Chapter 280 The Truth Revealed
Chapter 280 The Truth Revealed
"Oh?" Seraphine's gaze swept over the girl, her expression cool and distant. "So you're saying you're innocent?"
"I really am." The girl pulled off her mask and sank to the floor, sobbing openly.
"My name is Wendy. I teach at the film school. A few days ago, Mr. Stuart had his assistant reach out to me and asked me to impersonate Mica."
"Mr. Stuart's assistant paid me a lot of money. He also told me that you were actually a fake Mica yourself, and that the evidence he showed me — proof that you'd stolen Mica's account — was real. He said that by confronting you in public, I'd essentially be standing up for Mica."
"Mr. Stuart has power and money. I didn't question him. I thought about it for maybe a minute, then agreed to help."
"I swear, everything I just said is the truth. Ms. Lavien, I may be greedy, but I'm not stupid enough to break the law. If I had known you were the real Mica, I never would have come anywhere near you."
The things Charles would do for Vivian. The thought settled in Seraphine's chest like a stone.
She closed her eyes for a moment, then fixed Charles with a look of pure contempt.
"Mr. Stuart, you sent someone to impersonate me. I will be pursuing that to the fullest extent."
"You actually believe what Wendy is saying?"
Charles's eyes flickered. He let a wounded expression cross his face — slow and deliberate.
"Seraphine, you've been manipulated by that woman. In this whole mess, I'm the one who's been wronged. The reason I knew you were planning to announce yourself as Mica tonight? Wendy told me. She's the one who came to me."
"Before the police arrived, the reason I was defending Wendy and pressuring you to apologize to her was because she told me she was the real Mica — and that if you didn't apologize, she'd sue you."
The CEO of a publicly traded company. Even backed into a corner, Charles could still spin a story and make it sound almost plausible.
Too bad she had no intention of letting him walk away clean.
Seraphine let out a cold, quiet laugh and turned to face him without any rush.
"Mr. Stuart — if you truly didn't know I was Mica, then would you like to explain this?"
A dark premonition rose from somewhere deep in Charles's gut. He took two instinctive steps forward, the urge to silence her sudden and sharp.
But before he could get a word out, Seraphine was already holding up her phone.
She tapped the screen a few times, then lifted the microphone in her other hand and aimed it directly at the speaker.
Charles's voice. Her voice. Every word crystal clear — filling the room.
---
"Seraphine, what exactly is your relationship with Mica?"
"You already figured it out, didn't you? Why ask a question you already know the answer to?"
"You're Mica?"
"Impossible. How could you possibly be Mica?"
---
"In your eyes, I'm nothing. Worthless. I don't deserve to carry the name Mica. My place is in the shadows — watching from the corner like something small and ugly while you and Vivian stand in the sun together."
"Charles, all those years you looked down on me — did you ever once bother to look closer?"
"I never looked into it. Couldn't you have just told me?"
"Told you? Are you seriously that forgetful? Or do you want to take a moment and actually think back? Are you really sure I never told you?"
"I'm sorry."
"I don't need that anymore. The version of me who loved you without conditions — who just wanted you to see her — she's gone."
---
"Charles, I know why you came to find me today. And I know you had a fake Mica lined up — just in case I refused your terms."
"This weekend, you were going to have her show up at Michael's party and set me up. Replace me. Take my place beside Vivian at the jewelry showcase."
"So let me make this absolutely clear: I will not be designing anything for Vivian."
---
The recorder must have been on Seraphine the entire time. Every syllable caught clean and sharp — no room for doubt, no room for spin.
The room erupted.
"I've met some shameless people in my life, but Charles takes the prize. He knew Ms. Lavien was Mica this whole time, and he still stood there playing the victim. Disgusting."
"No wonder she didn't even flinch when that fake Mica showed up. She already knew exactly what he had planned."
"What was he thinking? Ms. Lavien warned him to back off and he still went through with it. Did he really think she wouldn't have a backup plan?"
"Honestly? He was overconfident. He figured even if she knew, she still couldn't touch him."
"Blind arrogance and zero integrity — and this man is supposed to be running the Stuart Group? Can the board do something about this? Anyone?"
"Officers — what are you waiting for? Arrest him!"
The guests were furious, voices rising on all sides. The officers had been reluctant to move against someone like Charles, but the tide of public opinion had shifted beyond the point of no return.
"Mr. Stuart, the evidence Ms. Lavien has presented is sufficient to establish that you were the architect of this scheme to have someone impersonate Mica. I am formally notifying you that you are required to accompany us to the station for questioning."
Urged on by the crowd, the officers crossed the floor to where Charles stood and snapped the handcuffs into place.
And just like that, the evening was over.
Seraphine watched the police escort Charles out. Only when they had disappeared from sight did she turn and walk out of the Berkeley Estate alongside Jason.
---
"I heard you finally went to war with Charles — no going back now?"
The chaos from the party had hit trending within hours.
Two days later, Seraphine was at her desk in her office, sketching out a new design, when her door swung open without a knock.
"Ms. Bourbon." Seraphine blinked, startled, and set down her pencil. "It's been a while."
"Come in — please, sit." She gestured toward the sofa.
"What brings you here?"
"I heard you had a rough time recently." Madison's eyes softened. She took Seraphine's hand in both of hers and offered a gentle smile.
"You know this, I'm sure — but whatever evidence you've put together, it won't hold Charles for long. He'll find someone to take the fall for him. He always does. And then he'll walk."
"Knowing Charles, the moment he's out, he'll come straight back for you."