Chapter 8

The press conference was an impromptu one. Roxanne was forced to appear before reporters and various media outlets as they took photos and livestreamed the press conference. The reporters raised the photos in their hands as they interrogated Roxanne. "Mr. Slewman has just released a statement. The blindfolded woman in these photos is you, isn't it, Ms. Lesterfield?" "Are you framing Mrs. Nicole Slewman for hiring male strippers because the Lesterfields and the Slewmans are enemies?" "Ms. Lesterfield, please answer our questions. Are you the woman in these photos?" Roxanne gritted her teeth hard. She couldn't stand to be humiliated like this. Why did she have to shoulder something as reputation-ruining as this for Nicole? Why should she be the one who was condemned by everyone? Did Brandon have to trample all over her just because he didn't love her? Roxanne was indignant. In a loud voice, she answered, "It wasn't me!" The reporters glanced at each other in surprise. Roxanne was about to explain when Brandon and Nicole walked in. The reporters immediately focused their cameras on them. "Mr. Brandon Slewman, Mrs. Nicole Slewman. Can you tell us who the person in these photos actually is?" Brandon remained silent as his eyebrows furrowed. Nicole, on the other hand, started crying. She looked as if she had been wronged. "It's indeed Ms. Lesterfield. Her family has always hated the Slewmans, so they wanted to create a scandal where I was behaving in an unvirtuous manner while still in my mourning period," she answered softly. Roxanne couldn't stand it anymore and yelled, "You're lying! You're the one who wants to get me in hot water!" Right then, however, Nicole turned to look at the man standing next to her. It was one of the strippers in the photos. "I can confirm that the person who came that night was Ms. Lesterfield. She deliberately dressed up like Mrs. Slewman, then asked for eight of us in total. We indulged in all kinds of pleasure that whole night. She herself said that her goal was to disgrace Mrs. Slewman while she was still in her mourning period." Loud chatters erupted across the venue. The camera lenses turned to focus on Roxanne again as the reporters continued to ask, "Ms. Lesterfield, what else do you have to say for yourself?" "There's both evidence and an eyewitness. Are you going to continue to frame Mrs. Slewman?" "Aren't you worried that doing something like this will negatively impact the Lesterfield family?" The barrage of questions was like a tidal wave that crashed down on Roxanne. She felt panicked and unsettled. As she shook her head in agony, she kept muttering, "It isn't me! The person in the photos isn't me!" But no one was willing to believe her. At that moment, Nicole walked up to her and, with a look of feigned sympathy, coaxed her to admit it. "Roxanne, just admit you're wrong. If you apologize, everyone will forgive you." What had she done wrong exactly? Why did she have to apologize? Suddenly, a dark figure sprinted toward Roxanne and Nicole. He opened the bottle in his hands and splashed the contents on their faces. "Mr. Kirk Slewman has only just passed away, and you're already out partying around like a slut! I'll take care of that pretty little face of yours for him!" he screamed. The bottle contained sulfuric acid! Roxanne's eyes bulged wide in horror when she realized this, and in that split second, she saw Brandon dashing toward them. But just as the acid was about to hit them, Brandon tackled Nicole out of the way and used his body to break the fall. In the end, the acid splashed onto Roxanne's arm. It instantly created a large burn across the entirety of her left arm. Blisters emerged immediately. The bodyguards had already subdued the attacker. He was an old friend of Kirk's and had been enraged by the news. Thus, he had wanted to seek vengeance for his friend. Meanwhile, Roxanne was still lying on the floor in pain as tears streamed down her face. However, when she looked up, she saw Brandon helping the startled Nicole to her feet. With deep concern, he asked, "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Nicole shook her head gently. "I'm okay. But you… That was sulfuric acid! It would've been bad if it had gotten on you! How could you risk your life for me?" And despite all that, the only one injured there was Roxanne. She watched as Brandon stayed next to Nicole while she was in sheer agony. In that very moment, her love for him completely vanished. He wasn't concerned about her reputation, nor did he care about her life. She swore that she wasn't going to suffer for him ever again! Tears continued pouring out of her eyes as Roxanne clenched her teeth tightly. She started to lose focus until suddenly, everything went dark, and she fainted.