Chapter 49
The Saga
Veronica’s POV
For a moment, it felt like I couldn’t breathe. Everything was just weighing down on me. I knew I had to pull myself together and put these people in their place but how on earth could they even get photos like this?
“So, do you mind explaining yourself now?” Carter challenged.
“Please also tell us why you faked your death. Was it to escape being dragged for infidelity or…” Meghan trailed off suggestively, a smirk clearly displayed on her lips.
There were camera lights flashing in my face and murmurs going around. Most of them were spiteful and it made me want to disappear.
She must have no shame to show her face here after that.”
“A loose woman like her doesn’t deserve to stand amongst elites like us!”
“I can’t believe this. First she faked a death, then she slept with another man while still married to her husband.
“I’m certain that she must have smuggled her way to Mr Peyton’s bed. We all know he is a respectable business man and would never do anything to ruin his reputation.”
Wow! This had to be the most misogynist crowd I have ever met. They were busy condemning me while doing everything in their power to paint my supposed lover and ex–husband in a positive light, making them victims and I, the devil.
If I didn’t say something now, my reputation was going to be permanently
ruined.
My legs felt shaky, but I forced myself to stand tall. My voice had to cut through the chaos. This was my moment–not theirs–to take control.
I raised a hand, commanding the attention of the room. The whispers died. down as all eyes fell on me. My chest tightened, but I refused to show fear. I was Veronica Peyton, and I had more strength than they could imagine.
“First.” I began, my voice ringing with authority, “let me make one thing. clear. I do not need to explain myself to anyone here. But since you’ve all decided to drag my name through the mud without knowing the truth, I will speak.”
The murmurs returned. but I pressed on.
“These photos.” I gestured toward the screens, “are fabricated. Anyone with basic tech knowledge could see that. But of course, it’s easier to believe a salacious story, isn’t it? Especially when it involves a woman daring to rise above her station.”
I took a step forward, my heels clicking against the marble floor. My gaze locked on Meghan, whose smirk faltered for the first time.
“And you,” I said sharply, “have the audacity to call me shameless? Coming from the woman who was sleeping with her boss while I was still married to him? Your hypocrisy is staggering.”
Gasps echoed around the room as Meghan’s face turned crimson. Carter opened his mouth, but I cut him off with a glare.
“Don’t you dare try to twist this, Carter,” I said coldly. “You can spew all the lies you want, but the truth always comes to light. And the truth is, you couldn’t stand to see me succeed without you.”
The room was silent now, the weight of my words hanging in the air.
“Veronica…” Carter started.
“You didn’t also tell your dear audience how you enslaved me for years and underpaid me? You starved me of love and attention in our marriage and never gifted me anything even after three years of being together. You cheated on me and got your mistress pregnant and when I asked for a divorce, you wouldn’t even sign the damn thing and let me be, instead you were busy harassing me. You are not only shameless…”
“How dare you to speak about my fiance like that?” Meghan interrupted, raising her hand to slap me but someone caught her hand and shoved it down forcefully.
When Orthon stepped over to my side, a smile tugged at the corners of my lips.
“The next time you raise a hand on her, I promise you are never going to use those hands again!” He growled and gasps erupted with new
murmurs.
The room fell into a stunned silence, the only sound the faint tinkling of glass as someone nearby set their drink down too hard. Orthon’s towering presence beside me was a stark reminder that I wasn’t alone in this, no matter how isolating the moment felt.
Meghan’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, clearly flustered by Orthon’s sudden intervention. Carter, however, quickly found
his voice.
“Who the hell are you to speak to her like that?” he spat, stepping forward, though he didn’t dare get too close.
Orthon’s gaze shifted to him, calm but deadly. “I’m someone who doesn’t tolerate liars and bullies. And judging by your track record, Carter, you fit
both descriptions perfectly.”
The crowd erupted into soft murmurs again, some clearly enjoying the drama, others visibly uncomfortable.
“I don’t know why you’re doing this, Orthon,” Carter sneered, “but you shouldn’t be siding with a stranger over family. Unless you’re now one of her lapdogs. Following her around, cleaning up her messes…”
“Enough!” I snapped, my voice straining with irritation. “You’ve said more than enough, Carter. If you spent half as much energy fixing your own pathetic life as you do trying to ruin mine, you might actually amount to something.”
He flinched, but Meghan, ever the opportunist, stepped in once more.
“This is rich coming from a woman whose only talent is manipulating powerful men,” she hissed, venom dripping from every word. “You think you’re so much better than us, but all you’ve ever done is take, take, take. And now, you’re standing here, expecting us to believe you’re the victim?”
The crowd hummed in agreement, their judgment thick in the air. I could feel their eyes boring into me, cach one a needle piercing my resolve.
“Funny you should say that, Meghan,” I said, forcing a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “Considering you’re the one who latched onto my husband while we were still married. Tell me, did you find it empowering to sneak around behind my back, or was it just convenient because you had nothing else going for you?”
Her face turned an impressive shade of red, but before she could retort, Orthon spoke again.
“Let’s not waste time debating who’s the bigger hypocrite here,” he said, his voice slicing through the tension like a blade. “The fact remains that these photos,” he gestured toward the screens, “are fake. And anyone with
half a brain would see that.”
“Prove it.” Carter challenged, his voice shaking with barely concealed
rage.
“Gladly.” Orthon pulled out his phone, tapping a few buttons before holding it up. “These images? They were doctored using basic software, and I have the forensic analysis to prove it. It took my team less than an hour to uncover the truth.”
The room collectively gasped as Orthon’s phone connected to the ballroom’s screens, displaying side–by–side comparisons of the doctored photos and their original, untouched versions.
The original versions were not even my father and I, but two people whom I could swear I have never seen before, acting all lovey dovey towards each other.
The murmurs turned to exclamations of shock, disbelief rippling through the crowd like a tidal wave.
Carter’s face went pale, and Meghan looked as though she might faint.
“How…” Carter stammered, his confidence crumbling.
“I told you.” Orthon said, his voice cold. “The truth always comes out.”
I stepped forward, seizing the moment. “You all were so quick to judge me, to tear me down without a shred of evidence. And why? Because it’s easier to believe the worst about a woman who dares to stand on her own. But I won’t apologize for who I am, and I certainly won’t apologize for making you uncomfortable.”
The room was silent now, the weight of my words pressing down on them like a storm cloud.
“These prove nothing! The fact remains that you are pregnant and the
child does not belong to Carter!” Meghan angrily yelled and another to round of surprised gasps followed.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. She was really desperate to remain in the spotlight.
“Can you deny that?” She hissed. “Tell everyone in this room that you didn’t get pregnant outside marriage?”
I looked at her, my face turning cold. “I didn’t get pregnant after marriage.” I took a step closer to her. “There, I said it. Anything else you’d like to add?”
