Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 690

When Irene spotted the tabloid rumors about Neil and another woman, a flicker of concern crossed her mind. She rose from her seat and made her way towards Neil and Hutchins, who were deeply engrossed in a game of chess. The tension of the game was palpable, but upon seeing Irene approach, Neil looked up and greeted her with a tender smile.

Irene returned the smile and, instead of diving straight into the gossip, she simply pulled up a chair and sat down to watch the game unfold, her phone casually tossed aside yet conspicuously left on a page filled with comments about Neil's supposed affair with a female celebrity.

After finishing their game, Neil's gaze inadvertently fell on Irene's phone, which she kept alive with occasional taps. It struck him as odd until he caught sight of the headline that had captured her attention.

In the next moment, Neil had Irene's phone in hand, scrolling through the comments, his mood for chess evaporating. He was taken aback by the sheer number of people doubting his reconciliation with Irene and questioning whether their wedding would happen at all.

"Are they kidding?" he thought, frustrated. The rumor about him spending the night with a female star was particularly grating. That night, there had been a mixed group discussing a business venture, and after the women left, only a few men, including himself, had stayed behind, opting to crash there.

Disgusted by the media's fabrication, Neil decided to postpone the chess game to address this mess. "Dad, I've got something to sort out," he told Hutchins, who, clueless about the situation but sensing the urgency, agreed and decided to check on Megan in the kitchen.

Once Hutchins left, Neil immediately turned to Irene, grasping her hands and looking into her eyes with a mixture of frustration and earnestness. "Honey, you have to believe me!"

"You didn't spend the night with that celebrity?" Irene asked, her tone serious yet playful.

In truth, she was aware of the incident since Mitch had been involved in the same investment talk. The whole affair had been explained to her by Stella, but she hadn't brought it up with Neil, preferring not to worry over it.

Neil swore on his integrity, his expression solemn as if he were taking an oath, "I swear, I didn't spend the night with her. We just had a few drinks and talked business before they left. If I'm lying, may I face the worst!"

Irene, however, was not comforted by his cursing and covered his mouth gently, chiding him for even uttering such unlucky words.