Chapter 337
“Yeah, I get it. If someone really tries to pin the blame on me, I’ll set the record straight myself.” I didn’t have much on my mind at the time. The mental shock I had received today was kind of heavy. My head was a blank.
Stella chatted with me for a bit, then, out of nowhere, she brought up Neil.
The moment Neil took me away, she and Mitch saw it all. So then, they were starting to think that Neil still had feelings for me.
“Rena, you have to think this through. This guy is the definition of a bad boy!” Stella’s opinion of Neil was firm as a rock. She kept harping on about how I needed to never look back.
I knew where she was coming from, but a lot of things weren’t as simple as ‘you want, you get’. You must play it by ear.
“Alright, I get it. You should get some sleep.” I was beat. I barely kept my eyes open.
Stella yawned, “Okay, goodnight then.”
After hanging up, I drifted off to sleep, but it was filled with nightmares. In my dream, I saw Chloe, covered in blood, laughing at me. I wanted to run, but my legs wouldn’t move.
When I woke up, my back was drenched in sweat. Looking at the bright sunshine outside, I took a deep breath and quickly hit the showers.
After showering, the first thing I did was check the news, but there was still no coverage about Chloe’s suicide. After mulling it over, I dialed Neil’s number.
My goal was simple. I wanted Neil to stop hiding that. If Chloe would use her death to get back at me, I might as well face it head-on and explain the whole situation. The truth had to be said. If that kept getting swept under the rug, hiding wouldn’t do me any good. If that news suddenly came to light, I would have been hit with even worse suspicion and backlash.
After hearing my reasoning, Neil didn’t object. He probably understood better than I did, being the rational guy he was.
“Alright, if this is getting too much for you, let me know.” Neil didn’t say anything else, but I felt a sense of security from him. No matter what I did, he would stand by me.
That was what it felt like to feel secure. I made a mental note.
After hanging up, I got ready and headed to the office. An event that hadn’t happened yet couldn’t be an excuse for not going to work.
-Around noon, news of Chloe’s death finally broke. As expected, some people started analyzing the situation, and the blame was placed
on me and Russel. The general narrative was that Russel and I had a secret relationship, which led him to break off his engagement with Chloe. Then, I invited Chloe for dinner and said something that provoked her, leading her to jump off a building.
Someone was definitely targeting me from behind the scenes. They were twisting the facts, and every word they said was aimed at me. People who didn’t know the truth were calling for me to be held legally responsible.
What was really bothering me about this situation was Chloe’s parents. They knew exactly what happened. Even though I could understand their grief over losing their daughter, they were pinning a baseless accusation on me, which I couldn’t accept.
which
“Mr. Finch, there’s a party tonight. Do you want to go?” My assistant came in. She probably saw the news, so she seemed a little nervous when she asked.
If I wasn’t in a good mood or state of mind, I probably wouldn’t go.
But, having gone through a lot of similar stuff, my ability to cope has been strengthened. So, I just replied nonchalantly, “Yeah, arrange a
car for me.”
My assistant quickly went to arrange the car while I finished up my remaining work and headed to the party.
Rosemont was of a décent size. Larger businesses were basically the usual suspects. So I expected to see some familiar faces.
Because I was suspected of being involved in Chloe’s suicide, I was the center of attention the moment I showed up.
“You criminal! How dare you show your face in public?” Kate was also there, and she started to throw a fit the moment she saw me. Tooked around at the people in the room. Most of them were big shots in Rosemont. It seemed like going there today was worth it. Bonnie was looking at me coldly. Her eyes were filled with contempt.
Seeing Kate make a scene, a smirk appeared on my face. I picked up a glass of wine, walked up to her, and asked, “You say I’m a criminal. Have you got any proof?”
Perhaps my calm and composed demeanor annoyed Kate. She and Malinda were cut from the same cloth, masters of making a scene, with no sense of morality.
But I could understand her. She had never been loved by her mother and always got overshadowed by her own sister, Karina Aaron. That had left a shadow in her heart, She was desperate to please the people she loathed and feared deep down.
After Karina died and Gloria went abroad, she didn’t even take care of her own daughter. Sometimes I thought Kate was both pitiful and
/hateful.
“Didn’t Chloe kill herself because she couldn’t handle the pressure after having dinner with you? Her parents confirmed it too. You were seen in the hotel surveillance footage waiting for her. She and her family arrived later. Isn’t this a fact?” Kate argued forcefully. It was clear she really wanted me to be the “criminal”.
Everyone else was watching me. Their eyes were expressing different thoughts.
The smirk on Bonnie’s face became even more pronounced. As long as someone was willing to take a swing at me, she was happy to sit back and watch. Only when things started to go south for her, would she step in to defend herself.
“Alright, let’s not talk about this today. It’s an honor to have Ms. Finch here at the party. Here, let me propose a toast to you.” Jessica Moore, the host of the party, stepped in to defuse the situation.
She was a long-term business partner of my company, and we got along pretty well.
I nodded at her, smiled, and said, “Okay, my bad, I shouldn’t have said those things. I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay; some people just like to stir up trouble. Leave Chloe’s case to the police. They’ll sort it out.” Jessica said casually.
I nodded, glanced at Kate, and said, “If you keep messing with me, you might end up regretting it.”
After I said that, I just brushed them off. Jessica and I moved to the side to chat. We had some business stuff to hash out.
I needed a favor from Jessica. After hearing me out, she was more than happy to lend a hand.
As the party was about to wrap up, Jessica had to take the stage to say a few words.
She even threw in an extra bit, “Now, I’ve got something I want to show you folks, if you’ll just bear with me for a second.”
A screen popped up behind her, playing a video. It was some surveillance footage I’d dug up for today.
