Hearing everyone's sighs of regret, I couldn't help but laugh. I slowly met Tessa Lane's lovestruck gaze, then asked with a smile, "Tessa, do you really love me that much?"
"Of course." Tessa didn't hesitate. "Sebastian, I love you. I'd do anything for you, even die for you."
I kept smiling. "You love me that much? But why did I hear that when you jumped off that building before, it was actually to scare me away?"
Tessa Lane's face turned ashen in an instant. "You— Who told you that? Was it Grace Chen who told you? Sebastian, don't listen to her nonsense. She's completely making it up. I swear to God, I never said that. I truly love you. No one in this world loves you more than I do."
Tessa Lane's performance was truly masterful. For a moment, I almost believed her. But unfortunately, I'd already heard her true feelings. So no matter how well she acted, it was pointless.
Too lazy to waste more words on Tessa, I pulled out a voice recorder and pressed play.
"That idiot Sebastian Sinclair, he probably thinks I'm madly in love with him, right? Truth is, when I jumped off that building, it wasn't to confess my feelings. It was to scare him away."
Tessa Lane's mocking voice came through the recorder. The entire hall erupted in shock, while Tessa Lane's face lost all its color in that instant.
"Tessa Lane, no one's making anything up," I said calmly. "Those words came straight from your own mouth. So stop pretending to be devoted in front of me. It's disgusting."
"Sebastian, you've misunderstood." Tears silently welled up in Tessa Lane's eyes. "Actually, I—"
But before she could finish, Olivia Winston suddenly stepped forward and slapped Tessa Lane hard across the face.
"No one gets to stand in front of me and call my fiancé an idiot," Olivia Winston declared fiercely. "And besides, I'm the one who loves Sebastian most in this world."
Hearing the words "my fiancé," Elena Monroe's beautiful eyebrows immediately furrowed.
"Sebastian, stop this charade," Elena Monroe said. "The one you really want to marry, isn't it me? I'm willing to marry you, and willing to do as old man Sinclair requires, to cherish and love you forever, to be second only to you and above everyone else. So stop this act. The Winstons are the Sinclairs' business partners. Old man Winston and old man Sinclair are old friends. Toying with Olivia Winston will damage the relationship between our families."
After hearing Elena Monroe's words, I almost wanted to laugh from anger. I forced down the pain in my heart.
"Elena Monroe. You don't think that even now I'd still want to marry you, do you? After doing something like that, you still have the nerve to say you're willing to marry me. You're willing to marry, but I'm not willing to wed."
My eyes burned red with intense hatred. This made Elena Monroe's heart skip a beat.
"Sebastian, what are you saying? I don't understand."
"Elena Monroe, stop pretending." I couldn't take it anymore. I pointed at the smashed projector, then said in a voice nearly broken, "Those photos and videos just now, weren't they your doing?"
Elena Monroe's heart skipped another beat. She'd always been emotionless. But now her eyes widened, her expression full of disbelief.
"Sebastian, you really think I did this?" Her voice held hidden pain.
"Wasn't it you?" I gritted my teeth. "Those photos weren't taken by me. Someone secretly filmed them. You know how to pick the lock to my room. Even when it's locked, you can open it easily. And that last video, looking at the angle, it must be from a security camera. You're a top-tier hacker. Controlling the house cameras to spy on me would be child's play for you."
I bit my lip. My eyes felt like they might burst. "Elena Monroe, stop pretending. I know it was you. Just because I punched Dylan Monroe this morning, you retaliated against me like this. We grew up together since we were children. Even if you don't like me, we've been together day after day for all these years. Today is my birthday party. Yet you humiliated me in front of everyone. Are you even human?"
The more I spoke, the more emotional I became. By the end, I couldn't hold back and raised my hand toward Elena Monroe's cold, beautiful face and slapped her hard. Smack.
The crisp sound of the slap rang out. On Elena Monroe's stunning face, a bright red handprint slowly appeared.
Old man Sinclair was equally furious. He walked toward Elena Monroe with his cane, trembling, then demanded angrily, "Elena, is what Sebastian said true? Did you really release those photos and videos?"
All these years, old man Sinclair had always treated Elena Monroe like his own daughter. Elena Monroe was intelligent and capable. Old man Sinclair had always admired her greatly. He truly wanted his son to marry Elena Monroe. He even wanted Elena Monroe to inherit Sinclair Corporation, which he'd built with his own hands. But Elena Monroe, how could she do something so inhumane? Old man Sinclair didn't want to believe it. He wanted to hear Elena Monroe admit it herself.
Faced with old man Sinclair's question, Elena Monroe showed no weakness. "It wasn't me. Dad, Sebastian is my fiancé. I truly want to marry him. How could I publicly release those things at his birthday party to humiliate him? Wouldn't that be slapping my own face, too?"
Elena Monroe's expression didn't look like she was lying, but I didn't dare believe her, because she had deceived me too many times before.
"I'll prove my innocence," Elena Monroe stated firmly. "All online information leaves traces. Give me a computer. I'll trace the electronic signal. I will find whoever's behind this."
This, I didn't trust. I was afraid Elena Monroe would secretly pull some trick. So I told old man Sinclair to find two more expert hackers to trace the electronic signal alongside Elena Monroe.
"Sebastian, you don't trust me." Elena Monroe's pupils trembled slightly. In her deep, bottomless eyes, for the first time, hurt showed through.
"That's right. I don't trust you," I said coldly. "And you're not worthy of my trust."
Elena Monroe silently clenched her fists, but quickly released them. "Fine. You're angry. I won't hold it against you. I'll prove my innocence and regain your trust."