Chapter 7 A Press Conference

"What the hell are you talking about? How is that person me?" Megan asked

"Are you going to deny it?" Gabriel asked

"Of course I am denying it because that is not me!" Megan stated

"Then come with me" Gabriel said grabbing her hand and dragging her to the lounge where they were seated before

"I think you are mistaken Sir, Megan will never do anything like that" The manager defended as he followed them and the securities strided behind

Gabriel grabbed a black hooded coat from where Megan was seated before

"Does this not belong to you?" He asked

"It is mine but....."

Gabriel turned to the manager

"Is this not the same coat the culprit was wearing?" He asked

"It does look like it" The manager nodded slowly

Gabriel faced the securities

"Do not make me repeat myself and call the fucking police!" he yelled

"Wait wait!" Megan grabbed Gabriel's hand

"I cannot go to the police station, I cannot be arrested, I have never been to a police station and I certainly do not want to go there"

"Then do you admit to taking that picture and spreading it online?" Gabriel asked

"No, I promise you that was not me, that was really not me" Megan pleaded

"Well tell that to the police when they come" Gabriel stated

"No, no I'll tell you what happened that night..... After Mr Lee came in that night with the lady that night, another man came and told me he wanted the closest room to Mr Lee's room, that was a suspicious request so I refused but he told me he was just a big fan boy and he only wanted a glimpse of him when he is leaving, he offered thrice the payment for the room I thought he was harmless so I agreed" Megan recounted

"Even if what you are saying is true, that doesn't explain how the person ended up wearing your black hooded coat" Gabriel said

"This is a very common coat, two at of every five people in this country have it, he wore it when he came in that night, it is just a coincidence that I happened to have mine with me too" Megan explained and Gabriel scoffed

"You must think me a fool"

"I am highly disappointed in you Megan, from this moment onwards, you no longer identify as a staff of this hotel, you are fired! Your dismissal letter will be forwarded to your email" The manager said and walked out angrily

"No, no this is unfair, I promise you that was what happened, if you really don't believe me then check the cctv again, you'll see the moment he walked in and how everything happened, if the cctv recordings doesn't correlate with my story then hand me over to the police" Megan stated

"What's the point of doing that? Tell the police your story and they will help you investigate" Gabriel said

"No please, I do not want to go to the police station so help me out, just this once Gabriel, please" Megan pleaded as a tear rolled down her face

Gabriel's phone beeped and he checked it, it was a message from the witch asking him to come to the company with Mr Lee immediately

Gabriel sighed and turned to the securities

"Go through the cctv recordings and check if her story is true, meanwhile keep her here and inform me of any new development" He stated

"Yes Sir" They all bowed

Gabriel looked at Megan

"For your sake, you better not be lying to me again" He said and walked out

......

After taking a warm bath, Isabella made herself a steaming mug of tea and a plate of freshly toasted bread

She sat on her favorite chair and took a sip of her tea, she felt all the tension melt away and everything was replaced with a sense of serenity and tranquility

"Yes Bella, forget about the three million dollars you just gave up, what is the use of money if you have no peace of mind, I refuse to be a pawn for the rich" She stated as she took a bite from her toast

"Pawn" She muttered "I feel like I've heard that word today"

******Flashback*******

"I have always been her pawn, and I have always moved in whatever way she wanted me to but not this time, I refuse to get married, spending the rest of my life with a stranger that I know nothing about, if at all I am going to get married, it is going to be totally of my own volition" Ethan said

**********

"No no, forget it, get him out of your head Isabella Russell, he obviously lives a better life than you do so you are in no position to pity him"

..........

Gabriel drove fast to the company

He had called the company and he was told Mr Lee just arrived at the penthouse

He reached the company and packed at the parking lot

He walked into the company and noticed how busy and tensed the atmosphere was

"What is going on?" Gabriel stopped on of the employees and asked

"Mrs Martin is here" the employee said

"Mr Lee's mother?" Gabriel wanted to confirm and she nodded

"She ordered us to set up a press conference that will be starting in the next ten minutes" she reported

"A press conference? What for?" Gabriel asked

"I'm not really sure about that Sir" The lady said and Gabriel nodded

"No problem, thank you" he said as he briskly walked to elevator and took it to the last floor where the penthouse was

He ringed the door bell but their was no answer

His phone beeped again and it was yet another message from the witch

"You have five minutes to bring Ethan to the press room"

Gabriel quickly imputed the lock pin and the door opened

He walked in and met Mr Lee laid on the couch

"How long have you been here Sir? Your mother is around, she is holding a press conference and we must proceed there immediately" Gabriel said

"Yeah she texted me too, it is all in her attempt to curb the rumors and restore the stocks, she wants me to apologize to the press and tell them that picture is a fake created by haters" Ethan said as he sat up

"I think that is a good plan Mr Lee, she gave me five minutes to bring you to the press room, we have two minutes more" Gabriel said glancing at his watch

"I do not think I am in the mood to speak to the press Gabriel" Ethan stated

"Your mother will fire me if you embarrass her and miss that press conference, you know just how much she detest embarrassment Mr Lee, she will go on an outrage and nobody will be able stop her, we've witnessed her do that before, are you sure you want to see her go berserk again?" Gabriel asked and Ethan sighed

"Let's go" He stood up and went to the press room with Gabriel

They met the witch talking to some employees in front of the press room

The witch gave them a scornful look as they approached

"You are three minutes late" she stated

"Apologies ma'am, it won't repeat itself" Gabriel apologized

She gave Ethan a scrutinizing look

"You know what to say to the press right?" she asked

"Yes" Ethan replied curtly

"Good, lets go" She said and walked into the press room

Dozens of reporters filled the room and cameras clicked as they walked to the podium

"Good afternoon everyone, my name is Alicia Martin, I am standing before you solely as Ethan Lee's mother and it has come to my notice today that my dear son has caused the public great concern so I have brought him here in front of you all to explain himself" Mrs Martins stepped away from the microphones and motioned Ethan to step forward

Ethan came forward and sighed

"The picture is a fake, it was edited and circulated by haters, we are currently working on finding out who is responsible for it but in the meantime, I apologize for causing the public concern" Ethan said and stepped back

Mrs Martin came forward again taking hold of the microphone

"Like my son said, that image is false, nothing like that ever happened and it is just haters trying to ruin his image"

"That's a bloody lie" a voice from amongst the reporters echoed through the room and everybody turned to see who it was

The lady stood up and began to walk towards the podium

"Who are you?" the reporters chanted

She got to the podium and took the microphone from Mrs Martin who seemed to be awestroken

"My name is Isabella Russell, I am the lady in the said picture and I am Ethan's fiancee"...........