From His Wife to His Uncle's Wife novel Chapter 25

The morning sunlight barely crept through the curtains when Peter’s phone rang, shattering the quiet. He groaned, rolling over, not even bothering to open his eyes as he answered.

“What is it?”

“Mr. Clarkson, did you see the news? There’s a scandal about bribery at your daughter’s preschool. It broke at three in the morning and it’s been trending ever since.”

Peter’s eyes flew open. He pushed himself up in bed, suddenly wide awake. “What does that have to do with us?”

The assistant sounded nervous. “Well… you’re the one being accused of bribing the school.”

Peter ended the call without another word and jumped straight into the news. It was barely half past five, yet the story was blowing up everywhere. Whoever leaked it had timed it perfectly. There were even audio clips circulating. He played one. Jessie’s voice came through, clear as day.

His heart sank. He could feel trouble brewing. He called his assistant back. “Get the trending story taken down right now. And give me the preschool director’s number.”

Jessie had no clue that her little show of confidence had turned into a disaster.

The internet was buzzing.

[This is insane. Sure, it’s a private preschool, but I’ve never seen parents act like this. Just because you have money doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. She’s going to ruin that kid.]

[I heard that woman in the recording isn’t even the real mom. She’s the mistress. The real mother already left.]

[A mistress? Oh, that explains everything.]

[DM me for proof! I’ve got photos!]

People online were practically spelling out Peter and Jessie’s names.

Peter’s expression softened. “Don’t cry. We’re not angry with you.”

Autumn tried to comfort her, though her tone was stiff. “Jessie, we’re just saying… next time, let’s be more careful, alright?”

If only Eleanor had handled this. It would have blown over with a simple apology. Autumn couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. For a moment, she missed Eleanor.

Jessie bit her lip, her voice small and shaky. “I really am sorry. I just didn’t want Olga to be picked on or hurt.”

She mumbled, “It was such a small thing. I don’t know why they had to make it such a big deal…”

But there was nothing else to say. The trending stories had finally started to die down, but damage was done. Today, Peter would have to go apologize in person.

Their family’s success was always tied to the Clarkson name. Peter’s grandfather was the patriarch’s half-brother, technically an illegitimate son. The current head, George, never really accepted them. Their company only made it this far because of a small inheritance and decades of hard work. When it came down to it, their foundation wasn’t all that solid.