Chapter 17
701words
If she slandered the Russell family, she would spend the rest of her life in jail.
Lucy's eyes rolled back as she pretended to faint, collapsing to the ground.
Tania did not waste a second. She knelt down, ready to give Lucy CPR.
"Lucy, you know that when you do CPR right, it can actually break someone's ribs. I'm giving you thirty seconds. If you don't open your eyes and get up, I'm going to start."
The crowd was not just reporters, lots of curious onlookers had gathered too.
One of them recognized internet star Lucy and whipped out their phone to start live streaming.
Lucy was even more scared to open her eyes.
Tania just shrugged, like she did not care, and reached down to press on Lucy's chest.
The second her hand touched Lucy's sternum, Lucy's eyes flew open.
She looked around, confused. "Where am I? What happened?"
She was pretending to have lost her memory.
Tania did not feel like fighting about it. She got up, dusted herself off, and without thinking, grabbed Elias's hand.
They were about to walk away when Samuel would not let it go and shouted after her.
"Tania, aren't you going to answer that question from before? Is he your brother or your fiancé? Is this what the Russell family is like? And why would you say your parents are dead if they're not? You're nothing but a liar!"
Tania could not stand anyone talking bad about the Russell family.
She stopped in her tracks, turned to face all the reporters, and began to speak.
Everyone watching online saw it too, as the moment was streamed by many in the crowd.
"My name is Tania. I lost my real parents when I was eight, and the Russell family took me in.”
"My real parents were doctors who worked without borders, helping people wherever it was needed. They were in Afrisia village during an outbreak, trying to get medicine to the kids, when they caught a deadly virus.”
"They could have gone back home for better medical care, but the village needed them. My parents stayed because they were the only doctors around," she explained.
"The Russells took me in after that.”
"It doesn't really matter if Elias is my brother or if he's supposed to be my husband. He's been by my side through the toughest time after I lost my parents. He's also the one who helped me chase my dream job.”
"He even helped me when I got caught up in nasty rumors about cheating. Elias found the proof we needed to clear my name.”
"He's the most important person in my life, and I am to him."
Elias watched Tania, his heart feeling lighter as his worries disappeared.
He thought she was done talking and was about to go hold her hand, but Tania pulled out her phone instead.
"Since we're all here, I want you to hear some evidence I've already given to the cops."
She looked straight at Samuel as she played the recording.
Lucy's voice filled the room: "Do you think Samuel would even look at you if you didn't resemble me? Your face annoys me so much, I want to scratch it up!”
"With just a word, Samuel does whatever I say!”
"Tania, I only feel good when you're suffering!"
Tania always carried a recorder for meetings and taking notes in the lab. Those cruel words were from Lucy, spoken during the three days Tania was locked in the basement.
"I know you're not on your period. You lost the baby, didn't you? How sad. However, if you had the baby, Samuel would never willingly be my second choice.”
"Your phone's data must be super important, huh? I went ahead and deleted it, turning it into a total mess. Do you think Kingston University will kick you out for that?”
"Kingston University? More like they're blind as bats. I tried to get in, and they had the nerve to snub me for not finishing my master's? They even had the gall to call my college a no-name school..."
Lucy's eyes rolled back, and this time, she actually passed out.
