Chapter 95 Press Conference
Rachel clutched the envelope, glanced outside, and James's image popped into her head. James had once taken a letter, promising to return it. This must be the one he brought back. She thought he had tossed it ages ago, but here it was.
Rachel skimmed the letter quickly, then casually stuffed it into her bag, planning to stash it properly when she got home that evening.
Downstairs, John waved at her. "Rachel, over here."
Rachel slowly moved forward with her crutches. "Morning."
"Morning! I brought you breakfast," John grinned and handed her a bag of egg tarts. "Your favorite."
Feeling the warm packaging, Rachel's heart warmed, and she smiled. "John, you're the best."
"Because you're my sweetheart. Now hop in," John winked and opened the car door for her.
On the way, Rachel, munching on an egg tart, suddenly had a thought. She spoke up, "John, do you know anyone our age who's good at hacking and likes fox masks?"
John's eyes flickered. "Rachel, why are you asking?"
"Last night, I talked to that guy in the fox mask, the one who kidnapped Mandy," Rachel replied and took a sip of her milk.
John shook his head. "I don't know anyone like that. We grew up together; if you don't know him, I definitely wouldn't. But what did he say to you?"
Rachel felt a bit disappointed. She responded truthfully, "Nothing special, just said he wanted to protect me and gave me a list of people who had insulted me online."
John shrugged. "Well, that's a good thing. At least it proves he's not an enemy."
Rachel sighed, "Even so, having a stranger secretly watching me feels creepy."
John reassured her, "Don't worry, as long as he doesn't harm you, it's fine. Knowing someone is secretly protecting you makes me feel more at ease too. Don't overthink it. Oh, we're here."
The car came to a stop, and John got out first, then helped Rachel out of the car. As soon as they got out, they were swarmed by reporters.
One reporter asked, "Ms. Williams, is today's press conference to clarify the negative news?"
Another reporter turned to John, "Mr. Davis, as Ms. Williams's boyfriend, how do you view her entanglement with Michael?"
A third reporter pressed, "Will you break up because of this?"
Facing the barrage of questions, Rachel remained expressionless and silent, walked into the Skyline Corporation building with John's protection. Before entering, Rachel instructed security to stop any reporters trying to follow them.
In the elevator, John straightened his clothes that had been messed up by the crowd. He grumbled, "These reporters are nuts."
Rachel was also busy tidying up. She sighed, "They'll do anything for a scoop."
"They only bully us because they wouldn't dare act like this if Michael were here," John said with a hint of jealousy.
Rachel rubbed her forehead. "Alright, enough about that, let's head to the conference room."
At the conference room door, Lily greeted them. "Ms. Williams, Mr. Davis."
"Have all the invited media arrived?" Rachel asked, glancing at her watch. It was 9:56 AM, four minutes before the scheduled time.
Lily nodded. "Everyone's here."
"Then let's go in," Rachel said as she pushed the door open, with John and Lily following closely behind.
As soon as the three appeared, the flashlights instantly focused on them, and the reporters started clicking their shutters.
Facing the flashing lights, Rachel's expression was stern as she walked up to the podium, picked up the microphone, and spoke clearly, "Thank you all for coming. I believe everyone is aware that today's theme is about the rumors circulating online yesterday."
Meanwhile, in the president's office of Smith Corporation, Joseph held up his phone, excitedly patting Michael's shoulder. "It's starting. Rachel's handling all those media folks like a pro. Who would've thought she was a full-time housewife for six years?"
Michael stayed silent, his deep gaze fixed on Rachel on the screen. She had wavy hair, flawless makeup, and wore a fiery red suit that showed off her graceful figure, making her look fierce. This was a side of Rachel he had never seen. In his memory, she always wore an apron, had her hair in a ponytail, dressed plainly, and was dull, completely different from the radiant woman before him.
Michael had to admit, Rachel had changed, becoming stronger, more confident, and beautiful.
At the press conference, Rachel looked around at the media present. She smirked, "I believe everyone is curious about the person who posted the online rumors. Let me reveal, it is Monica Turner, the daughter of the Turner family, and also a friend of Miss Brown."
Monica, watching the live broadcast at home, turned pale upon hearing her name exposed. The Turner family enterprise had little influence in Summit Ridge District, not comparable to Skyline Corporation, and had barely managed to establish themselves in high society with Mandy's help.
Now that the truth was out, how would those aristocrats view her? They would surely see her as despicable and avoid her. Her path to marriage alliances would be blocked, and her father would surely blame her. What should she do? Monica was anxious and on the verge of tears, regretting the impulsive actions that led to this outcome.
Under the spotlight at the press conference, Rachel didn't let go of the topic about Monica and continued, "Regarding the online rumors that I continued to pester my ex-husband after our divorce, and that I intervened between Mr. Smith and Miss Brown six years ago, and even leveraged the favor I had with them to marry into the Smith family, I want to clarify here that except for the last one, all the rest are baseless."
The audience was in an uproar. A reporter stood up to ask, "So, Ms. Williams, you did leverage the favor you had to marry Mr. Smith?"
Rachel faced the reporter calmly, nodding slightly to confirm. "That's right."
John was anxious. He whispered, "Rachel, what are you saying?"
Meanwhile, Michael frowned, clearly displeased. Joseph was also puzzled. He said in confusion, "Although it's true, by saying it so directly, isn't she afraid of attracting more criticism and implicating Skyline Corporation? Michael, what is she thinking?"
He looked at Michael, waiting for a response, yet Michael's thin lips remained tightly closed.
On the other side, Mandy was also watching the live broadcast. Seeing Rachel openly admit to using gratitude to make Michael marry her back then, she smirked, thinking Rachel would surely be scolded for this.
At the venue, facing the excited expressions of the reporters, Rachel remained unfazed. She knew the consequences of her words but had no regrets.
A reporter pressed on, "Ms. Williams, why did you do that?"
Rachel lowered her gaze, her voice calm and indifferent. "Because I once loved him deeply!"
Michael's pupils contracted, and he involuntarily sat up straight. He knew of her love; the feelings she had for six years were not unnoticed by him. But he had never expected her to publicly declare this love in front of everyone.
Michael rubbed his knuckles, feeling a faint, almost imperceptible joy. However, this joy was quickly overshadowed by Rachel's next words.
Facing the camera, Rachel slowly declared, "But that is all in the past. Now, I don't love him anymore!"
Michael's expression changed slightly, a sense of inexplicable panic rising within him, as if he had lost something important.
Joseph whistled. "Michael, do you think she's telling the truth?"
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