Sabrina invited hundreds of media outlets to cover the engagement party to generate buzz for the event. She also wanted to prove to the investor that the Monroe family was a force to be reckoned with.
During the party, Sabrina fixed an adoring expression on her face as she chattered endlessly to the reporters about how we were madly in love.
Meanwhile, I stood by her side emotionlessly.
Soon, it was time to show off the photos that were taken when she proposed to me. Her face twisted when the pictures appeared on the screen.
Instead of showing Sabrina and me being in love, the photos were of Sabrina and Matthew—irrefutable proof that she had cheated on me.
The photos showed Sabrina and Matthew celebrating the holidays together. There were also screenshots of their sweet conversations. A few borderline explicit photos of them being intimate with each other were also in the mix.
I grabbed the microphone from her and looked at the cameras, wiping away nonexistent tears.
"The truth is, Sabrina cheated on me three years ago. She lied to me, telling me she was going to propose on New Year's Eve. But in the end, she stood me up to spend time with her kept lover instead.
"Our relationship ended that day. Sabrina was the one who released the fake news about our engagement. She just wanted to use Lawrence Group's reputation to stabilize Monroe Group's stock market value."
Chaos erupted among the crowd the moment the words left my lips.
The camera flashes went off endlessly as the reporters eagerly bombarded us with questions.
"Is Mr. Lawrence telling the truth? Did you cheat on him?"
"Did you call off the engagement three years ago? Did this incident affect the relationship between the Lawrence and Monroe families?"
"Is Monroe Group's current circumstances as abysmal as Mr. Lawrence claims? Is the company's stock market value so low that the president has to resort to leaking fake news about getting engaged to stabilize the prices?"
The netizens also had plenty to say. Their envy for our perfect relationship morphed into hatred toward Sabrina.
Sabrina was totally helpless against the reporters' barrage of questions. She had no choice but to order the security guards to send them away.
The engagement party ultimately ended with nothing being accomplished.
Since I had exposed her ruse, Sabrina couldn't keep up the adoring act any longer either.
The moment the reporters left, she whirled on me and began interrogating me.
"How dare you, Colin Lawrence!" she gritted out. "You've ruined everything!"
I pointed at my phone and smiled. "Monroe Group's stock market value just plummeted. Your plans have fallen through."
"So what?" Sabrina exclaimed, her eyes wide. "You ungrateful fool! The investor will be arriving any minute now. Once I secure our partnership, Monroe Group's stock market value will rise again! The first company I'm going to tear down is Lawrence Group when that happens!"
Matthew chimed in, "She's right, Colin. You should apologize to Sabrina as soon as possible. I'm sure that she'll be willing to give you another chance if you admit your wrongdoing."
I chuckled. I was just about to speak when a familiar voice resounded toward us.
"Did I come at a bad time?"
Sabrina eagerly approached the woman and began fawning over her. She was just about to say something when the woman suddenly asked an incomprehensible question.
"I heard that you want to ruin my husband's company."