The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 231: ST Research Institute

When Naomi Kenway’s scandal broke, Renee Jennings’ move to kick her while she was down won her a great deal of praise from netizens. Now, however, the situation had taken a sharp turn, and much of the praise for Renee Jennings had turned into verbal abuse.

[Anyone can see your charity is fake. Naomi Kenway does good deeds without seeking recognition, unlike you, who struts around like a showy peacock.]

[The moment Naomi Kenway ran into trouble, you immediately kicked her while she was down to grab attention. It’s obvious you’re not a good person. I’m getting more and more disappointed in you, Renee Jennings. Aren’t you just a purely despicable person?]

[Naomi Kenway has been vindicated by an official source. Don’t you feel ridiculous for how you acted before? And that’s not even mentioning how you don’t even care for your own child. You’re just using him as a tool. I’m begging you, leave the kid alone!]

[Why are all the comments so nasty? Did Rachel do something so wrong that you all have to latch onto it? No matter what, our Rachel did make a donation. Besides, everyone has their own way of doing things. Please don’t try to guilt-trip us with your morals.]

[How is she innocent? A while back, she leeched so much clout by tearing down Naomi Kenway! She’s fine with getting praise, but can’t handle the backlash?]

...

The comments got even nastier, but Renee Jennings couldn’t bring herself to read any further. She never would have imagined things would turn out like this.

’If I had known, I never should have tried to ride this wave of online traffic. Having no traffic would have been much better than being verbally abused by everyone now.’

’Why has nothing been going my way lately!’

Renee Jennings was feeling frustrated and anxious. Suddenly, the bedroom door was thrown open with a BANG. Startled, Renee Jennings was about to lash out when she saw Nathaniel Lynch striding toward her, his face grim. He threw his phone at her and said coldly, "Take a good look. What is this?"

Renee Jennings caught it and looked. She saw that even Nathaniel Lynch’s social media account had been flooded with hostile comments, all because of her.

The most extreme netizens weren’t just attacking her account; they had even swarmed Nathaniel Lynch’s social media page...

Renee Jennings felt a pang of guilt. She put down the phone, stood up, and started massaging Nathaniel’s shoulders. "It was my mistake," she said in a wheedling tone. "Don’t be angry, Nathaniel. I’ll have my lawyer send a warning letter to every single person who posted those awful things."

Nathaniel Lynch snorted. "And then what? So those netizens can say I’m thin-skinned and can’t take the heat?"

"I-I didn’t mean that... Nathaniel, please don’t look at me with that cold expression. It scares me... How was I supposed to predict this would happen? Who could have possibly seen this reversal coming? It was a complete fluke! Naomi Kenway just got lucky, like a blind squirrel finding a nut!"

She pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. "Don’t you love me anymore? You’ve never been this harsh with me before; you always used to comfort me. Before we were married, you promised to take care of me for the rest of our lives. It hasn’t even been a year, and you’re already tired of me?"

Her crying softened Nathaniel’s heart a little, but he was still deeply annoyed. He was a proud man who cared immensely about his reputation. He was used to being well-regarded and respected wherever he went, but now, thanks to Renee Jennings...

...his clean, impeccable record had been inexplicably stained, and the marks wouldn’t come out.

Nathaniel’s stare sent a chill down Renee Jennings’s spine. She quickly asked, "Nathaniel, what’s wrong?"

"Nothing," Nathaniel sighed. "Haven’t I told you to stop provoking Naomi Kenway? Look how many times you’ve made a fool of yourself because of her. Why do you never learn?"

"I didn’t mean to provoke her. She’s the one who’s always had it out for me..." Renee Jennings cried pitifully. "Why do you never take my side? Naomi Kenway’s husband spends money to get her onto all sorts of variety shows. And look at you, Nathaniel... All you do is yell at me when things go wrong..."

Her words undoubtedly struck a nerve with Nathaniel. "What’s that supposed to mean? I provide for you, I pull strings and open doors for you, and this is the thanks I get? Not a single word of gratitude?"

Renee Jennings realized she had misspoken. "I... I was just upset, I wasn’t thinking straight. I just wanted you to comfort me. I’m looking after your child and putting up with your unreasonable mother. Can’t you show me a little understanding?"

"How many times have I told you, Nathan is your child too." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"He is not my child!" Renee Jennings retorted. "I knew from the start that he would never warm up to me. He’s already five or six, old enough to remember. He’s always crying and making a fuss, wanting his real mom. I’m not cut out to be his mother. Nathan is your child, not mine!"

Nathaniel’s brow furrowed deeply. In the end, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Renee Jennings stared at the now-closed bedroom door, a bitter feeling rising within her.

Suddenly, a laugh echoed in the room—part sneer, part mockery.

Renee Jennings jolted and called out, "Nathan."

The next moment, Nathan Lynch walked in, holding a book. His expression was placid. "I came to ask you a question."

Renee Jennings watched him warily. "Did you... Did you just laugh?"

Nathan Lynch gave her a clueless look. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

That night, Renee Jennings suffered from insomnia. When she finally managed to fall asleep, she had a nightmare. She dreamed a wolf was chasing her, either forcing her off a cliff or viciously biting her neck, as if it wanted to devour her flesh and blood.

She cried out in terror. The wolf’s eerie green eyes seemed to hold human emotion, glaring at her with immense hatred, as if looking at a mortal enemy. Then, the green bestial pupils transformed into inky-black human eyes—Nathan Lynch’s eyes.

Renee Jennings woke with a jolt, her forehead drenched in cold sweat.

She instinctively glanced beside her. The space was empty. Nathaniel Lynch had moved to the guest room. They’d had a rare, serious fight.

Renee Jennings was still reeling from the shock. In that moment, her fear and loathing of Nathan Lynch reached their zenith.

She... was starting to be afraid of Nathan.

*

"You seem to be in a good mood. I take it things are settled?" Ethan Shaw asked. He was lying beside Naomi Kenway, flipping through a financial journal.

"Yes," Naomi Kenway nodded. "Thank you for comforting me then."

Ethan Shaw looked thoughtful. He turned his head, a slight smile playing on his lips. "You’re welcome."

Before bed, Naomi Kenway had a habit of scrolling through news or entertainment gossip to help her fall asleep. Suddenly, her gaze froze, caught by a particular headline:

The ST Research Institute had developed the latest breakthrough drug for heart disease. The comments below were full of praise and celebration.

The ST Research Institute was an extremely mysterious organization, not affiliated with any single country. Its members were all scientific geniuses. The organization was very private, releasing almost no information aside from periodically announcing its research findings. Despite its low profile, every result it published invariably caused a massive stir and widespread discussion within the academic community.

The reason Naomi Kenway had frozen, however, was because a logo in the news report looked very familiar.