Forsaken to Treasured: A Short Story

5. Samuel

After Christmas, social circles are once again abuzz with talk of Arabella De Vere.

Samuel had never been one to flip through gossip magazines or chase gossip, but he finally learned what Arabella had been going through during this time. With nothing but shock and guilt, he sat in his study and looked over the loquacious, gossip-filled reports.

So Samuel organized a press conference. The man on stage was solemn, his voice smooth and firm, every word an effort to clear up misunderstandings about the annulment.

"Gentlemen, today I'm not here to defend but to tell the truth." Samuel's voice echoed through the microphone, his eyes sweeping over the reporters present with steely determination.

"There has been a lot of gossip about the dissolution of my engagement to Miss De Vere. I must make it very clear that it is entirely my responsibility." His voice heaved slightly.

There was a sudden outcry from the reporters, many of whom began to whisper as cameras and recorders were tightly focused on Samuel on the stage.

"Arabella is a gentle, kind and well-educated woman who deeply understands and supports me." Samuel's voice revealed a hint of tenderness and apology. "The dissolution of the engagement is solely due to some of my personal decisions and caprices. I ought not to have made her suffer unwarranted accusations for it. Here, I am more than just clarifying to everyone. I must apologize to her publicly." However, people often subconsciously believe preconceived information.

Samuel's explanation didn't provide much eye-catching news compared to the rumors about Arabella. The statement didn't clear up the misunderstanding surrounding Arabella,

Instead, after reading Samuel's clarification, many people began to say, "Arabella De Vere, this woman is so incredible. She must have connections to someone powerful. Otherwise, how could she force her ex-fiancé to clean up her reputation?

Rumors are like snowballs. One malicious speculation is followed by another, more exaggerated one. Like a chain reaction, one untenable guess stands on the shoulders of another, pulling characters and stories from who knows where creating a shaky behemoth called true-sounding rumors.

"I agree! The Cavendish family probably doesn't want to offend this guy. I wonder what kind of person Arabella has been with, and it's crazy to force the heir of the Cavendish family to come out and apologize in person."

"Arabella is only twenty-four years old, so it's hard to imagine how many rich and powerful men she will have to date in her forties."

"Did she actually date a married man in the royal family? That's too scandalous!"

Feeling helpless in the face of such slander and misunderstanding, Samuel tried to respond by issuing another statement via social media to set the record straight, but numerous media and netizens seemed to ignore what he said.

He watched as the uproar on the internet swallowed him whole, and there was nothing he could do other than to express his most sincere apologies to the girl he had hurt.

The comments have been overwhelming to Arabella De Vere and an issue of her public image. The identity of Arabella's supporter, allegedly linked to the royal family or the Romanovs, remained uncertain.

The paparazzi tracking Arabella's daily movements had already discovered her connection to Romanov's Enterprise's Art Projects, but while chasing the name Theodore Romanov, another, more significant, and more shocking news bombed out of the blue.

The Lord Michael, who had spoken so eloquently in interviews, was exposed in a scandal involving prostitutes and even an underage girl.

It was as if a bolt of lightning had split the city's tranquility. Murmurs came from the streets, and people in the cafes whispered and gossiped about all the rumors in the aristocracy society.