Forsaking the Years of Longing
Forsaking Billionaire 126

Chapter 7 With that, I pressed play, and the audio began to play.

Emily must have sensed something was wrong the moment I raised my phone. She rushed toward me but missed.

"Caroline! That's a fake recording! You're trying to frame me!"

she shouted.

"Frame you?" I laughed. "You know better than anyone whether it's fake. Or should we all listen to it again?"

Ignoring her frantic gestures, I replayed the recording. The audio finished just as my phone hit the floor, knocked out of my hand.

The room was filled with whispers, but Jason sat there silently, his gaze cold and fixed on me, entirely devoid of emotion. My heart sank, confirming the suspicion I'd held for a while. Jason must have known the truth all along.

He had let me endure the public backlash, let me get blacklisted by the industry, and watched as my reputation was torn to shreds-all as a warning to discourage my ambitions to stay by his side. Absolutely ruthless. It made my already numb heart feel even colder.

At this point, Emily still hadn't grasped the situation. She stared at my cracked phone on the floor and forced a smile, pale and flustered. "Caroline, leave now! Or I will make sure you pay for this slander!"

"Since my business here is finished, of course, I'll go. But first..."

I picked up my phone and returned her slap, hard.

"Caroline doesn't take false accusations lying down, nor does she tolerate mistreatment. This slap? Consider it payment for my phone."

I looked past Emily and met Jason's gaze, a slight smile playing on my lips. "Mr. Parker, if you're determined to get to the bottom of this leak, you'd better go all the way. To ensure you can't cover up the truth, I took the liberty of reporting this to the police on my way here. No need to thank me."

I waved my phone, turned on my heel, and left without a trace of hesitation.

Someone called my name from behind, low and cold, but I ignored it, walking straight past the arriving police officers.

- At the bar, Jasmine slid over to show me the news on her phone.

The story was blowing up online just as Emily had intended, but this time, using the momentum of her hired bots, I'd turned the tables, dragging her into the scandal. I didn't need to check to know how severe the backlash against her was,

Jasmine asked, "Do you think Jason will sue Emily?"

I swirled my drink and replied truthfully, "They still plan to marry, so it's unlikely."

"Besides, all I wanted was to clear my name. I don't care what happens between Emily and Jason. Now that it's settled, I'm planning to head back to New York."

As expected, Jason didn't press

charges against Emily. His

harshness with me vanished completely when it came to his fiancée, whose family connections mattered to him. en FindNovel

But to my surprise, Jason wanted to meet with me.

One of his assistants called, setting up the meeting. When I walked into the private booth, I found only Jason there.

He looked at me, his brows furrowing slightly as he restrained himself, yet he still delivered his critical comment.

"Red dresses don't suit you," he said.

I raised an eyebrow, unbothered, and

took a seat across from him, flicking

my hair back to reveal my pale earlobes adorned with diamond studs that sparkled brightly, Stealing his gaze.

"Really? Well, some younger men think it looks great."

Jason's eyes darkened instantly at my remark. Watching my relaxed, casual demeanor, he cut straight to the point. "Emily has left the company. Are you satisfied now?"

I frowned. "What does that have to do with me? You dealt with a traitor in your company, protecting your own interests. Meanwhile, I was the one almost ruined by your setup. So don't talk to me like this is something I orchestrated." Jason froze, clearly not expecting such a reaction from me.