Chapter 5
The next afternoon.
The tags “Ethan Hale Seriously Injured in Car Accident” and “Vivian Abandons Fiancé” stayed on the trending list all night.
Vivian’s PR team desperately tried to suppress the trending topics, but my team spent ten times the money and pinned the heat firmly at the top.
At the press conference, camera flashes fell like snow, dazzling enough to make people dizzy.
I sat in a wheelchair with my right leg in a cast, my face pale but my eyes firm.
Vivian actually came too. She was probably afraid I would say something reckless in front of the media, so she had rushed over specifically to “control the scene.”
She walked to my side and tried to hold my hand like usual, but I coldly avoided her.
Her hand froze in midair, and a trace of darkness flashed through her eyes, but facing the cameras, she still forced out an affectionate smile.
“Thank you for your concern, friends from the media. Ethan’s body is still recovering, so I hope everyone will not disturb him too much.”
“As for last night’s accident, it was only a small incident. The situation was urgent at the time, and I simply sent Julian, who was more seriously injured, to seek medical treatment first. I did not abandon Ethan.”
“My relationship with Ethan is very stable, and the engagement ceremony will proceed as scheduled.”
She spoke in such a dignified way, as if she really were the best woman in the world.
I looked at her hypocritical face, picked up the microphone in front of me, and gave a soft laugh.
“Miss Vivian, it’s truly a shame your acting never won you an Oscar.”
The entire room erupted. Every camera instantly turned toward me.
Vivian’s face changed, and she lowered her voice to warn me. “Ethan, are you crazy?”
I ignored her, swept my gaze over the reporters below the stage, and slowly spoke.
“I invited everyone here today because I want to announce something.”
“I, Ethan Hale, am officially breaking off my engagement with Miss Vivian Shaw starting today.”
The flashes went wild.
“Mr. Hale, is the engagement being broken off because of last night’s car accident?”
“Is it because Miss Shaw showed favoritism toward Mr. Julian Grant?”
Vivian panicked completely. She shot to her feet and tried to snatch my microphone.
“Ethan is just throwing a tantrum with me. Please don’t misunderstand…”
“Throwing a tantrum?”
I sneered, took the recording pen from my assistant, and pressed the play button.
“Vivian, are you really going to marry that man?”
It was Julian’s voice, carrying a hint of coquettishness.
“Be good. If I don’t get close to him, how can I take his money to promote you? How can I make him willingly become your walking blood bank?”
“When I’ve squeezed his money and usefulness dry, I’ll break off the engagement with him and be with you openly and gloriously.”
“By then, all of the Hale family’s business will be ours.”
It was Vivian’s calm and cruel voice.
The recording was very long, filled with countless moments of them coveting my property, plotting against my body, and mocking me as a “tool man.” Every sentence was like a sharp blade, cutting their hypocritical masks to pieces.
When the recording finished, the whole venue fell into deathly silence. Every camera was aimed at Vivian’s deathly pale face.
I looked at her, the corner of my mouth curving slightly.
“Miss Shaw, are you satisfied with this recording?”
“Oh, right, I forgot to tell you.”
“The company shares my mom left me automatically took effect the day I came of age.”
“In other words, the villa you live in now, the sports car you drive, and even the studio you’re so proud of were all bought for you with my money.”
“Now, I don’t want to play anymore.”
“So please pack your things and get the hell out of my world.”