Chapter 298 Apology

Chapter 298 Apology

Lancelot's brow furrowed slightly.

Anyone who knew him recognized that as a warning sign.

Aiden, ever the efficient assistant, stepped forward. "Ms. Medici, please watch your words. Mr. Clifford did go on a blind date with you, but it was not successful. He didn't even approve your contact request."

No contact information, no relationship. Simple as that.

The crowd's expressions shifted.

Who would've thought someone who looked so refined could tell such a blatant lie?

Brielle kept shaking her head, tears streaming down her face. "No, that's not true. You're lying. He was so nice that day. We had such a good conversation..."

"Ms. Medici."

Aiden cut her off, clearly losing patience. "That was Mr. Clifford's good manners. We never imagined you'd do something like this. Since you claim you were Mr. Clifford's girlfriend, where's your proof? Besides that one meal, did you two do anything else together? Or show us Mr. Clifford's contact information."

She had nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Brielle knew that better than anyone.

From start to finish, Lancelot had never accepted her feelings.

She'd been unwilling to let go. With Mrs. Clifford's help, she'd tracked down Lancelot's whereabouts and followed him to Lincoln. And then...

She'd already decided not to pursue the matter. Why was Lancelot exposing everything?

Just as her emotions threatened to spiral, Aiden continued. "Furthermore, you spread rumors and slandered Ms. Percy, claiming she stole your boyfriend and implying that Mr. Clifford was that boyfriend. This has seriously damaged Mr. Clifford's reputation. The Clifford Group will be pursuing legal action."

In other words, this wouldn't be settled quietly, and the Clifford Group's legal team would be involved.

This wasn't just personal anymore—it had escalated to corporate interests.

Lawrence's expression turned ugly. He still tried to smooth things over. "Mr. Clifford, let's sit down and discuss this properly. Everything can be negotiated. Brielle is young and foolish. I'll make sure she apologizes properly."

"Fine."

Lancelot's single word caught everyone off guard again.

He'd just threatened legal action, and now he was accepting an apology?

Looked like his real goal was to make the Medici family bleed.

As people speculated, Lawrence shot Brielle a furious glare. "What are you standing there for? Apologize. Now!"

Brielle's eyes brimmed with tears, hurt and unwilling.

But she didn't dare defy Lawrence. She turned to Lancelot. "I'm sorry."

"You hurt Ms. Percy. Apologize to Ms. Percy." Lancelot steadied Sophia, positioning her to face Brielle. "Bow when you apologize. It's basic courtesy."

Whether or not it was basic courtesy, Brielle didn't know. She felt humiliated.

How could she stand this?

Brielle's face changed, and more tears fell.

"Lancelot, you can't do this to me!"

"I like you so much, and you're humiliating me like this for a divorced woman?"

"Besides, what did I say that was wrong? She is divorced, and she did seduce you!"

"Plus, the engagement between the Hughes and Howard families was set ages ago, but she's still flirting with William. If that's not 'other woman' behavior, what is?"

Whether Brielle's brain couldn't keep up or she'd been driven completely senseless, her accusations against Sophia only handed Sophia more ammunition.

Sophia had calmed down from her earlier panic.

With Lancelot beside her, she truly had nothing to fear.

She met Brielle's eyes, her gaze steady and sharp.

"I'm divorced. I don't need to hide that."

"My ex-husband William cheated on me during our marriage with Delta. After our divorce, he got engaged to the Hughes family."

"That timeline—do you really not understand it?"

"Or are you deliberately misleading people to make them believe your lies?"

Her calm, logical words were highly persuasive.

Even Lawrence looked at her with newfound appreciation.

In modern society, who still thought women should just be housewives?

Especially someone in Lawrence's position.

He admired women like Sophia—capable and beautiful. How could anyone not like her?

Compared to his daughter, she was leagues ahead.

"Are you going to apologize or not?" Lawrence's voice rose, taking on an icy edge. "What do you do when you've done something wrong? Have you forgotten everything I taught you?"

Brielle looked at him, eyes full of tears. "Dad, you're forcing me too!"

"Apologize!"

Clearly, there was no room for negotiation.

However unwilling Brielle was, she apologized to Sophia. "I'm sorry."

Reluctant words. A perfunctory bow. Eyes full of tears, as if she were the one who'd suffered some great injustice.

Lawrence ignored her and turned to Lancelot with a smile.

"Mr. Clifford, Brielle was just being immature. Now that's settled, shall we go inside? There's a beautiful purple diamond bracelet today that would look perfect on the lady beside you."

Lancelot looked down at Sophia. "Want to take a look?"

Sophia fell silent.

His question made it seem like her opinion was all that mattered.

With everyone's attention already on her, anything she did now would only draw more scrutiny.

She didn't want to be noticed because of romantic drama.

Besides, if Brielle could spread malicious rumors, how clean could the Medici family be?

She didn't want to spend another second on Medici territory.

She shook her head. "Mr. Clifford, I think I should leave."

"Then we'll go." He gave Lawrence a slight nod without another word and led Sophia toward the parking lot.

High society types were all shrewd. Naturally, they'd continue attending the jewelry exhibition. No one mentioned what had just happened.

But privately, what they'd say and for how long—that was anyone's guess.

...

Once Sophia was in the car, Lancelot spoke. "Why did you just stand there and let those guards grab you? Don't you know how to fight back?"

Sophia froze, feeling a bit wronged.

There was a natural strength difference between men and women. How was she supposed to resist?

Seeing her aggrieved and dissatisfied expression, he sighed softly. "You didn't think to call me?"

"They moved so suddenly. I didn't expect it."

"What about before that?"

"..."

Fine. When Brielle first appeared, she hadn't imagined things would escalate like that. Naturally, she hadn't thought to ask Lancelot for help.

Lancelot ruffled her hair. "From now on, I need to keep Ms. Percy under my watch. Otherwise, who knows when you'll get bullied again."

That wasn't fair!

She was strong. She could handle plenty of things on her own!

But when Sophia met his eyes, she couldn't say any of that.

Without him, there were many things she wouldn't have been able to resolve.

Lancelot looked at her, his tone gentle. "What happened today will spread far and wide. Everyone will know Brielle's story was a lie. The rumors about you will gradually fade."

From the start, Lancelot had planned to go after Brielle, to eliminate any possibility of the rumors spreading further.

Sophia's voice sounded slightly dazed. "What about the Medici family? The Medicis have business dealings with the Clifford Group. This will probably affect your partnership. We need to figure out how to minimize the damage."