On the next day, the topics about Julien and Ioan seemed to all have appeared on the forums in the same timeframe and the picture of them together took the Internet by a storm.
More and more people caught on until the fire spread to the major web forums and the mass media.
By afternoon, the media channels were broadcasting hot news. Though none of them could claim it as the confirmed truth, they speculated about their relationship. This topic garnered more attention and trended everywhere.
The names of those who had been involved in a rumor with Ioan before were all dug up and taken into consideration for the great debate on Julien identity.
All sorts of striking headlines were dished out:
'King of Commercial Real Estate's newest scandal boyfriend!'
'Shocking news! Omega is being kept by Ioan Baume!'
'King of Commercial Real Estate and his rumored escort omega!'
Julien chose to be an observer as he watched the response and comments of the people. This time not everyone was trusting the news.
[Toilet Paper Man: Is it just me or do they look alike? That omega is feminine version of him.]
[Early Morning Coffee: +1 Maybe they are cousins or something? I have a hard time believing that such an influential man would get involved in that kind of immoral situation.]
[Casanova: Always remember that rumors are carried by haters, spread by fools and accepted by idiots!]
[Fluffy Cookie: I'm one of your fanboys Ioan. No matter if you are in a relationship with this omega, I'll still love you the most! If you really do have a true love, then I'll definitely love your true love too. True love is invincible!]
When Julien read the last comment he could hardly keep from laughing. He turned around to face Ioan and said while giggling: "You have some cute fans."
Ioan sounded a bit wronged: "I can't ignore this situation anymore. Why don't we take this opportunity to disclose our relationship to the public?"
Julien shot him a glance and said calmly: "We will not do only that."
His livestream performance must have provoked the protagonist and he wanted to take this opportunity to pressure him. He would be able to kill several birds with one stone: test Ioan's and Julien's relationship, give them a warning and pressure Ioan to cut ties with him.
Ioan in a flash gave the instructions.
Afternoon rolled around and it happened to be an hour and a half before the start of the press conference.
For people who spend most of their time mingling in the entertainment circle, countering rumors with a press conference wasn't an uncommon occurrence. However, it was rare for Ioan to do this. Most of the time, he held enough power to control the public opinion and yet he seldom exposed himself to the public. Julien happened to be the opposite. He was a lowkey person, but his last activities were highkey as he appeared in hot searches.
Julien hadn't expected his brother to act so quickly.
He changed his clothes into wearing an all-black suit that pulled off a clean but edgy look. The shirt and suit were of the same color and texture. The whole aesthetic was sleek, but the platinum inhibitor with oval rubies and the leather belt added a twist to the traditional formality.
[System: Host, you are finally appearing well-dressed!]
Julien felt like rolling his eyes: "Do you know that most likely you are completely naked in my head? How do you feel about it?"
System suddenly went offline.
There was still time before the start of the press conference, but the main conference room was already packed with reporters from various media outlets. They were all immersed in exchanging information and opinions with each other.
Right after this discussion ended, the press conference finally began. Secretary Claro appeared first and settled in the host's spot, followed by Ioan and Julien. They got on the platform and sat down facing the reporters.
Secretary Claro announced: "The press conference will now begin. I would like to invite President Baume to speak. There will be 10 minutes for questioning after he finishes."
Ioan's words were sharp but his tone flat: "The media industry works to share information and facts to the masses. It is not a megaphone used to spread lies. I know all of you are very attentive to my relationship with Julien. I have always thought that it was unnecessary to announce this to the public, as I had assumed it was our own private business. Julien is a non-public person, but many false rumors are being spread around the web, we can no longer do without convening a press conference. Therefore, today, I will declare what my relationship with Julien is."
It was rare for him to say so much at once. Many of the reporters present choked on his words, but none of them could speak up for themselves. They all held a guilty conscience.
Evidently, Ioan was quite skilled in the art of speaking. After saying that much, he deliberately paused, letting silence wash over the room as the reporters waited with bated breaths.
He pulled Julien up to stand next to him: "Julien and I are brothers. He is the second master of a Baume family."
This sent the audience into an uproar.
There is a second master of the Baume family? How could they not know about it?!
Ioan's tone was brimming with piercing coldness as he continued his speech: "There are many people who think that Julien is a delicate omega and looks girly. I wanted to say something to race my voice against those thoughts. Julien is a completely mature man, has perspective, he is that kind of guy."
The audience was shocked beyond words.
An impatient reporter started shooting questions: "Why is it announced only now? Why didn't he show up after your parents funeral? Does he have shares in the company?"
A flood of questions came from reportes crashing down on Ioan.
He was composed enough and eventually finished answering their questions one-by-one.
Then, it was Julien's turn to speak: "I'm not concerned about your opinion at all so I won't refute the misunderstandings."
After saying their piece brothers withdrew from the conference room.
Once people found out that Julien was rich beyond their imagination, all of a sudden his existence became an object of admiration.
He wouldn't even care about what you have to say about him!
Who would go badmouth someone like that?
A lot of people on forums were questioning where the rumors of him trying to leech onto the rich alphas in the past came from and they correctly guessed that someone must had been envious like the green-eyed monster.