Unveiling Deception: The Press Conference

Jane, upon hearing the reporter's words, seemed as if she had been struck at her Achilles' heel, looking around in panic at Shayla. The more anxious she became, the less she could articulate, her expression as if all conspiracies and plans had been laid bare.

Shayla's complexion took a sharp turn. Seeing Jane giving her unintentional glances, Shayla kicked her under the table, all the while struggling to maintain a cordial smile: "Little sister, why do you keep looking at me? Just remember to speak the truth, that's all."

Jane, not one to be dismissed, let out a muffled groan from the pain as Shayla's high heels kicked her. An eagle-eyed reporter immediately noticed Jane's gaze drop, as if there was something beneath the table.

Jane tried to amend her mistake, but she was young, only seventeen, and hardly capable of composure. With a placating smile, she addressed the reporters, "Could you please not ask me like that? Everything I say is my own opinion, no one has pressured me, and I'm not wronged—please don't push me anymore? Shayla is beautiful, talented, dignified, and elegant, always an example for me to follow. I hope to be liked by everyone as she is one day, and then..."

Jane's speech lacked any emotion, like reciting from memory, as if she was reading verbatim from a script in front of her eyes, pausing whenever she couldn't recall the next part. Not only did her words fail to favor Shayla, but the flowery adjectives even sounded like sarcasm, stabbing straight into Shayla's heart.

After the press conference, where everything to be said and performed had been done, Jane didn't forget to promote the beauty pageant in front of the cameras—not to canvass for herself, but to remind viewers to tune in to the show. When the conference ended, Jane politely bowed to the reporters below the stage, earning praise for her docility and understanding. As Jane walked out from behind the podium following Shayla, she suddenly stumbled, enduring the pain as she bent down to touch her calf. A purple bruise was evident on her fair leg—a scene "coincidentally" caught by the photographers. Yet Jane, seemingly oblivious, hurried to catch up with Shayla.

Upon returning backstage, Shayla completely lost her temper. Jane's rote rehearsal of her lines in the latter half did nothing to correct her earlier panic. It was as if she was signaling to all the journalists that Shayla was the main culprit, the one who, for the sake of her own reputation, framed the poor, yet-to-debut newcomer! God knows how those trouble-making reporters will write about it! The press conference didn't go as smoothly as Shayla had imagined, because this girl named Mallory was simply dumber than a pig!

Seeing Shayla's face collapse into fury, Jane trembled with fear, apologizing with a submissive look: "Shayla, I panicked again, I didn't even know what I was saying, did I misspeak?"

Looking at her sincerely terrified demeanor, everyone felt pity, but Shayla, unable to contain her anger, slapped her across the face, scolding: "Did you do this on purpose!? Intentionally making me look bad, huh? Let me tell you, you're going to regret this!"

Jane staggered backward from the slap, and at that moment, a familiar sound of footsteps arose not far behind her. She fell to the ground, covering her face and weeping: "Shayla, if I did something wrong, you can tell me, even hit me, as you are my senior and you are always right. But you can't wrongly accuse me, I have nothing to do with Mr. William. When little Evelyn said you lent me clothes, I was so happy. You already had Evelyn warn me, to keep my distance from Mr. William, I understand, I remember. Mr. William is someone I deeply respect, I appreciate his kindness towards me, and I never thought of anything else. Shayla, please believe me!"

Her sudden mention of this relationship stunned everyone present. Some of them were unaware of Shayla's relationship with William Blake, while those who knew didn't realize that Shayla had already claimed her rights over William Blake. Now, through the mouth of a young girl, they all came to know. Clearly, it wasn't that the young girl had done something wrong, but rather Shayla was making a mountain out of a molehill. According to her petty nature, she might have warned every woman close to William Blake at some point.

"As long as you know! If I ever find you meddling with William Blake again, I'll make you regret it!" Shayla felt much better seeing Jane's pitiful demeanor, as she relished seeing others grovel and weep at her feet.

"What are you babbling about?" Suddenly, a man's clear and cold voice sounded, his usual warmth now tinged with a frosty edge, his deep gaze fixed upon Shayla.

"Blake…" Shayla was stunned, her voice a faltering whisper.

Jane kept her head down, a glint of resolve momentarily flashing in her downturned eyes.

Due to Jane's demise, Shayla's affair with William Blake had remained a secret. William Blake hardly cared, given his vast wealth, but Shayla was different. She longed to marry into high society and naturally wanted William Blake to make her his bride soon.

Over time, William Blake could feel Shayla's subtle pressure, although these were private matters. Yet, to his surprise, today in such a public setting, Shayla boldly chose to announce their relationship. Moreover, she did so under the guise of being William Blake's legitimate wife, issuing a warning to a girl who had shown some familiarity with him. It was a blatant disregard for William Blake, who clearly wasn't valued.

Jane knew that William Blake cared most about his reputation. The words he had spoken before her passing merely showed his belief that Jane had been mistreated. Now that he had total control over Jane's situation, he would not tolerate any disrespect from anyone, including Shayla.

Yesterday, in the dressing room, Jane had made William Blake aware of how domineering Shayla's cousin Miss Cheng was. Now witnessing Shayla's arrogant behavior first-hand, cracks were bound to form in the relationship between William Blake and Shayla.

"Blake, what brings you here?" Shayla, the consummate actress, was a master at changing her expression. From threatening to alluring in an instant, sensing William Blake's irritation, she cooed, "Mr. William, during the press conference, this little girl was clueless and messed everything up. I just scolded her a bit and she started spouting nonsense. Could you—could someone please remove her? She's such an eyesore!"

The staff helped Jane to her feet and escorted her towards the end of the corridor. Jane bit her lip, not daring to look at William Blake. She obediently followed them, her fair cheek marked with a clear imprint of fingers.

William Blake looked around at the five individuals and his tone turned to one of mockery, "Shayla, you really consider yourself quite the celebrity, don't you? Knowing full well that the young girl didn't understand the situation, you went on to do something even more foolish! The press conference was meant to clear your name, yet afterwards you slapped her again. Do you really want more trouble? Gossip monger Liam Thompson loves sensational news—if you're so fond of it, why not give him a fresh piece of gossip every day? He'd probably treat you like a patron saint!"

When William Blake softened his approach, he could be quite captivating, but once he turned cold, he could instill fear as well. Shayla, worried about falling out of favor and concerned for her own reputation, advanced with a hint of regret and slipped her arm through his, pleading, "Blake, I was wrong, please don't be angry. Help me out, will you...?"

William Blake looked at the girl's thinning silhouette, lips slightly pursed, and said, "That slap from earlier—go apologize to Mallory."