Chapter 193 Anna Embarrassed Like a Clown
This... this was exactly what she had said to Michael in that room earlier.
How the hell had someone recorded it? And the footage... it was in Amelia's hands?
A cold shiver knifed up Anna's spine, sweat dampening the back of her dress. Her head spun.
The chat logs and transfer records — she could still claim they were faked. But this video, with her voice crystal clear for everyone to hear... how could she possibly talk her way out of that? This was evidence that couldn't be erased.
The next moment, she saw three or four uniformed officers enter the conference hall, handcuffs in their grip, faces set in stone.
Vaughn had called the police?
Anna's eyes widened. She had never imagined Vaughn would go this far. Even if there was suspicion she had ordered the hit, he hadn't actually died in the ocean, had he? If this had been handled quietly within the Williams family, the police would never have been involved. It could have been buried.
But now Vaughn was publicly accusing her, letting Amelia play the evidence on a giant screen. Was he really willing to tear the family's reputation apart and watch the police drag her away?
She was only twenty-three! Vaughn's only granddaughter. Educated abroad, her future shining. Wherever she went, people treated her with respect. Her life was meant to be limitless. If she was taken away in front of the cameras today, even if she was released later, how could she ever show her face in public again?
Reporters stepped aside as the officers advanced.
The lead officer hadn't even touched her when Anna shoved him back hard. Her elegance was gone; her hair wild and tangled, she screamed, her voice hoarse. "No! You can't touch me!"
"Grandpa, I didn't hire anyone to kill you, listen to me—"
The evidence was right there, yet she refused to admit it. Vaughn's eyes hardened, disappointment etched deep.
An officer held out the cuffs. Anna snarled. "I dare you to put those on me!"
Her teeth clenched. "I am Michael's fiancée! The future mistress of the Johnson Group!"
"Grandpa, if you want me taken away, you'd better ask Michael if he agrees!"
In Anna's mind, she still had leverage. Michael was her only chance now. If he spoke up, said she might be innocent, things could stall. There could still be a way out. With Michael's status, neither Vaughn nor the police would ignore him.
Anna had just declared she was Michael's fiancée? Could the rumors online about a Johnson-Williams alliance have been true all along?
Every reporter turned to look at Michael.
Anna's gaze locked on him, hope burning in her eyes. She needed him to say something, anything, to pull her out of this.
Michael lifted his eyes to hers, his expression cold as steel, the gaze of a man looking down at something beneath his boot. "Ms. Williams, people should know their place. Your malice has disgusted me from the start. My grandmother has long been in a safe place, receiving treatment. This is the end of it. I suggest you take care of yourself."
The words hit Anna like a sledgehammer.
Michael... what did he just say? That he had always despised her? That his grandmother had been safe all along?
It meant he had never truly been at her mercy, had never intended to honor the engagement. All of it... she had been fooling herself.
The realization knocked the strength from her legs. She stumbled back into a chair, collapsing.
Half an hour ago she thought she was the victor. Now she was the butt of everyone's joke.
The police began to clear the hall.
Time blurred. When the crowd was gone, only Vaughn, Michael, Amelia, and the officers remained.
Vaughn looked at Michael. "Michael, don't you have matters to attend to? Take Amelia and go."
Michael met Amelia's eyes. They both understood Vaughn wanted to speak to Anna alone. He nodded, and they left.
Vaughn turned to the lead officer. "Before you take my granddaughter, may I have a word with her?"
"Of course, sir."
The officer signaled his team to step back.
When they were gone, Vaughn let out a long sigh, wheeled himself forward until he was in front of Anna.
The hall was silent. Anna sat hollow-eyed, her gaze empty.
"Anna." Vaughn's voice carried both pity and unhidden pain.
Anna lifted her head, meeting Vaughn's reddened eyes. Her shoulders shook violently.
Her eyes were bloodshot, blazing with hate. She all but screamed. "Grandpa, why are you doing this? Why destroy me?"
Her voice was a snarl. "Yes, I admit it. I hired the killer to take you out."
"I felt guilty at first. But now I only hate that worthless bastard for failing, for not making sure you were dead."
"If you'd died, no one would have joined forces with outsiders to humiliate me in public and call the police on me."
"You never loved me, did you? In your heart, I'm nothing compared to Amelia."
"In your heart, Quentin is the only grandchild you care about. The sole heir to the Williams family."
"And me? I've been a joke from the start. The discarded child of the Williams family!"
Vaughn's lips trembled. For a moment, no words came.
Finally, he wiped at his eyes, sorrow and pain etched deep into his face.
"Anna... I never knew you saw me this way.
"Our family is small. I have only Quentin as a grandson and you as a granddaughter. How could I not care for you?
"Quentin's father died young. He was just a boy. I worried he'd grow up without a man's guidance, so I kept a closer eye on him.
"In my heart, you've always been the most capable, the one I never had to worry about. Why else would I hand you the entire Williams Group to manage when you came home from university?"