates the reality of imperfection."
Her mother reached for her hand, worry etched on her face. "Dear, do you think we should issue a statement to clarify things?"
"No," Ruoyan replied softly, her gaze distant. "As I said, no one even know me, the invisible wife. Let them believe what they want. The more the world thinks I was weak, the harder they will fall when they discover I'm not."
Her assertion lingered in the air, silencing the room. Even her brothers exchanged uncertain glances. This wasn't the voice of a woman seeking sympathy; it was the measured tone of someone planning their next move.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted at the Lu family mansion.
"Are you telling me this nonsense is still not under control?" Lu Hongwei, Lu Shenyang's father, roared, slamming his cane into the marble floor. "What are you doing about this?!"
The anxious PR manager hesitated, struggling to find a response. "Chairman Lu, we've contacted every major outlet, but smaller platforms are reposting faster than we can reply. It's spiralling out of control."
"Then pay them off! Do whatever it takes to erase this news!" he commanded, his voice rising in anger.
Zhao Meilan clutched her pearls, panic etched on her face. "This will damage Shenyang's reputation! He's supposed to announce a major partnership next week. How can he face the press after this scandal?"
In a shadowed corner, Lu Shenyang stood silently, his face pale and his jaw clenched. He had seen the articles and the photo of that wheelchair, a haunting reminder he could never escape.
"She's behind this," Li Meilan spat bitterly. "That woman must have leaked it to humiliate you."
He shut his eyes for a moment and shook his head. "You know she wouldn't."
"Still defending her after everything that happened?" his mother snapped, her eyes piercing through him.
He offered no reply, but the gnawing truth within him spoke louder than words. Su Ruoyan would never expose their marriage and it's not because of love, but because of her pride. Her silence was more dangerous than any scandal could ever be.
And now, that very silence was unravelling him.
Inside the Su mansion, tensions crackled in the air, like electricity before a storm. The elegant decor hid a tempest of emotions ready to unleash, setting the stage for an explosive encounter.