I Married the President

Claire Sinclair smiled and turned to the silent, stoic man. "Mr. Quincy, what brings you here all of a sudden?"

Adrian Quincy lowered his gaze to meet hers. "You were gone for a while. I was worried you’d gotten drunk, so I came to check on you."

"I told you I wouldn’t drink too much," Claire Sinclair mumbled.

Adrian Quincy slowly raised his hand and pinched her cheek. "I was worried you couldn’t control yourself."

Claire Sinclair: "..."

Watching their intimate display from the side, Cecily Taylor was already seething with a towering rage.

’That damn bitch. She must be putting on an act for me on purpose. She’s trying to humiliate me!’

’Damn it!’

Just then, Aiden Howkins emerged with his men. In their midst were several people in handcuffs.

Aiden Howkins walked up to the couple and reported in a sharp voice, "Young Master Quincy, we found paper scraps containing traces of Drug No. 3 in a trash can. The substance is identical to the one found in the Young Madam’s wine glass. Everyone who touched the glass has been detained and is awaiting your orders."

Adrian Quincy gave a slight nod. "Take them back. I want a thorough investigation into this conspiracy."

"Sir!" Aiden Howkins acknowledged with a nod, then turned and yelled, "Take them away!"

Four or five people, including Cecily Taylor’s new assistant, Lawson, were escorted out and taken away.

Cecily Taylor watched helplessly as her trusted subordinate was arrested, her heart a mix of anger and unease.

’If they trace this back to me, I’ll be in huge trouble.’

’No, I can’t just sit here and wait to be caught!’

With that thought, Cecily Taylor suddenly clutched her forehead. "Excuse me, everyone. I’m not feeling well, so I’m afraid we can’t have the cake. Please, it’s best if you all head home. I promise I’ll make it up to you and apologize another day."

With that, she turned and walked away.

The guests all wore expressions of disappointment or sympathy.

"For her birthday to turn out like this... Poor Cecily Taylor."

"I know, right? Getting investigated during her own birthday party. She has the worst luck."

"I think someone caused this trouble on purpose. Some people just can’t stand to see others happy. Of all the times to arrest someone, they had to pick her birthday."

"That’s not the whole story. I heard someone drugged Claire Sinclair’s drink. Something already happened to Mimi Fisher and Master, which is why Claire was angry and called people in to investigate."

"It’s just a birthday party. Did things really have to get this serious...?"

Claire Sinclair paid no mind to the surrounding chatter, reaching out to take The Great Demon King Quincy’s large hand. "Mr. Quincy, let’s go home, too."

Adrian Quincy gave a slight nod, and they left together.

-

The next day, the incident at Cecily Taylor’s birthday party became a trending topic online.

The discussion among netizens was fierce, splitting them into two opposing camps.

One camp accused Claire Sinclair of being jealous, claiming she couldn’t stand seeing Cecily Taylor receive such lavish birthday gifts and had deliberately caused trouble. They also slammed her for being sanctimonious and trying to tarnish Cecily Taylor’s reputation.

The other camp supported Claire Sinclair’s actions, calling on the Astoria Daily to rectify the unhealthy trend of some celebrities promoting materialism, so that underage fans could have a healthier environment to look up to their idols.

Living up to everyone’s expectations, Claire Sinclair published a long-form article in the Astoria Daily that called out Cecily Taylor by name. The title was bold: "Cecily Taylor, Netizens Request You Keep a Lower Profile."

This time, she didn’t write a subtitle. The article bluntly pointed out that there was nothing inherently wrong with Cecily Taylor receiving numerous lavish gifts for her birthday. The problem, it stated, lay with the netizens who pushed the story into a trending topic, elevating the monetary value of the gifts above all else. They even condemned and insulted guests who attended the party without bringing a gift, an act whose nature was even more severe than sanctimonious bullying.