My Secret Billionaire Husband Chapter 2829: 2839: Smash the Things in Their Hands

“No need.” Frank Parker cut her off with a voice laced with resignation before she could even finish, his eyes holding a deepening mockery. “As I said before, it was just a small favor. I would have lent a hand to anyone else in that predicament.”

“Therefore, you don’t need to treat me to dinner either.”

Her emotional distance from him was quite palpable.

Frank Parker was well aware that she was attempting to avert suspicion.

There had been so many rumors surrounding them in the past.

Regardless of how much truth those rumors held, from an external perspective, their relationship certainly appeared ambiguous.

And now, she was Ashton Heath’s wife.

Even if she paid no mind to public opinion, she still had to consider Ashton’s feelings.

Consequently, maintaining distance from an ambiguous association like his was only natural.

He understood her actions perfectly.

However, witnessing her avoidance caused a sharp ache in his heart.

The piercing pain radiated from his chest throughout his body, visibly draining the color from his face, leaving him paler than before.

Even his lips had turned a stark white.

“I still need to express my gratitude. If there’s nothing else… I’ll be going now. My friend is still awaiting me.” Joanna Lawrence finished speaking and turned to depart.

Yet, she had only taken a couple of steps when a sudden flash momentarily blinded her. Before she could even process what was happening, she heard Frank Parker’s furious shout from behind: “What are you filming?”

“Stop.”

With an aura of intense anger, Frank Parker swiftly moved past her.

Joanna Lawrence stood frozen, her gaze following his trajectory to spot two furtive individuals concealed around the corridor’s bend.

Upon realizing Frank Parker had discovered them, their faces contorted in panic as they attempted to flee.

Frank Parker’s two bodyguards reacted with swift precision, blocking the pair before they could make their escape.

Frank Parker approached the duo, his expression icy.

He cast a downward glance at the recording equipment clutched in their hands, his narrowed phoenix eyes contracting further, his gaze becoming even more frigid.

Confronted by him, the two clandestine individuals wore expressions of sheer terror and utter bewilderment.

“Smash the devices in their hands,” Frank Parker commanded his bodyguards in a voice devoid of emotion.

“Yes, Mr. Parker.”

The bodyguards moved to seize the cameras from the men’s grasp.

“Mr. Parker, there must be some misunderstanding. We weren’t filming you just now; we were merely capturing images of the Luxe Lounge’s interior design.” Hearing Frank Parker’s direct order to destroy their equipment, both individuals instinctively clutched their cameras tightly.

It was as if they were safeguarding treasured family heirlooms.

These two individuals were reporters from Apple Weekly, assigned to the entertainment gossip section.

While officially termed entertainment reporters, in reality, they were nothing more than paparazzi.

Unscrupulous paparazzi who profited by exposing the private lives of celebrities.

They routinely trailed popular public figures, hoping to unearth sensational private details. Typically, celebrities would pay a sum to buy back any secretly obtained footage from their agency.

If the celebrities refused to cooperate, the information would be deliberately leaked to generate online traffic.

On this particular day, the two had not come with the intention of pursuing Joanna Lawrence.

They lacked the audacity for such a maneuver.

Another celebrity they were tracking had also paid a visit to the Luxe Lounge. It was during this surveillance that they coincidentally observed both Joanna Lawrence and Frank Parker in the vicinity.