“How come the number is saved on your contact list? Give an explanation for that,” one of the reporters queried.
Isabelle, seeing the reporters slowly drifting from her side, began to panic. “That can’t prove anything… I don’t… I don’t know him… I swear.”
The officer didn’t say anything but took her phone and dialed Desmond’s number. Immediately, Desmond’s phone, presently in the hands of the officer, rang. The officer gave her a stern look. “How would you explain that?”
The reporters were in an uproar.
“So she faked her attack.”
“Is she a normal human being?”
“See how far she went just to destroy another.”
“She is so despicable.”
Ivy smirked. The reporters hadn’t seen what she really had for them yet; they were already criticizing her.
Ethan was dumbfounded. He had made arrangements with Joan to put Desmond’s number on Ivy’s phone, or did she put it on Isabelle’s phone instead. Did she betray them? The moment he thought of this, he received a text.
*I swear I added the man’s number on Ivy’s contact list, I don’t know how Isabelle also got the number.*
This only made him more confused.
Isabelle’s manager went silent for some time before he finally spoke up, in a low tone that carried disappointment. “Isa, did you fake your own attack?” Isabelle’s breathing was unsteady; her manager had begun suspecting her. “No, I didn’t.” He didn’t probe further; he decided to let things unfold.
Director Tim was furiously tapping his foot; he couldn’t believe her scheme affected filming. “Won’t you just admit to everything?”
Isabelle choked. She indeed had something to admit to, but the man called Desmond was driving her insane. “I don’t know him, I swear.”
“Isabelle, won’t you confess?”
“Did you really fake your own attack?”
“Why would you do that?”
The reporters were fed up. Listening to her lame claim of ‘I don’t know him,’ they needed her to provide an explanation of why she did it so they could provide complete news.
Isabelle was about to repeat the same words before Ivy cut her off. “Isabelle, how would you like to listen to your own confession.” The smile on Ivy’s face was giving her the creeps. “You… you… why would I confess…. I did… nothing wrong.”
“Did you bring a projector?” Ivy asked Isabelle’s manager, still with that creepy smile. Why would he bring a projector? Isabelle’s agency didn’t organize a press conference to provide evidence to the media; it was just to state what happened, but things were obviously going the other way. “No.”
“Okay then.” Ivy signaled for Susan to do the deed. Susan nodded and swung into action. She provided the link to the video to one of the female reporters by her side, and the reporter showed the link to her colleagues. Like that, the link was being shared to all the members of the media present.
Their eyes widened at Isabelle’s confession. Since the reporters wanted Isabelle to confess, Ivy satisfied their want. She refused to confess in front of the media; no problems, she already made her confession long ago…
Stephen, after watching the video, sneered. “How can you be so ruthless to the extent that you hurt yourself in the process?”
“Which video is that?” Isabelle couldn’t pinpoint the time she made confessions, so she was surprised by everyone’s reaction to the said video.
“Would you like to see?” Ivy asked, showing her the video on her phone. Isabelle snatched the phone and fixed her gaze on the screen. There she could see it. She was dressed in a hospital gown with the fake bruise on her face, admitting her true intentions to her cousin, the doctor, in a conversation.
“You really pulled it off; I’m quite impressed.”
“You know the media is easy to manipulate, especially if you have great acting skills.”
“How long do you want to remain there?”
“A few days; I’m sure before then things would have gotten worse. If only they had let me pull that bitch’s hair, maybe they wouldn’t have been in this situation.”
Listening to her own confession spun her brain. “When… when… when… you… you… were there… how… why… did… I see… you?”
Ivy knew she didn’t see that coming. “Did you remember the saying ‘Say Cheese’?”
Now Isabelle remembered; even her PA gasped. “So you were there.” They did hear ‘say cheese,’ but they saw no one.
Assuming the doctor was present, she would have been shocked to her core. Who would expect a seven-year-old girl to secure evidence in such a way?
“You actually thought I would sit quiet and let you have your way,” Ivy said.
The day she went to the hospital in the name of visiting Isabelle, she promised Chloe she would pay her mother’s hospital bills if she took the video of the adults in the VIP room. The child agreed; after all, she loves her mommy and wanted her to get the best treatment. Ivy knew that even though she was caught, they wouldn’t suspect her. It was usual for the girl to roam around the hospital. She made quite a good spy.
“You… you…” Isabelle knew her reputation was ruined; there was no turning back. She turned to the reporters. “I admit I faked the first attack, but I didn’t fake the second one; please believe me.”
The reporters gave her looks of disdain; how would they believe that she was able to fake her first attack? Would the second one be too hard to fake?
“No one will believe your lies.”
“What kind of a woman are you?”
The reporters weren’t going to let her off; this piece of news would certainly blow the netizens’ minds.
Isabelle’s manager, seeing there was no way to save her image, gave up standing by her side. “Your career is…” How would he explain the severity of what she did and how it would affect her career? He could only say, “Isabelle, good luck.”
“Are you abandoning me?” Isabelle held his arm, but he shrugged her off. “As you can see, I am abandoning you.”
Ivy took a U-turn from the press conference; after all, she wasn’t the organizer to give a closing speech. Isabelle’s manager should handle that, but as she looked to the side, she saw the so-called Isabelle manager walk past her. It seemed Isabelle would be alone to handle this one.