Chapter 21
1319 Words
Ellie's P.O.V.
Who was he?
The man standing in the doorway looked strangely familiar.
His dark tailored suit fit him perfectly, his expression calm but authoritative. Five security guards stood silently behind him, blocking the entrance.
For a second, I couldn't remember where I had seen him.
Then it hit me.
“White Mansion!”
He had been there the day Zackary was discharged from the hospital.
Relief washed over me so suddenly that my knees almost weakened.
A familiar face in the room felt like the sunrise after a long, dark night. At least there was someone who wasn't looking at me like I was the villain.
My dad was the quickest to respond.
“Who are you?” He demanded coldly. “This is a Hunt family matter. You have no right to interfere.”
That man reached into his pocket and handed over a business card.
“My name is Theo Grant.”
His voice remained perfectly calm.
“Executive Assistant to Mr. Zackary Walton.”
Silence settled over the room. Even Susan looked momentarily surprised.
Jared was the first one to recover. A small smile appeared on his face.
“It's been a while, Theo.”
Theo nodded politely.
“It has, Mr. Jared Walton.”
His gaze shifted toward Alice.
“And you must be Mrs. Jared Walton.”
Alice straightened at once.
“Yes.”
Theo looked directly at the phone still pointed toward me.
“I advise you to stop recording immediately.”
Alice frowned.
“And why should I?”
She lifted her chin stubbornly.
“I am only showing everyone the truth.”
“The truth?” Theo repeated quietly. “I wasn't aware that edited stories were considered truth these days.”
Alice's posture stiffened. She pointed at me accusingly.
“My own sister was seducing my husband. I caught her red-handed. What’s there to edit?”
Susan instantly chimed in.
“Exactly. We have evidence.”
She proudly lifted her phone.
“I took pictures of her vile act. There’s no doubt she was seducing her brother-in-law.”
She glared at me triumphantly.
“This time she can't lie her way out.”
My heart sank.
No.
Not before him.
Theo was my husband’s assistant, and Susan showed him those scandalous pictures. How was I supposed to face everyone in White Mansion after that? More importantly, what if Theo reported Mr. Zackary… what would I do?
Thousands of horrifying possibilities crashed in my mind as my gaze landed on Theo. However, he was unmoved, his expression calm.
He looked at Susan's phone before giving a slow nod.
“Excellent.”
Everyone frowned as he slipped his own phone from his pocket.
“In that case, I'm sure you won't mind if White Mansion presents its evidence as well.”
A heavy silence descended upon the room.
Alice's confident smile faltered as Theo unlocked his phone and said,
“We anticipated that Madam Ellie might become the center of unwanted attention tonight. So Mr. Walton instructed our security team to ensure her safety throughout the banquet.”
My lungs refused to work for a second.
Mr. Walton… He protected me?
Theo turned the screen toward us after pressing play.
The moment before Alice barged inside the room played on the screen. Jared's voice filled the room.
“Don't walk away from me, Ellie. Do you think letting you go was easy?
We had a future together…”
Color drained from every face in the room. The air shifted instantly as Alice’s phone almost slipped from her hand.
My dad’s mouth parted slightly. Even Susan's smug smile disappeared.
And uncomfortable stillness gripped everyone as they watched the remaining recording in silence.
“You are being unfair, Ellie.”
Then my own furious voice echoed.
“Your wife is waiting for you in the hall!
You are an asshole! A cheater!”
A heavy hush settled in the air as the revelation struck the room like lightning.
Theo stopped the recording. His sharp gaze settled on Jared.
“Would you like me to continue?”
Jared's eyes flashed with panic, and for one brief second, I thought he had finally run out of lies.
However, that panic dissolved into iciness as his lips curved into a smooth, practiced grin.
“I'm actually relieved.”
He adjusted his suit calmly.
“I'm glad this misunderstanding has been cleared.”
Misunderstanding?
Seriously?
I balled my fists as Jared continued without missing a beat.
“Ellie and I ended our relationship under unfortunate circumstances. We both carried unresolved emotions.”
He looked at Alice, slipping his arm around her shoulders.
“I simply wanted to give her proper closure.”
His smile turned cold.
“After all, my aunt deserves that much respect.”
Jared’s audacity to face everyone after solid proof completely baffled me. It turned out that his ability to twist reality was terrifying.
Theo merely watched him for a second.
“Mr. Jared Walton.”
Jared’s confident smile froze as Theo spoke quietly, his face unreadable.
“Evidence has a habit of surviving much longer than excuses. I hope you’ll remember that.”
Alice slowly looked between the two men. Her tears had vanished, and only burning hatred remained in her eyes.
She glared at me like she wished I had never been born.
After a long pause, Susan finally found her voice.
“This... this doesn't prove anything!”
Theo calmly met her eyes.
“It proves your daughter accused Madam Ellie without knowing the facts.”
He glanced at Alice's phone.
“If your video reaches social media, White Mansion will file a defamation lawsuit immediately.”
He paused.
“And judging from the evidence available… You will lose.”
Alice's fingers tightened around her phone. She lowered it slowly.
Theo nodded once.
“You have made the correct decision.”
The room remained painfully quiet. I looked toward my dad, and for the first time, he couldn't meet my eyes.
He opened his mouth, and then closed. But no words came out of it, not even a single apology or explanation.
A bitter smile touched my lips.
“So… I really didn't do anything wrong.”
Dad finally looked at me.
“Ellie…”
I shook my head.
“No.”
My voice sounded strangely calm.
“I tried to explain every single time. But you never listen to me, Dad.”
Susan scoffed and looked away, her attention focused on Alice, who was busy pretending I didn’t exist in her world.
Only Jared stood composed, as though this incident had nothing to do with him.
Suddenly, I felt exhausted, an invisible weight crashing on my shoulders.
I looked at Theo.
“Can we go?”
He inclined his head respectfully.
“The car is waiting, Madam.”
I nodded. Then without another word, I walked outside, passing through the bustling crowd and music.
As I finally stepped into the cool night air, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding until now.
The breeze brushed against my burning cheek where Susan had slapped me, making me realize how badly it hurt.
The mansion behind me glittered beneath thousands of lights. Music and laughter drifted into the night, celebrating a wedding that was supposed to be mine!
Breathing heavily, I stopped near the enormous wedding banner displayed outside. Jared and Alice smiled brightly from the photograph, their couple looking perfect beneath the golden lights.
My gaze remained on Jared's face for a long moment, his proud smile gradually turning the fire in my chest into something cold.
A strange calm settled over me as my tears dried naturally. I looked straight into his printed smile.
“You thought I was your backup plan.”
My voice was barely above a whisper.
“One day… I’ll show you what it means to be a backup.”
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