Chapter 481


    “I’ll have Fifi remove this from trending so that it doesn’t escte further.” Pearl wasn’t


    usually concerned about such petty issues, but this could harm Eric and Richard’s reputations, so she


    couldn’t take this lightly.


    Richard raised his hand to stop her. “No, if we start controlling the situation, it will be


    difficult to uncover who is behind all of this. Jenny and Hugo were put in their ce to make them lie


    low for a while. If that’s the case, who is pulling their strings?”


    Pearl paused. “You’re right.”


    “So what we need to do is make it clear that I’m your boyfriend. Wouldn’t that resolve the issue?”


    Richard suggested.


    Pearl agreed and reached for her phone to post an announcement about officially dating Richard.


    But Richard felt it needed to be more memorable. “That’s not good enough. Many people may not pay


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    much attention to something vague. It needs to be something that sticks in their minds.”


    He looked at her seriously. “How about we get engaged?”


    Although it was a great idea, something felt off to Pearl. “Shouldn’t we discuss this with Eric? It involves


    him.”


    Pearl was about to call Eric when the door suddenly opened, revealing Eric, whom they hadn’t seen for


    days.


    “How are you doing, Pearl?” Eric ced the bouquet he had brought on the nightstand and sat down


    on a nearby couch.


    Seeing the beautiful flowers, Pearl smiled. “I should thank you because if it weren’t for you, might have


    lost my life in theke.”


    I


    “Not at all. It wasn’t just me. Richard tried so hard to save you that he nearly drowned as well.”


    Pearl knew that Richard wasn’t a strong swimmer, but he had been calm during the rescue. When she


    woke up, she found him in dry clothes, and he had never mentioned his near- drowning experience.


    She had assumed that Eric was the one who had saved her.


    Now, thinking back, she realized that what Richard was wearing was different from what he had worn


    on the boat.


    “Richard…” Her eyes welled up with tears.


    “Don’t cry. It’s not something I would be proud of, and I didn’t want to tell you,” Richard said in a gentle


    voice. He was trying to protect his ego; if he had died trying to save her, it would have been very


    embarrassing.


    “So you were nning to hide it from me forever?” Pearl asked. Why would he do that if he couldn’t


    swim? What if something happened to him?


    Richard responded in a gentle tone, “No, but I wouldn’t have told you unless you asked.”


    Pearl took a deep breath and held back her tears. “Alright, I have a new n.”


    Richard had a bad feeling about this. “What n?”


    “I’ve decided to teach you how to swim after we get back to Enswood.”


    “No, I don’t want to learn.” Richard wasn’t terrible at swimming. He was afraid of water.


    Curious, Pearl asked, “Why not?”


    “I fell into the water when I was a kid, and it made me afraid of being in the water.”


    She wasn’t aware of that experience. Frowning, Pearl inquired, “Why did you fall in?”


    Richard’s eyes darkened as he recalled the memory. “It was because of Hugo.”


    He remembered the incident vividly. As children, Hugo loved ying by theke, and since he was the


    older brother, he would often check on him to make sure he was okay.


    One day, one of Hugo’s toys fell into the water, and he asked Richard, “Can you get it back for me,


    Rick?”