Chapter 288 You Want Evidence?
Everyone's eyes were glued to the video screen, but they couldn't ignore the heated exchange between Sandra and Roy.
Sandra had definitely schemed against Sarah and Maple Real Estate, and the video laid out her plan almost word for word.
When the video ended, the room buzzed even louder than before.
"Wow, I've seen it all now. Office hookups and plotting against people!"
"Seriously? That desk is so white... wait, look at the size of that wine glass!"
"Focus, people! Sandra's plot is out in the open. How's she gonna spin this?"
"What's she gonna say? She'll try to talk her way out of it, like always."
While the press conference was chaotic, the internet was on fire. Some folks saved the live video and started selling it on forums with clickbait titles like:
[Scandalous Office Affairs of a Widowed Returnee and a Real Estate CEO]
[Shocking! A Forty-Year-Old Widow's Office Shenanigans!]
People were actually paying to watch it! And yeah, some couldn't resist sneaking off to the bathroom after seeing it.
Sandra was in shock at the press conference. She felt every eye on her, judging and whispering. The humiliation was unbearable.
Furious, she pointed at Ryder, shaking her voice, "Ryder! This is a violation of my privacy! I'm going to sue you!"
Ryder just shrugged, "First off, I didn't record it; someone sent it to me, and it was pixelated. Second, I played it publicly, so if you're suing me, you gotta sue everyone who watched it, too."
Sandra's face turned beet red. Nearly ten thousand people had seen it live, and countless more online. Suing everyone was impossible and would only make things worse.
A reporter with beady eyes rushed up, shoving a mic in Sandra's face, "Mrs. Johnson, can I get your reaction to the video? And did you really kidnap Mr. Clark?"
The room fell silent, all eyes on Sandra. Reporters and staff crowded around, mics and cameras in her face, leaving her no choice but to respond.
Trembling, she stammered, "That's nonsense! I was just talking; I never meant to act on it! If I really kidnapped Ryder, how's he standing here? You need evidence and witnesses to accuse me of kidnapping!"
This was Sandra's last stand. She was convinced that no matter how clever Ryder was, he couldn't have any solid proof.
In her mind, Ryder's appearance meant Matthew's goons had failed to kidnap him. And if they failed, it didn't count as kidnapping, right?
Ryder licked his lips and sighed, "Since you insist on denying it, let me show you what it means to face the music."
Just then, the doors of the press conference swung open again. Four uniformed police officers strode in, radiating authority. They were dragging a bruised and battered Orlando.
Seeing Orlando, Matthew, who was already in a daze, blurted out, "Shit! Orlando, how'd you get caught?"
Realizing his mistake, Matthew quickly clamped his mouth shut and turned away, pretending nothing happened. But everyone saw it, and the cameras caught it all.
The officers brought Orlando in front of the Johnson family. The lead officer, looking stern, said, "This suspect, Orlando Perez, has accused the Johnson family of paying him to kidnap Mr. Clark. We need someone to come with us for a statement and investigation."
The Johnson family's faces went pale. Kidnapping was a serious crime, especially when the victim was the CEO of Maple Real Estate. If convicted, they could be looking at life in prison.
They immediately started denying everything. "Who is this guy? We've never seen him! You must have the wrong people!"
"Yeah, we're law-abiding citizens! We're well-known for being good people in Houston. We wouldn't do anything illegal!"
"Besides, Ryder is family. Why would we kidnap him?"
They kept trying to paint themselves as innocent, but the crowd wasn't buying it. If the Johnsons were good citizens, then there were no bad people in Houston.
The police weren't fooled either. The officer pulled out a stack of documents and said, "These are the evidence provided by Orlando. You've seen the pictures. They include chat records between you and Orlando Perez, detailing your plans to kidnap Mr. Clark, including the requirements, timing, and rewards. Orlando has confessed to everything." He glanced at Orlando, who nodded vigorously.
Orlando, gritting his teeth, looked at the Johnsons and said, "It's you! You greedy bastards led me down this path! I've confessed everything, so deal with it!"
The Johnson family members looked like they'd seen a ghost. It was over.
Suddenly, Sandra turned and slapped Matthew, yelling, "Matthew! You've let me down so much, doing illegal stuff behind our backs! As a family member, I'm ashamed! Confess your guilt!"
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