"I heard about what happened," Elena mentioned the next day when Cayenne went to Stefan's office. "I can't believe that they got the nerve to ask you for help."
Remembering the conversation she had with Artemis as well as with her husband right after the call, Cayenne could only sigh as she spoke, "I was quite shocked when I received the call, too."
"Miss Yen, I know that I am considered an outsider, but I think you should really listen to the boss this time. A leopard won't change its spots."
Cayenne reflected on Elena's words. She knew that Elena meant well. "First, you are not an outsider. Second, I trust my husband and I know that he will not do something that would put me in harm's way."
The two of them continued to talk while Stefan attended an important meeting in the conference room with Tristan.
"What's the meaning of this?!" Seiji confronted Diana over the phone when he heard from a media reporter that the woman planned to spread another rumor about Cayenne. "Have you lost your mind? Not only will you lose the company in the blink of an eye, but you will put your whole family in danger! Stupid!"
"Wow! And you are so smart!" Diana responded sarcastically. "You have no right to judge me, Seiji."
"Of course, I don't. I am just trying to let you see the possible consequences of your actions. Besides, I am pretty sure that it wasn't Cayenne's decision not to help you. It must have been her husband who decided not to lend you a helping hand."
"What's the difference?" Diana blurted and rolled her eyes since Seiji couldn't see her expression anyway. "You are just being biased again."
"For once, can you think about your parents and your sister? Stop being selfish! Taking the path that you are walking right now won't lead you to a happy ending."
"I don't care! I'm the one walking on it. What does it have to do with you? Stop scolding me as if you care. You only care about the fact that I am going to spread some rumors about the love of your life."
Seiji didn't know what else to say. Diana had a point. He cared about Cayenne's image but not because he still got feelings for her, but because she was his friend. "I care about Artemis and your parents, too."
Diana only mumbled "whatever" and ended the call in anger.
She thought that the man was calling her to offer some help. After all, the Sy family was considered a family friend. Yet, through and through, Seiji only cared for Cayenne.
With annoyance and disappointment invading her heart, Diana's tears fell on her face. [Why do I have to carry the burden that my grandfather caused? I never meant to hurt anyone but because of him, I have to suffer.]
She felt that the world was so unfair. She only wanted to achieve her dreams, but it felt like the whole world was against her. "No! I'll be damned if I'd lose to this obstacle in life. I must win this battle. I will never allow that fake peacock to be the only victorious person in our family.
No way! There's no way!"
As the source of her hatred, Cayenne felt no remorse with her decision.
If Diana needed her help and was sincerely asking for it without scheming something behind her back, she would not hesitate to help her, but just as Elena and Stefan said, the woman would not change her attitude that easily. They could tell that she was only taking advantage of Cayenne's kindness.
Her phone was vibrating on the table and when she picked it up, she saw Kyle's number reflected on the screen. "Kyle? What's the matter?" she asked as soon as she answered the call from her brother.
"Yen, have you seen the news online? Rumors about you being a two-faced woman and someone who ignores her family in need are circulating on the internet. I initially wanted to keep this matter from you, but I thought it would be great if you knew what is happening."
Cayenne wasn't surprised anymore. She had seen this coming when she refused to offer some help. "Don't worry about me. I've encountered a lot of slanderous news ever since I became Stefan's wife. It's no longer new to me."
"You knew the perpetrator?"
"So, it's true that they're facing some financial crisis and you refused to help them?"
Kyle nodded his head in understanding while sorting out the documents in front of him. It was his first day at work as a teacher and he heard a nasty rumor about his sister. Talk about a pleasant work surprise. "Diana Rule," Kyle muttered. "I don't ever want to have anything to do with her."
"I feel the same. Anyway, Stefan will do everything to keep this woman away from me. She can say whatever she wants and that's it."
"Right. Aside from that she did something to you before. We can use it against her."
Cayenne knew that good karma would favor kind people. No matter what Diana would do and say to her, it would only deepen the grave that she dug herself.
LifeIsShetty: "Rumors aren't always baseless. There will always be something truthful about it."
CrownIsMine: "I have heard of this rumor before. Don't Cayenne's enemies have something new? This is kinda old."
Sunisa: "Mrs. Dumrique is more famous compared to other celebrities. She's got a lot of haters, too, despite being a normal housewife and a philanthropist."
Graciousa: "Usually, a rumor from family members holds some truth."
DarnMagi: "Mrs. Dumrique was kidnapped over a year ago and suffered memory loss. Are you guys suffering memory loss, too? Use your pig brains, please."
A lot of people commented on the social media post that talked about Cayenne's unwillingness to help a family in crisis. Some were still supporting her while others readily threw dirt on her name. She didn't care about their negative opinion of her, though.
"You're upsetting my husband instead of me," Cayenne mumbled while reading the comments online. "Your provocations won't work on me at all. I experienced a lot worse than this."