Chapter 185: Reap What You Sow

Chapter 185: Reap What You Sow

The reporters' questions were sharp and clearly deliberate, but the smile on Catherine's face never changed.

She raised her hand, and the room went instantly quiet, though the reporters' eyes stayed just as piercing.

"You've all hit the nail on the head," Catherine's voice carried through the microphone across the entire hall. "Since everyone's so concerned, I won't waste your time. Let's just take a look at something."

The moment she finished speaking, the screen behind her lit up, showing photos of severe skin damage.

Next to those photos, another set appeared — the same people, but with smooth, clear skin, no sign of any allergic reaction whatsoever.

"The photos circulating online were stolen from a foreign beauty blogger's post three years ago."

Catherine's voice was ice cold. "We've reached out to that blogger. She's furious that her photos were maliciously edited and used to defame us, and she's authorized our team to pursue whoever stole them."

Every reporter in the room froze. They came expecting one thing and ended up walking into something else entirely.

But they hadn't come all way to leave empty-handed. A flicker of doubt crossed each of their faces.

"The photos might be fake, but we have inside information — there's a lab report proving your products contain carcinogens. How do you explain that?"

The moment those words landed, every reporter in the room sensed something different in the air and immediately turned their cameras toward the action.

"Can you explain what's really going on here? Did your investigator get it wrong, or is this just an excuse?"

Back at the villa, Lucy lounged on the sofa, swirling her champagne glass with a smirk on her face.

"Idiots. The photos were just the appetizer. The report I have ready isn't going to waste."

Back at the press conference, Catherine listened to the question and let out a cold laugh.

"Are you talking about this one?"

She pressed the remote again. A document appeared on the screen — a lab report, complete with the certifying expert's name at the bottom.

The reporter who'd asked the question lit up and confirmed it out loud in front of everyone.

A second later, the screen switched again, this time showing an official disciplinary notice posted on a university website.

"The so-called expert you're referring to was expelled from academia five years ago for fraud."

Catherine's voice rose slightly as her gaze swept across the room, the corner of her mouth curling just barely.

"He doesn't even have a valid medical license anymore. What credibility does he possibly have?"

The reporter went pale, mouth opening and closing without a single word coming out. It was painfully awkward.

Catherine didn't give him a chance to recover.

"Of course, just proving the expert is a fraud isn't enough."

The screen changed again. A financial transaction record appeared in front of everyone, and the room gasped — the account holder's name was right there for all to see.

"Samuel Saunders? Isn't that Andrew's nephew, the chairman of the Saunders Group — and Lucy's cousin?"

"Five hundred thousand dollars. Paid to a discredited academic fraud to fabricate a lab report, then used to hire a team of internet trolls to spread doctored photos online." Catherine stepped down from the stage.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why they would do this. Because they're nearly bankrupt."

Back at the villa, Lucy's champagne glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor. Her whole body was shaking as she stared at the screen.

At the press conference, Catherine's face showed nothing. She simply looked out at the crowd in silence.

"I called this press conference today not just to set the record straight, but to make something clear — if you use dirty tactics to spread lies, you will be held accountable."

With that, she stopped looking at the faces in the room, said a few brief words to her team, and walked back to her office.

She picked up her phone and dialed the lawyer Alexander had referred her to.

"I want the Saunders family bankrupt."

She hung up and set the phone down on the desk with a quiet click. The air in the office felt different somehow — hard to name, but unmistakable.

Thinking about everything that had happened lately made her chest tighten with irritation. She let out a slow breath.

Zack knocked and came in, carrying a stack of data and reports.

"This is everything that's publicly available on their company right now. Everything's heading south."

The moment the press conference ended, the Saunders Group's reputation collapsed. Everything was in freefall.

Catherine barely glanced at it before pushing the tablet aside, her voice completely flat.

"Not enough. They came after us on purpose — they were trying to take us down. The only way to make sure they never pull something like this again is to make them go bankrupt. Wipe them out completely."

Zack turned immediately to the people behind him and spoke directly.

"Tell all our partner funds — no matter what, don't let them hold onto those shares. Dump everything."

At the Saunders villa, Andrew's brother had him by the collar.

"You said it was foolproof! Now it's all gone! We're all going bankrupt — there's nothing left!"

They'd at least had some money before, enough to live well. Now there was nothing — just a mountain of debt.

Andrew shoved him off, his face twisted with fury. "How was I supposed to know that woman had that much evidence? How did she find out about Lau? How did she get the transaction records?"

They'd planned everything so carefully. No one could figure out where it had all gone wrong.

"What's the point of saying any of this now?"

Lucy's mother collapsed onto the sofa, sobbing. "The bank won't stop calling! There isn't even enough in the company account to cover next month's payroll!"

Lucy sat there, completely blank, not knowing what to do. She couldn't accept it. With trembling fingers, she called Alexander.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

She didn't even need to hear it to know — she'd been blocked. There was no other explanation.

Lucy hurled her phone at the wall in a rage. The screen shattered instantly.

Meanwhile, in Nora's studio, Nora was curled up on the sofa, munching on an apple and scrolling through the news on her phone.

"Holy shit! Catherine is so cool — like, actual queen energy!" She slapped her thigh in excitement.

Liam was leaning against the sofa beside her, peeling a pear. He glanced over and let out a short laugh.

"She is aqueen, so what does that make you? Her sidekick?"

"Oh, shut up!" Nora chucked the apple core at him. "I'm cheering for justice! What would you know about that?"