Chapter 116 A Public Denial
The room erupted in an uproar, and Sonya’s face drained of color.
“What proof do you have? If you can’t produce any evidence, I will sue you for defamation!” she snapped.
“I’m not here to slander you, Ms. Miller. But before I came here today, I received an anonymous message. It claimed that you once stood by as your colleague burned alive, choosing to run away instead of helping
him. That ultimately caused your colleague’s death,” the reporter said.
As he spoke, the reporter pulled out his phone, showing everyone the message he’d received that
morning. Finally, he handed the phone directly to Sonya.
Her face went pale as she stared at the words on the screen. Outwardly, she forced herself to look calm,
but deep down, she was shaken to the core.
Who was it? Who’d sent this message? Who could possibly know what happened back then?
“That number is a virtual one, so it’s untraceable. I just want the truth, Ms. Miller. Can you explain this?” the reporter continued.
Sonya drew a deep breath and looked at the audience. Besides the people who’d donated to the orphanage, members of the press were also attending the event that day.
If her expression betrayed her even slightly, someone would notice.
“It’s true that a colleague of mine died in that fire. But it was an accident. I wasn’t with him at the time. By
the time I realized what was happening, he was already gone. All I could do was call the fire department
and use whatever I had at hand to try to contain the flames.
“The police investigation back then concluded the fire started because my colleague was smoking and failed to put out his cigarette properly. So once again, I want to remind everyone here that fire safety is
everyone’s responsibility.”
Sonya’s words were righteous, drawing applause from across the room.
Her pale face finally regained some color, and she continued, “I don’t know who pulled such a cruel prank and sent this message, but I believe in justice. If I’d truly acted the way that message described, the government wouldn’t have honored me afterward, nor would I have received so many awards.”
She turned her eyes to sweep the crowd. “Whoever you are, if you’re here today, this little stunt of yours won’t succeed. People who try to smear the name of others from the shadows will never prevail!”
The applause grew even louder.
Lifting her chin proudly, Sonya stepped down from the stage and returned to her seat.
“Are you okay?” Curtis asked with concern.
“I’m fine,” Sonya replied. But only she knew that her palms were slick with cold sweat.
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Who’d sent that text?
It was as though they’d witnessed what had happened that night five years ago.
But how could that be? The only people there were her and the co–pilot–and he’d died in the fire. The
dead couldn’t talk.
She’d never breathed a word of it to anyone.
Was this anonymous sender the same person who’d messaged her last time?
“Maybe we should leave early,” Curtis suggested.
“It’s fine,” Sonya said quickly.
If she left now, it would look like she had something to hide. It was better to stay and prove she had
nothing to fear.
The whole incident seemed to fade as quickly as it had come.
But Chloe kept her head lowered, clearly deep in thought.
“What’s wrong?” Brian asked.
“Nothing, it’s just… Sonya’s expression on stage seemed strange to me,” Chloe said.
“She was forcing herself to stay calm,” Brian replied.
Chloe froze. “So… there’s a chance that what that anonymous message claimed could be true?”
“Who knows? Maybe she really did just stand by. Or maybe she’s hiding something else entirely. But at the very least, her reaction wasn’t how an innocent person would usually respond to being falsely accused.”
Chloe fell silent, mulling it over.
Just then, a little girl came running toward her, throwing herself into Chloe’s arms. “Ms. Quall, did you see me perform just now?”
“I did, and you were wonderful,” Chloe said, crouching down to pat Maisie’s head.
Maisie’s eyes lit up with joy, and she tugged on Chloe’s hand. “Ms. Quall, come play Sharks and Minnows with us! You can be the shark!”
“Alright!” Chloe agreed cheerfully.
Just as she was about to follow Maisie toward the group of children, Brian stopped her.
“Your arm is still injured,” he reminded her.
“It’s nearly healed. And besides, being the shark doesn’t really need much use of my arm,” Chloe said.
Still, Brian frowned. “Don’t.”
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“That would disappoint them,” Chloe argued, glancing at the children, whose faces were glowing with
anticipation.
Brian pressed his lips together. “I’ll go.”
“What?” Chloe was stunned. “You’ll be the shark?”
“Yes,” he said firmly.
Chloe couldn’t even picture it. A man like Brian playing Sharks and Minnows? It just seemed so out of
place.
Yet he seemed completely serious as he lowered his head to tell Maisie, “Ms. Quall’s arm is hurt, so I’ll play with you instead.”
Then he slipped off his suit jacket, tugged loose his tie, undid his cuffs, and rolled up his sleeves.
Moments later, Chloe watched in disbelief as Brian took on the role of the shark, chasing children across
the lawn.
This version of Brian, laughing and running like a carefree young man, was worlds apart from the cold, aloof man he usually appeared to be.
The guests and reporters who recognized him stared, their jaws dropping.
It was unbelievable. This was the Brian Steele, the most dangerous figure in Corvessia? The man no one dared cross?
Yet, now, he was playing Sharks and Minnows with children, as if in some surreal dream.
Chloe’s lips curled into a smile. The more time she spent with Brian, the more she realized he was nothing like she’d imagined.
She couldn’t resist pulling out her phone and snapping a few photos of him.
As she was about to put it away, a thought struck her. She quickly opened a browser and began searching for information on the co–pilot who’d died in that fire five years ago.
Because the official report indicated that the fire had been caused by his cigarette, the co–pilot had been vifilifed online, even after his death. His surviving family members had also been targeted and abused.
AeroQuest Airlines had spent a fortune to suppress the story at the time.
If that co–pilot had truly caused his own death, then that was his fate. But what exactly was Sonya hiding?
Just then, Sonya’s sharp voice cut through the air. “Chloe, don’t tell me you’re the one behind that malicious message?”
