I Took My Sister’s Place, He Saw Through Me

Chapter 5

The entire livestream shot up the trending charts after the questions I swapped in at the last minute dug up a slew of exclusive insider details.

The backstage host patted my shoulder. "Now that's a journalist for you. Your questions didn't leave anyone any wiggle room," he said.

I turned to see Kane and Ruby walking over, and the host took the hint and left.

Kane stared at me. "Those questions just now, you designed them?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes," I replied.

Ruby's face hardened. "Wren, deliberately reopening old wounds just to get a sensational scoop, that's completely unprofessional," she said.

I ignored her, looking only at Kane.

He spoke calmly. "Your professional skills are excellent. How about I hand over all media liaison work for my team to you from now on?"

I thanked him and said I still needed to think it over.

Ruby's face instantly turned deathly pale, her eyes filled with fear and hatred.

That evening, she asked to meet me alone and warned me, "Wren, you took my money back then and agreed to take that secret to the grave. What are you coming back for now?"

I responded calmly, "I just graduated and came back to work."

"Work?" she sneered. "Do you take me for an i***t? You could work anywhere, so why do you have to hang around Kane?"

Suddenly she lost it and threw her bag at me.

"Go to the team right now and voluntarily back out of the liaison gig, then get out of this city, or I'll make sure you never work in this industry again!" she shouted.

I ignored her, turned, and left.

Ruby really did follow through. I started running into roadblocks everywhere.

Jobs that should've been mine kept getting snatched away.

That evening, the editor-in-chief called me in. "Next month at the team's annual press conference, you'll be the host," he said.

I was confused. "Why me?" I asked.

"Kane personally handpicked you," he replied.

I agreed.

After work, a Rolls-Royce was parked at the company entrance.

Kane stood beside the car, as if waiting for someone.

I tried to pretend I hadn't seen him and keep walking, but he called out to me.

"Stop," he said. He pushed open the car door and stepped toward me. "Can we talk?"

I gripped my backpack straps tightly and asked in a hoarse voice, "About what?"

His lips quirked upward, a trace of helplessness in his eyes. "Work," he said.

Over the next week, he sought me out twice to review several important decisions to be announced at the press conference.

Finally, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he handed me a sealed document.

"This Joint Youth Safe Riding Initiative hasn't yet been publicly announced," he said. "It's an exclusive partnership directly finalized between the team and the government. You'll announce it publicly at the press conference. Consider it your exclusive scoop."

I went quiet for a few seconds, took it, and quietly thanked him.

The venue was packed on the day of the press conference, and Kane's seat at the center of the podium was empty.

The spotlight fell on me as I read out several of the team's major partnerships.

Ruby suddenly stood up and loudly accused me.

"This is internal information that hasn't yet been made public. How did you know about it?" she demanded.

Once someone opened the floodgates, others piled on. A reporter stood up.

"Material this sensitive, could it have been stolen?" she asked.

My expression hardened. "Watch your words! I didn't steal it. The team gave it to me," I said.

"Oh? You certainly didn't steal it," the reporter shot back. "You spread your legs for it, didn't you? Otherwise, how could a no-name reporter like you, someone the industry's never even heard of, possibly be standing here?"

I replied calmly, "Ma'am, if you continue talking nonsense, I'll sue you for slander!"

She said with absolute certainty, "I'm not talking nonsense! I have evidence!"

Then Ruby looked at me and let out a theatrical sigh. "Wren, I understand that a little reporter like you has a crush on Kane. I wanted to save you some dignity, but you forced me to rip away the pretense," she said.

The large screen behind me immediately cut to a series of suggestive photos, the woman in them none other than me.

Several of them were misleading angled shots from that day when Kane handed me the documents, making it look like I was seducing him.

"Everyone knows Kane and I are getting married soon, yet you shamelessly tried to seduce him!" Ruby declared.

"When you failed to seduce my fiancé, you moved right on to someone else!" she added.

Then they showed surveillance screenshots of me and the editor-in-chief entering a hotel together.

The audience instantly erupted, accusations flying nonstop.

"So shameless."

"Using your body to get jobs. Blacklist her."

Countless cameras zeroed in on me, turning it into a public execution.

Just then, Kane strode in wearing a tailored suit, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room.

His gaze swept over my face too, without lingering for a second.

He looked at Ruby and said coolly, "What... did you just say?"

Ruby's eyes instantly welled with tears.

"Kane, you're simply too soft-hearted, which is why she was able to deceive you," she said. "I know back then she only did you one small favor, and out of pity, you made an exception to give her the job. Even the position of host for this press conference, she blackmailed you with those suggestive photos, and you were forced to agree, weren't you?"

Kane fell silent for a moment, then looked up at me on stage. "Do you have anything to say?" he asked.

Ruby smirked at me.

The whole thing was laughable.

We were only two years apart, sisters by blood, same mother and same father. After our mother passed away, I considered her my only family.

Yet she was trying to destroy me.

I forced a mocking smile, tightening my grip on the microphone as I spoke.

"Kane, your fiancée is lying about me. If you keep taking her side and letting her twist the facts, I'll write a press release about everything that happened today and publish it. The public can judge for themselves..."

I thought he would lose his temper.

But he simply walked onto the stage and stood beside me, very close.

Then he spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard it.

"Wren," he said.

I averted my gaze.

"Kane, we don't know each other. This is strictly business. There's nothing personal between us," I replied.

"Don't know each other?" he repeated.

Kane looked at me with a half-smile. "You gave me a ring, yet you claim we don't know each other?"

"Are you trying to avoid taking responsibility?" he asked.