hapter 56
Chapter 56
Ariana smiled and responded, “Of course that’s…”
“Of course, that’s not true!” A commanding voice Interrupted them from outside.
Everyone
turned to look at the door of the conference hall. The doors swung open to reveal Belinda marching in with an indomitable air.
Ariana frowned to see Belinda. The latter rarely appeared in public, so why had she shown up today? Could someone have leaked the news about her and Brian’s plans to call off their engagement?
Backstage, Evelyn paled at the sight of Belinda. Everyone in Gleaston knew how much Belinda cherished Ariana as her granddaughter–in–law.
Cameras from the reporters incessantly flashed as they captured Belinda’s entrance.
“Grandma…” Brian got up, but Belinda ignored him and made her way to the center to stand between him and
Ariana.
A quick–thinking employee brought her a chair.
Belinda took Ariana’s hand with a warm and loving expression. Then, she began. “Today’s press conference by Lodge Co. is to clarify a misunderstanding from the previous engagement ceremony.
“I fell severely ill during the last engagement ceremony, so Brian had to rush to the hospital which caused the ceremony to be interrupted.
“This led to baseless speculation by the media, who fabricated rumors of a broken engagement. The talk of calling off the engagement is utterly unfounded, and today’s conference aims to debunk this misinformation.”
The reporters exchanged glances at her statement.
Ariana opened her mouth to speak, but Belinda gripped her hand tightly and maintained a bright smile in front of the cameras.
Ariana, on the other hand, frowned slightly. She wasn’t trying to disrespect Belinda, yet she refused to miss out on the opportunity to break off the engagement with Brian.
A reporter raised a bold question. “There are rumors that Mr. Lodge ran away from the engagement because his first love, Ms. Granger, attempted to take her life. Could you confirm if it’s true?”
“Of course, it’s not!” Belinda coldly snapped. “Brian and Ms. Granger are just friends, and there’s no romance involved.
“Plus, Brian has Ariana as his fiancée, so why would he abandon his fiancée for an outsider?”
Though Belinda said so, the whole of Gleaston knew that Evelyn was Brian’s greatest love. If Belinda had accepted Evelyn into the family, Ariana wouldn’t have been in the picture.
Noticing, the reporter’s skepticism, Belinda declared, “I heard that Ms. Granger is present today. I believe she’s here to clarify events of that night herself.”
She glanced at an employee and ordered, “Bring Ms. Granger onstage.”
In the audience, Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat at Belinda’s words.
“Ms. Granger, please come with me.”
She forced herself to stay calm as she followed the staff onto the stage. The reporters‘ cameras panned toward her
M2
Chapter 56
and illuminated her with flashes.
Though many praised Evelyn and Brian as the perfect match, there was an ongoing debate that she was a mistress. She knew Brian had been getting engaged, yet she’d staged an attempt to take her life on the day of the engagement ceremony just to assert her claim on the latter.
Evelyn felt uncomfortable under the judgemental stares of the audience.
Belinda walked up to her and commanded, “Ms. Granger, please clarify your relationship with Brian.”
