As the short video came to an end, an eerie silence enveloped the room. Finley seethed with anger, but alongside the anger was an unsettling sense of panic. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Eugene had a purpose in revealing the video. What is Eugene planning to do?
Finley looked up at Eugene, but to his dismay, the latter didn’t even spare him a glance. Leisurely seated on the couch, Eugene sipped his tea and appeared indifferent.
Meanwhile, Lexie was consumed with embarrassment. Initially, only she and Nathan were privy to the events of the previous night. Now that the video was exposed, she felt like her private life was laid bare for everyone to see.
Regardless of the video’s accuracy, its mere presence would lead others to jump to conclusions about her actions.
Her face flushed with anger, and she pointed an accusatory finger at Nathan and rebuked, “Nathan, you’re despicable! Did you record it?” Nathan furrowed his brow and replied, “Take a closer look. I’m talking to you in the video. How could I be recording it?”
Frustrated, she growled, “You arranged for someone to record it in advance. If I agreed, it would serve as evidence against me, and if I refused, you would use the recording as a threat. You had it all planned out. Don’t you dare deny it!”
Nathan nodded. “Hmm… This is a good method indeed.”
He was initially worried about how to explain things to Halma, but with this recording, any misunderstandings could be cleared up. Lexie was left speechless.
Observing her silence, Nathan added, “Even if I could record, how could I anticipate the exact things you were going to say?”
His words further embarrassed Lexie. “Weren’t those accusations against me all made by you? The cafe was your choice too. Who else could it be?”
She refused to admit to any wrongdoing. The moment she said that, Eugene calmly set down his teacup and admitted, “It was me.”
All eyes turned to Eugene. There was a mix of astonishment, anger, joy, and confusion reflected in their gazes.
Amid this array of emotions, Eugene continued to explain slowly, “I had someone film that video. Coincidentally, Nathan’s girlfriend happens to be a close friend of my wife. My initial intention was to gather some evidence for my wife to appease her friend, but I didn’t anticipate accidentally capturing your conversation.”
As he spoke, his expression softened. It seemed as if his original intention was as innocent as he described.
Although Lexie should have been angry, she couldn’t help feeling a twinge of envy toward the woman who held a special place in Eugene’s heart. Being loved by him must be a joyful experience, right?
Meanwhile, Finley couldn’t hold back his frustration any longer. His voice quivered with restrained anger as he confronted Eugene. “Isn’t this going too far? It’s a violation of my daughter’s privacy. President Nolan, please delete the video!”
Eugene’s response came with a veiled threat. “Well, it’s not impossible to delete it, but it depends on your sincerity, Mr. Snow.”
If Eugene had seemed reasonable before, he now showed his true colors with a blatant and undisguised threat.
Finley couldn’t deny Eugene’s intentions any longer, and years of experience in the business world had taught him to read between the lines. Eugene’s demand for everyone to apologize to Nathan on the Internet turned out to be more than just empty words. “Otherwise, are you going to publish this video to the public, President Nolan? That would be infringement!” Finley pointed out.
Eugene chuckled, finding amusement in Finley’s naivety. He had a plethora of methods at his disposal to prevent the police from tracing the video back to him. The idea of Finley talking about infringement with him was almost laughable. Fine, then. Let’s talk about infringement.
Eugene then shifted his gaze toward Lexie and questioned, “The drink Nathan had at the cocktail party last night was served by you, right? What was in that drink? I’m sure you are well aware, Miss Snow.”
Lexie’s heart tightened uncontrollably as their gazes met. For so long, she had hoped for Eugene’s attention, but now when he finally spoke to her, it was solely to hold her accountable.
A sudden sense of despair engulfed her. It seemed as though he knew everything.
The saddest thing in the world was that the person she admired and liked the most had now uncovered her darkest secret, and it felt like unbearable torture.
Finley felt a sense of panic and quickly interjected, “President Nolan, Ace has been aware of this matter. The drink Lexie served at the party was with his consent. In a way, it was a joint plan between our families. While the methods used might not have been entirely honorable, Nathan had been hesitant about the marriage proposal due to his girlfriend. We were simply trying to facilitate the union of the two children.”
