Silly Bride

Chapter 280

that Winnie had many social events to attend over the next few days, she could barely find the time to talk to Xavier. Their phone conversations were often interrupted, and even text messages were left unanswered for a long while.Winnie was so busy that she didn’t have time to mope around, but Xavier, on the other hand, found it to be an agonizing ordeal.Soon, it was the day for Emily’s interview with Helen, and she had Winnie vet her scripts before the journalist arrived.Wilhelm was also present when Winnie skimmed through the script. The latter’s expression instantly slid into a frown when she was done reading.“Grandma, are you sure you want to share these old stories? Wouldn’t they affect Steffen and the family’s reputation?” Winnie asked. “Steffen is poised to become the youngest member of parliament. If his future gets affected because of my background, I’ll feel very guilty.”“Don’t worry, Winnie. I’ve already discussed this with Steffen and even had him vet the script,” Emily reassured. “Both your grandfather and eldest brother have no problems with it, so you shouldn’t let it bother you either.”“Really?” Winnie asked, still frowning slightly. I’m more than aware that Grandma only agreed to do this interview because she dotes on me and wants to give me a proper acknowledgment. However, I honestly don’t care about the title. It doesn’t matter whether I’m blood-related or adopted, so long as I know Grandpa and Grandma are good to me. I don’t want to drag the other Speiser family members into my mess…“That’s right, Winnie,” Wilhelm replied. “I’ve thought it through and agree that this is the best approach. The previous mission we entrusted you with has put your life in danger, but your enemies only know you as Vivian and not your real identity. If we reveal your family background, I’m sure they won’t do anything reckless when they run into you again. Besides, since Grandpa and Steffen are on board, you have nothing to worry about.”After getting persuaded by Emily and Wilhelm, Winnie finally nodded.“Okay. I’ll go along with it, but I don’t wish to be interviewed. I don’t want to show my face,” she said sternly.Wilhelm furrowed his brows at that. “You don’t have to participate in the interview, but I think you should reveal your face. I know you don’t want the media snapping photos of you, so I’ve chosen this family photo taken last Christmas. Will that be all right with you?”Winnie promptly took the photo and scrutinized it. Everyone was smiling beautifully in it, but a brunette like her still stood out like a sore thumb among the rest of her blond-haired family members.Oh, well, I suppose this is better than publishing a solo photo of me.“Okay,” Winnie said with a nod. “Let’s do as you say, Wilhelm. I think it’s a good idea to have all of you in the photo with me.”Very soon, Helen published an article with the eye-catching headline: After Fifteen Years, The Speiser Family’s Adopted Aplothian Daughter Is Revealed To Be Their Biological Daughter!The news went viral overnight in Yartran and gradually spread to the rest of the world.Then again, it was hardly surprising that the news made the rounds so quickly. After all, not only did the article provide an in-depth explanation of Winnie’s background, but it also exposed the scandals of the Speiser family’s seventh generation.In reality, Joshua Speiser, the current duke, was the eighth duke of his family. The seventh duke was his elder brother, who turned out to be Winnie’s maternal grandfather.How, then, did the seventh duke have a granddaughter in Chanaea?As it turned out, the seventh duke’s marriage life was anything but smooth sailing. He had agreed to an arranged marriage for the sole purpose of aiding his family politically and financially.After the wedding, however, he gradually fell in love with his wife and looked forward to building a family with her. Unfortunately, his wife cheated on him with another woman, which prompted him to leave Yartran and travel around Chanaea under a hidden identity.During his travels, he met Winnie’s biological maternal grandmother and slowly realized he had fallen head over heels in love with the beautiful Chanaean woman.The couple’s love continued to blossom, and it wasn’t long before she gave birth to Winnie’s mother. But sadly, Lady Luck did not smile upon them.Shortly after the birth of their child, Winnie’s biological maternal grandparents perished in a tragic boat accident, leaving her mother behind as the sole survivor.Later, after much back and forth, Jacinta Sumner finally adopted Winnie’s mother, who subsequently gave birth to Winnie in her adulthood.Due to the passing of Winnie’s maternal grandfather, the title of duke was then inherited by the current eighth duke.As such, there was nothing wrong with Emily claiming Winnie to be related to the Speiser family by blood. If the latter’s maternal grandfather hadn’t passed away, Joshua would never have inherited the title of duke.In short, the wife of the seventh duke had an affair, and he ran away heartbroken, only to have an illegitimate daughter with a Chanaean woman.No matter how well the story was written, one couldn’t deny that it was still a scandal through and through.However, the current duke and duchess were determined to acknowledge Winnie as their granddaughter, so it was no wonder the news spread like wildfire and became one of the most talked about topics.Naturally, Xavier was no exception.By the time the article was published, he had already been discharged from the hospital and returned to Fairchild Corporation.Not only did he and all his employees read the news, but he also heard them gossiping among themselves.“When Mrs. Fairchild was playing dumb, we all thought she wasn’t good enough for Mr. Fairchild. Who can blame us, though? She’s an attractive woman, but that doesn’t make her worthy of him. We only became impressed when it was revealed