Chapter 1826

That night, Stella was sleeping soundly when she was awakened by the ringing of Matthew’s phone in the middle of the night.

She opened her eyes and looked at Matthew in confusion.

When she sobered up, she immediately asked nervously, “Is it Cordell? Is there a result of the paternity test?”

Matthew looked at the screen of his phone and saw the caller’s name.

He shook his head.

“It’s Fernando.

”

Stella lowered her eyes.

Her heart was filled with disappointment.

Matthew gently rubbed her head and answered the phone.

Fernando’s anxious voice came from the other end of the line.

“Mr.

Clark, the clothing department just received a notification that more than half of the orders from Dorburn have been canceled.

”

Matthew’s expression soured as he switched the phone to his other ear, telling Stella, “You get some rest.

I’ll sort out some business in the study.

”

He strode to the study, shutting the door behind him with a decisive click.

Inside, he pressed Fernando for answers.

His voice tinged with urgency, he asked, “What happened exactly?”

Fernando didn’t mince words.

“There’s trouble brewing in Dorburn.

Rumors are flying around about Stella, spreading like wildfire on the internet…”

“Cut to the chase!”

“It’s Margery,” Fernando said.

“She said that the embroidery work of the dress wasn’t up to par and that Stella didn’t take customers from Dorburn seriously.

Then, someone confirmed that the embroidery on Margery’s custom dress was actually done by an unknown artist.

Various social media platforms in Dorburn picked up on these revelations, and the situation spiraled out of control.

”

Fernando’s worry was palpable as he asked, “Should we take down those posts and try to calm things down?”

With Margery’s interview in mind, Fernando didn’t want to make any moves without Matthew’s authorization, hence the late-night call.

Matthew said calmly, “Track down the IP addresses of the people who initiated the rumor.

”

“But things are getting worse online.

Shouldn’t we deal with that first?” Fernando asked, his confusion evident.

Matthew paused, mulling over his decision before firmly saying, “No, let’s stick with the plan.

”

As he ended the call, Stella gently pushed the door open and came into the room.

Matthew’s eyes flickered, a veil of composure masking his inner turmoil as he approached Stella.

“Why aren’t you in bed? Did I interrupt your sleep?”

Stella shook her head, her lips pressed into a thin line as she met Matthew’s gaze.

“I caught Margery’s interview.

Is our business in trouble?”

She had vaguely heard the mention of Dorburn earlier.

And she understood that Fernando wouldn’t reach out to Matthew at this hour unless it was urgent.

The only possibility that came to mind was related to the recent orders.

She couldn’t shake the unease, so she grabbed her phone and checked the news.

Sure enough, there was news about something happening in Dorburn.

Unable to keep it from her any longer, Matthew confessed, “We’ve lost half our Dorburn orders.

”

“Is it really that terrible?” Stella asked, her worry palpable.