Chapter 378: Chapter 378: Palace Intrigue at a Suspense Scene??
After saying this, Cynthia received a call from Jane Sheridan, "How many times do I have to tell you to be more careful? Ann Vaughn has evidence of you framing her and is holding a press conference at noon!"
Cynthia almost coughed up the blood in her throat out of anger.
It must have been last night!
Ann Vaughn wanted to force her to say those things and secretly recorded it to use as evidence against her!
But does Ann Vaughn really think she has no backup plan? How naive!
"Bella, don’t be mad. I promise I’ll handle this well!" Cynthia hurriedly assured her.
"You better remember, you are the mastermind behind this, everything was designed by you, and it has nothing to do with me. If I hear anything about it implicating me, you know what the consequences will be!"
After this vicious warning, Jane mercilessly hung up the phone on her.
No matter how repulsed Cynthia was by Jane’s commanding attitude, she had to endure it, or everything she had now would vanish!
Then what leverage would she have against that bitch Ann Vaughn?
...
11:00 AM.
The Imperial View Hotel, seventh floor, press conference site.
The audience was packed with media reporters from various companies, their equipment eagerly waiting to capture today’s most explosive scene.
"I heard Ann Vaughn’s face is completely ruined. She probably won’t dare show up today with so many cameras around."
"If she doesn’t show up, how can she clear anything up? The matter is already settled, and no matter how much she talks, she can’t save her shattered reputation."
"What if there’s a twist to this? I don’t think it’s that simple."
"No matter how complex, isn’t it all up to our keyboards? How we write depends entirely on our mood."
"She has quite a few men behind her; if anything goes too wild, it could backfire."
"Are you scared of someone disfigured? Her most valuable asset was her face, which is already ruined, if I were one of those men, I’d dump her..."
"Shit! Is that woman Ann Vaughn?!"
Amidst a flurry of discussion, a sudden exclamation caused everyone to turn and look.
A graceful figure walked in from the entrance; she was wearing a floor-length snow-white dress, with fur trim at the collar, sleeves, and hem.
The fitted design accentuated her shapely and exquisite figure, presenting an elegant posture.
What captured everyone’s gaze was her flawless, porcelain-like face.
Not a single scar or even a blemish; her skin was fair and rosy, delicate and luscious, much like tempting cherries.
After she was seated on the stage, surrounded by admiration, the media below gradually snapped back to reality.
"If this is disfigured, then my face must have been born broken??"
"Rumors can really ruin someone’s life. Who’s so malicious to splash dirt on her like this?"
"I can already imagine tomorrow’s headline: Many media outlets humiliated..."
At this moment, Ann Vaughn, sitting at the center of the stage, slightly raised her eyes and spoke, "Please, everyone, quiet down."
Once the venue quieted down, Ann Vaughn wasted no time and went straight to the point, "I invited all of you here today to clarify the recent events with the following points."
As Ann Vaughn was about to continue, a scene suddenly appeared on the screen behind her.
It was Cynthia being interviewed at the hospital.
"Miss Sheridan, do you have any comments about your competitor, the owner of Vaughn Clinic?" a reporter asked, seated by the bed.
"Facing off with someone who only steals others’ work is quite beneath me," Cynthia appeared pale and weak, her gaze innocent and pitiful.
"The owner of Vaughn Clinic is a thief? Could you elaborate?"
Cynthia nodded, "I didn’t want to mention this, but everyone remembers the incident when the Young Master of the Crawford Family was ill and called for renowned doctors..."
"Originally, it was the ancestral spiritual medicine I gave to Young Master Crawford that worked, but somehow, Miss Vaughn made everyone think it was her treatment that was effective."
"Of course, as long as the patient recovers, it doesn’t matter to me, but I never expected that even after disfigurement, she would threaten me, to shut me up and force me to record false testimony."
"I really can’t figure out why a globally revered doctor would go to such lengths against an innocent weak girl like me..."
Saying this, two lines of tears slid down Cynthia’s eyes, making her seem even more delicate.
Reporters showed a bit of indignation in their eyes, "She’s really gone too far!"
Cynthia nodded and lowered her eyes in self-mockery, "Perhaps, this is the sorrow of being an unknown herbalist like me."
Her words were cleverly framed, practically telling all the less well-known herbalists that if Ann Vaughn could do this to her today, she could do it to other herbalists too.
As such, many outraged herbalists would side with Cynthia, joining forces against a common enemy...
The video abruptly ended, probably turned off by the staff in time.
Ann Vaughn withdrew her gaze from the screen, the smile on her lips disappearing at the same moment.
"I know there are many questions you want to ask, but please allow me to first clarify the following points."
"First, I am not disfigured, but the perpetrator will not escape legal consequences."
"Second, Tianxiang Dew is rigorously screened for quality by us and inspected by the National Drug Administration before reaching your hands, so there are absolutely no issues. I’m sure those who’ve used it concur."
"Third, please look at the screen."
After speaking, Ann Vaughn nodded at Mark Joyce, who immediately typed a few keys on the computer, and the screen behind her displayed another scene.
This time, it showed bank transfer records, with signatures from both Cynthia and Renee Crawford.
As the reporters expressed confusion about what this was, two different voices suddenly played from the screen.
"Add the poisonous herbs to the pastry Ann Vaughn is going to eat, and I’ll transfer the remaining three million to your account, provided that no one ever finds out about this."
"But I heard she’s a very skilled herbalist, what if she notices..."
"She won’t. The poisonous herbs were sourced from outside the domain, even she wouldn’t be able to detect it."
"Okay, Miss Sheridan."
The recording ended there.
The hall erupted in shock.
The reporters initially thought this was just a simple press conference, a last-ditch effort by Ann Vaughn to save face.
Now you tell me, this is a royal intrigue and suspenseful drama scene??
But it wasn’t over yet. What came next on the screen was solid evidence of Cynthia hiring reporters to the hospital to forcefully photograph Ann Vaughn and recklessly guide public opinion!