Chapter 5
I pulled up the call recording and played it out loud for Sophie to hear. The reporters' sharp, angry questions instantly filled the room.
"Ms. Emily Lane, you admitted to plotting the attack alongside Mr. Jonathan Reed. Is this true?"
"Did Mr. Reed know about this live broadcast? How does he respond to your actions?"
"Ms. Hart has tested negative for HIV. Were you aware of this? Do you admit to spreading false rumors and slandering her?"
"Ms. Lane, please answer directly. Your behavior involves criminal incitement and intentional harm."
Every pointed question stripped away Sophie's hope and fake composure.
Her legs gave out completely, and she collapsed limply on the floor. Her neatly styled long hair fell loose to cover her deathly pale face.
"No, it's not like that... I was joking. I only wanted to upset her," she protested through sobs, her words spilling out in a broken rush, pathetic and ridiculous. "Don't post this online, please. I'm begging you. None of it was true, I made it all up."
"Joking?" I looked down at her with icy eyes. "You joke about HIV exposure and attempted murder? Sophie, you are not merely cruel. You are foolish enough to think the whole world will tolerate your selfish, childish schemes."
The live stream continued running, and countless viewers tuned in to watch the drama reach its peak. Comments flooded in nonstop, scrolling so fast that they nearly blurred the entire screen.
[This is the biggest scandal of the year, I can't believe this is airing live.]
[Sophie is disgusting, and Jonathan is terrible. My heart goes out to Emily.]
[Emily is absolutely terrifying. She fabricated the whole story and tried to frame an innocent person.]
[Call the cops. This is a criminal offense.]
[LOL. Reed Group's stock is definitely crashing after this incident.]
I knew Jonathan and Sophie had ruined their lives completely at this moment.
I crouched down beside Sophie's broken, dispirited figure and spoke in a low voice that only she could hear, "Did you believe escaping that backward place turned you into someone extraordinary?
"Deep down, you're still a cheap parasite. You don't belong in this world. You only know how to lie, scheme, and take what was never yours with your dirty tricks.
"I simply pulled you out of the shadows and let everyone see how rotten and fake you are."
I stood up without glancing at her again and faced the camera, speaking with steady calm, "Members of the press and viewers, you have witnessed the full truth today.
"My HIV test results are negative. Ms. Lane and Mr. Reed conspired to plan a violent attack against me and spread malicious slander to ruin my reputation.
"My legal team will compile all evidence, file an official police report, and press formal charges against all false statements and criminal conduct. Thank you for your attention."
*****
Less than twenty minutes after the livestream ended, police sirens wailed in the distance before the police cars came to a stop outside my apartment building.
I had my assistant record every second of the scene as officers escorted Sophie away. She was completely out of it, muttering repeated denials of her actions under her breath.
She offered no resistance and moved like a lifeless puppet as they guided her toward the police car. Before she climbed into the car, she glanced back at me.
Her eyes were hollow and consumed by despair, yet a faint, burning hatred lingered deep within her gaze.
I gave her a faint, icy smile.
"Ms. Hart, we ask that you come to the station with us to provide a formal statement," a sharp, composed middle-aged officer said to me in a professional and polite tone.
"Of course." I nodded and stepped into another police car.
Lights inside the police station cast a harsh, pale glow over everything.
I sat in the questioning room and walked the officers through everything that had happened.
I told them about the attack at my engagement party, the fake HIV rumors that had gone viral online, how Jonathan had broken off our engagement for Sophie, and how Sophie had shown up at my place and incriminated herself.
I only spoke the full truth with no added drama. The live stream recording and high-definition video my assistant had secretly captured during Sophie's visit were all handed over as proof.
The young female officer taking my notes looked utterly stunned. She paused her writing multiple times and stared at me with clear disbelief.
It was undoubtedly one of the most bizarre and dramatic cases she had encountered in her professional career.
"Ms. Hart, you allege your former fiancé, Mr. Reed, and Ms. Lane worked together to spread those false HIV rumors about you?" the middle-aged officer asked with a furrowed brow, seeking final confirmation.
"All available evidence points to that conclusion," I replied steadily. "Sophie personally admitted during the live broadcast that she begged Jonathan to plan the attack to drive me away.
"She knew the false HIV rumors would ruin my life. I trust the police investigation and my legal team will uncover the full extent of Jonathan's involvement in spreading these malicious lies."