Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph
Chapter 73 Something That Could Ruin Me

The info had a bunch of nudes, and guess what? The star of the show was yours truly.

So, this was what Arthur meant by something that could totally wreck me.

From the looks of the background, it was definitely Arthur's bathroom. No wonder the door was half-open after my shower that day. Finding out Arthur took those pics without me knowing really creeped me out.

And Arthur wasn't just using this to blackmail Ethan into dropping the whole reputation thing; now he wanted a cool $7 million.

I glanced at the bathroom door; the water was still running. After a quick think, I shot back a reply: [10 AM tomorrow, at Romance Restaurant.]

Then I screenshotted all the messages and sent them to my phone, wiping everything from Ethan's phone. As soon as I heard the water stop, I put the phone back where it was. Ethan walked out, towel-drying his hair.

My heart was still racing, and my palms were sweaty from what just went down.

"I'm gonna take a shower," I said, heading to the bathroom to dodge him.

Once inside, I splashed some cold water on my face.

Those pics were probably what Arthur wanted me to go to his hometown for. Even after he hurt me once, I was still too naive and let him trick me again.

I used to think Arthur was just a hypocrite and a jerk, but I didn't know he could be this shameless and greedy. He thought he could get $7 million with those pics? Not a chance.

After my shower, Ethan was already in bed, messing with his phone. Seeing him on his phone made me almost instinctively nervous.

Luckily, Ethan seemed chill, like he didn't suspect a thing. He looked at me and teased, "What? Scared of me? Too chicken to come up?"

I got into bed, and he quickly put down his phone and turned over to hug me, making me tense up immediately.

The night was super quiet, just the sound of the waves outside.

Ethan propped himself up on one hand, the other hand wandering over my body. "I answered all your questions earlier, now it's my turn, right?"

For some reason, I got really nervous, thinking his questions wouldn't be easy.

"Why'd you go back with him? Did he hurt you? How'd you hurt your foot?" He kept firing questions at me.

I could've answered calmly, but those pics made me feel guilty.

I was concerned about the possibility of these photos ever getting to Ethan and whether he would still think I'm innocent.

To cover up my panic and dodge his questions, I suddenly hugged his neck and kissed him. He seemed stunned and didn't respond right away.

I was all over the place with my kiss,, and my frantic tongue probably gave away how freaked out I was. Luckily, just when I was about to lose it, his big hand slid through my hair and held my head. I went from being in control to totally passive, and everything that followed was under his command.

Making love in a room with a sea view and the sound of waves was something else. My body reacted naturally, but my mind was somewhere else.

Ethan said, "Focus."

Slowly, my mind went blank, and I couldn't think about anything else.

Thankfully, he didn't bring up those questions afterward; he just held me quietly until we fell asleep.

The next day, I used the excuse of visiting Bella, and Ethan drove me to the Taekwondo gym.

When I got out of the car, Ethan told me to call him. After he left, I headed towards the nearby Romance Restaurant.

It was a pretty fancy place, fitting for Ethan's status, and Arthur probably wouldn't think it was me who replied to the message.

Once inside, I quickly spotted Arthur, checking his watch and looking all anxious.

I took a deep breath, walked straight over, and sat down across from him. He looked stunned. "Why is it you?"

After asking the waiter for a glass of orange juice, I looked at Arthur and smiled faintly. "He's busy."

"Then take your time drinking." Arthur stood up, ready to leave.

I picked up the orange juice and said calmly, "Seven million dollars is pocket change for Ethan."

Hearing that, Arthur sat back down.

I took a sip of the orange juice through the straw, then looked at him seriously. "Sure, Ethan can come up with $7 million, but you gotta delete the photos first and sign a confidentiality agreement." Arthur laughed. "Don't take me for a fool."

I sneered, "Of course not. You're a smart guy; and you should know what you've done is illegal."

Arthur laughed it off. "I was forced into this. Since I've done it, I'm ready for anything. Worst case, we both go down. Ethan's a businessman; he knows what's best for you."

Then Arthur changed his tone, "But, I'm not completely heartless. How about this: you sleep with me, and I'll knock off $1,500 each time. How about that? It's a high price; I could get a small celebrity for that." He smiled shamelessly, and I couldn't keep my cool. "Despicable!" I scolded.

Arthur laughed again, leaning closer and lowering his voice, "Don't worry, I'm still good in bed despite your beating."

I glared at him. "If you try anything, Ethan will make sure you can't stay in Starlight City."

Arthur's smile didn't fade; he lazily twisted his neck like he wasn't scared at all. "I'll be waiting."

I realized Arthur was ready to go all out against me and Ethan this time. I stood up and walked away.

Leaving the restaurant, I turned off the recording on my phone. With the screenshots from last night and this recording, the evidence was solid. I could definitely nail Arthur for extortion.

