Chapter 524
No.1
Sebastian's grip tightened on the paper. His jaw was set. The Blackwood Corporation could silence every company on this list. They would bury any story that tried to hurt her.
Their eyes were locked on the broadcast. They didn't blink.
But then...
The screen didn't show financial records. It showed security footage. From the presidential suite of The Grand Monarch.
Prince Harrison Winslow stood at the door. His expression was disgusted. "You're not a waitress!" he snapped.
Sophia Kensington stood before him. She wore a scandalously tight red dress. "Don't be alarmed, Your Highness. I'm Isabella Montgomery's cousin. I'm here to make a deal."
She smiled. It was a venomous thing. "I'm holding a press conference tomorrow. I want you to attend. Tell them Isabella seduced you while you were drunk. Say she's been blackmailing you ever since."
"Get out," Harrison snarled.
Sophia didn't move. She lowered her voice. "Help me ruin her," she purred. "And I'll do anything you want." Her hands went to the neckline of her dress. She tugged it down. Her intent was blatant.
Harrison's eyes darkened. "Anything?" he asked, his tone shifting.
No.2
"Anything," she promised. She stepped closer. She pressed herself against his arm. The movement was slow. Deliberate.
A collective gasp echoed through the conference hall.
The audience was stunned. Cameras flashed wildly. They captured the screen. They captured Sophia's pale, horrified face.
"This is the real story!" someone shouted. "She set this all up!"
"Justice? This is her idea of justice? She's a snake!"
"How could she do this to her own cousin?"
The crowd turned on her. Their disgust was a physical force.
Sophia staggered back. Her mind raced. This wasn't the plan. This was supposed to be Isabella's downfall. Not hers. Her head snapped toward Harrison. Her eyes burned with betrayal.
"You!" she shrieked. "You set me up! Why?"
Harrison looked at her with cold contempt. "Set you up? You came to my room. You offered yourself. You asked me to lie. I don't participate in such schemes."
No.3
He turned to the cameras. His voice was clear and firm. "I have never been unfaithful to my wife. There is nothing between Isabella Montgomery and me. These rumors were fabricated by Sophia Kensington. She manipulated you all. She used you to destroy an innocent woman."
The room erupted. The journalists felt used. Their outrage was immediate.
"She played us! We were her pawns!"
"That wholesome image was a complete lie! She's pure evil!"
“Did she fake this picture too? Is this another lie?”
Some reporters glared at Sophia while others fired rapid questions.
Hearing this, Sophia snapped out of her daze and shouted, “I didn’t alter that photo! It’s real! I went to see Harrison to help him manage the crisis!”
“Something must be going on between Harrison and Isabella. Otherwise, why would he help her? He even gave her a massive diamond ring!”
Since her reputation was already destroyed, Sophia wanted to drag Isabella down with her.
Just as she hoped, the paparazzi immediately turned their attention to Harrison.
No.4
“Prince Winslow, what is your relationship with Isabella? Why did you give her a diamond ring?”
“How did you meet Isabella? Are you here today to defend her?”
Harrison remained completely calm and collected despite the barrage of questions.
“Yes,” he stated coolly, “I am here to defend Isabella, and I will tell you why! Isabella is my boss!”
What? Isabella?! His boss?! Was he joking?
Seeing everyone’s stunned expressions, he repeated clearly, “Isabella holds sixty percent of the shares in the Winslow Diamond Empire. She is the most powerful director on the board.”
Wow!
So Isabella was Harrison’s boss all along? She was the director of the Winslow Diamond Empire?!
How was that possible?
[Prince Winslow, are you mistaken? Isabella is just an adopted daughter. How could she be that wealthy?]
No.5
[The Winslow Diamond Empire has been in your family for generations. Over a hundred years, right? How could the director be an outsider?]
[You’re just making this up to protect Isabella!]
Harrison was bombarded with countless questions on the live streams. No one believed what he had just said. The comments flooded in so fast that most of the influencers’ phones crashed.
Even the Blackwoods were utterly shocked. They were prepared to intervene, but the event had taken a completely unexpected turn.
First, Sophia was publicly shamed by the video footage. Now, Harrison claimed Isabella was his boss?
Warily, Sebastian glanced at Nathaniel. “Brother, how much of that do you think is true?”
Nathaniel stared at the screen, recalling Isabella’s proud, defiant face. After a moment, he replied with certainty, “One hundred percent.”
As expected, facing the doubts and questions, Harrison declared firmly, “I, Prince Harrison Winslow, have never lied in my life. In fact, I have proof. Here is a photo from five years ago, taken at the dinner celebrating Isabella’s purchase of shares in the Winslow Diamond Empire.”
At Harrison’s signal, a series of photos appeared on the screen: the Winslow Diamond Empire’s share distribution chart, a photo of Isabella in a board meeting, and the full image of Harrison presenting the diamond ring to Isabella.
This was the complete, unedited version of the photo Sophia had found earlier. In this image, Harrison stood at the front, handing a pigeon egg-sized diamond ring to Isabella. Princess Arabella stood behind him, holding the share certificate. They were actually lined up to present the diamond and certificate to Isabella, but the photo Sophia found only captured a partial view.
No.6
The crowd was so shocked they forgot to take pictures, staring blankly at the screen.
It was true. Isabella was the director of the Winslow Diamond Empire. She was Diamond Prince Harrison’s boss!
Prince Harrison, the handsome and wealthy prince, was merely Isabella’s employee!
This was unbelievable! What shocking news!
Only one influencer’s phone was still streaming, but after the last photo was shown, her phone crashed like all the others…
The entire audience sat in stunned silence.
No one moved. No one breathed.
Isabella Montgomery watched the scene unfold with cold detachment.
Sophia Kensington stumbled backward, her face pale with shock.
How was this possible?
No.7
Isabella was supposed to be nothing but an adopted orphan! How could she be the director of the Gray Diamond Empire?!
It made no sense!
Sophia lunged toward Harrison Winslow in a blind rage. She grabbed his arm desperately. "I don't believe you! There's no way she's your boss! This has to be some kind of trick! Even if she didn't sleep with you, she must have seduced your father! Is that it? Is she your stepmother now? Did your father give her all his shares?"
"Enough!" Harrison shoved her away violently, his blue eyes flashing with icy contempt. "First you slander me, now you dare insult my elderly father? You want to know how Isabella became my director? I'll tell you exactly how—it's all because of you!"