WantNovelStella pushed through the crowd and hurried over to help Joshua to his feet.
The moment the reporters spotted Stella, their demeanor softened noticeably. After all, people respected
strength, no matter where you were.
"Ms. Cameron is here!"
"Ms. Cameron, this Joshua-he's your assistant, right? Did you hear about the news he made this morning?"
"Ms. Cameron, they say Joshua is a gigolo who preys on women's feelings. You'd better watch out and not let him
take advantage of you."
Instead of swarming her, the journalists kept their distance, their words more like friendly advice than
accusations.
Stella was a respected charity ambassador-a rising star who'd just defeated Harry and would soon represent
their country in an international competition. No one dared cross the line with her.
Stella kept her tone polite and composed. "Joshua was in a car accident yesterday and needs to stay in the
hospital for a while to recover. | hope everyone can give him the space he needs to get better.
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As for those rumors... Once he's out of the hospital, we'll hold a press conference and give everyone a proper
explanation."
Now that Stella had beca national icon, the crowd was willing to give her this much respect.
"All right, since you've said so, Ms. Cameron, we'll take our leave for now."
"Ms. Cameron, good luck in the competition! Make sure to beat those foreigners and make us proud!"
When national honor was at stake, even the most gossip-hungry reporters put aside their prejudices.
Still, someone couldn't resist stirring the pot.
"Ms. Cameron, Joshua's just your assistant. Why are you so determined to protect him? Is there something going
on between the two of you that you don't want the public to know?"
Before Stella could answer, Joshua, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. "You can insultif you want,
but I won't let you slander Ms. Cameron. Spreading baseless accusations comes with legal consequences."
His words only earned him sneers from the crowd.
No one had much respect for a man who was rumored to live off a woman.
The instigator scoffed. "Have you even seen the photos and videos going around
online, Mr. Joshua? Photos can be faked, but videos don't lie."
Joshua didn't bother to argue. He simply said, "You can linkto anyone you want, but there's nothing improper
betweenand Ms Cameron. Please don't spread malicious rumors.
Ms. Cameron is about to perform at her concert, and soon after, she'll be representing our country in the
competition. Are you deliberately trying to distract her at such a crucial moment?"
The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at the reporter who had spoken out.
They might have lacked scruples, but when it cto national pride, they knew where to draw the line.
If Stella got tangled in a scandal now and it affected her performance, it would only help the foreign competitors.
Those rivals had strutted around for long enough; it was tsomeone put them in their place.
The reporter's face turned ashen.
His intentions had been anything but pure—he'd hoped to throw a wrench in
Stella's path with snegative headlines.
He hadn't expected Joshua to see right through him.
With nothing left to say, the reporter slinked away in embarrassment.
The rest of the journalists quickly followed.
Once they were gone, Stella called over Neville's bodyguards to station themselves at the door, making sure no
unauthorized people could cin.
Taking advantage of the quiet, Stella pulled out her phone to look into what had actually happened.
The more she read, the deeper her frown became.
Several wealthy women were claiming online that Joshua had deceived them— emotionally and financially.
They'd even posted intimate photos and records of enormous wire transfers.
The smallest sum was in the millions; the largest, nearly ten times that.
According to their statements, theirs hadn't been ssordid arrangement— these were, apparently, normal
romantic relationships.
One of the women wrote, "Who would pay someone they're just supporting this much? I've been focused on my
career for years-everyone aroundknows I've never had a boyfriend."
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