But once I reported it, my reputation would be toast too. I doubted, 'Can Ethan handle the nude photos? Can he accept that I negotiated with Arthur behind his back?'

I walked towards the police station, feeling super hesitant. After weighing the options, I felt it was necessary to report it. I couldn't let Arthur threaten Ethan so easily.

After walking a bit, Arthur called. I didn't want to answer, but I wanted to hear what he had to say, whether he had changed his mind.

His voice was lazy on the other end. "If you're set on telling the cops, I won't stand in your way, but don't be surprised if those photos hit the web before I hit the jail cell. You might be fine with the shame, but I bet Ethan isn't. Take three days to think it over."

"You!" Before I could curse, the call ended. I gripped my phone tightly, a strong wave of hatred surging in my chest.

Standing in the bustling city center surrounded by tall buildings, I felt like I had walked into a dead end, completely lost.

At that moment, Ethan called, saying he was coming to pick me up.

Just after I hung up, a hand suddenly patted my shoulder. I turned around and saw a familiar face. "Emily, it really is you. I'm your aunt."

I recognized her as my Aunt Mary Ward, but ever since my dad passed away, all my relatives had distanced themselves. Mary, afraid we would drag her down, even secretly moved away and hadn't contacted me for years. During that time, I truly experienced the coldness of human relationships.

"You've grown so much, and you've changed a lot." Mary looked me up and down, exclaiming excitedly. When my dad was still alive, Mary wasn't even this close to us.

Next to Mary stood my cousin Kyle Ward. Although he had changed a lot over the years, I still recognized him.

Despite not seeing my relatives for so many years, I couldn't feel any warmth towards them.

Mary pulled me to catch up, but I felt extremely uncomfortable and just wanted to escape.

"Honey, what's wrong?" A voice came from behind, and then Ethan's arm gently rested on my shoulder.

Mary and Kyle both looked at Ethan, their eyes lighting up. "Emily, is this your husband?"

"Honey, who are they?" Ethan asked me.

I had to introduce them, "This is my Aunt, Mary Ward and my cousin, Kyle Ward. Aunt Mary, this is my husband, Ethan Windsor."

Kyle, who hadn't spoken, stepped forward at this moment, extending his hand to Ethan with a slick smile. "Mr. Windsor, I work in construction. Since we're family, I hope you can look out for me in the future."

I realized that Mary and Kyle must have seen Ethan's statement, which was why they were so friendly when they ran into me today.

Skyline International Corporation was in real estate, and since Kyle was a leader, if he could connect with Skyline International Corporation, his future income channels would be endless. If it weren't for this reason, they would probably avoid me if they saw me on the street.

Ethan didn't extend his hand but turned his head to me. "Honey, when your mom passed away, why didn't I see any of your relatives?"

Kyle awkwardly withdrew his hand, and Mary's face turned quite somber upon hearing this. "My sister-in-law passed away? Emily, why didn't you inform me? I should have come to see your mom one last time." 'Inform? How could I have informed them?' I felt ashamed to have such hypocritical relatives.

Ethan checked his watch and said to Mary and Kyle, "Sorry, we have something to do, so we can't stay."

As we were about to leave, Mary grabbed me. "Emily, what's your phone number? Let me note it down. Now that your parents are gone, I'm like your mom. Stay in touch and come to me if you need help."

I sneered inwardly, 'Where were they when I really needed help?'

But I still gave Mary my number in the end. After I got in the car, Mary ran up to the car, smiling obsequiously, telling me to stay in touch.

I saw Kyle staring at Ethan's car. He should know its value. Their behavior made me feel ashamed in front of Ethan.

"Actually, I haven't been in contact with them for many years," I said.

Ethan seemed to understand my embarrassment and smiled faintly. "That's human nature, to follow the powerful. Those who truly care about you will help you in times of need, not just appear when you are powerful and rich. Face them however you want, follow your heart, and don't make things difficult for yourself. Even without them, you still have me."

Ethan's words made me feel moved, but thinking about my unpleasant encounter with Arthur earlier, I felt down again. Ethan suddenly said, "My dad wants us to go back for dinner."

My heart sank. Ethan glanced at me and added, "He specifically said to come back with you."

Thinking about what Victor had said to me last time, I felt like a cat on a hot tin roof.

"Your dad doesn't like me," I said softly.

I knew Victor must have seen Ethan's statement too. Because of me, Skyline International Corporation's stock prices had dropped. Victor must be very angry. But since I chose to stay with Ethan, I would have to face Victor eventually. Ethan seemed to sense my unease and suddenly held my hand. "Emily, you're my wife. Stop thinking about retreating."

At that moment, I had a strong hunch that this dinner would be very difficult to get through.