Chapter 13: The press conference
Noah frowned. For the first time, she had ignored him. Completely. And it irritated him. His hands curled into fists.
"Is she angry?" Tessa asked slowly. "What if she creates a scene in front of the media?"
At once, his expression turned stormy. "She won’t dare."
He walked in.
Elena was already seated on the podium, facing the reporters calmly. There was no hesitation in her eyes.
It surprised Noah.
He frowned. He had expected her to cry, to beg him not to drag her into the press conference, or to desperately ask for his help. But instead, she looked composed, confident, and even fearless.
’What is she up to?’
Though this question emerged, he pushed it aside as he believed she wouldn’t dare to go against him. Straightening his suit, he strode over to the podium and took his seat beside her.
Tessa followed quickly and sat on Noah’s other side.
As soon as Tessa appeared, the reporters started asking sharp questions.
"Are you having an affair with Mr. Noah Sinclair? When did this relationship start?"
"We heard you attended the same school. Did your relationship start back then?"
"Mr. Sinclair, please answer us. Are you in love with Tessa Morgan? Are you cheating on your fiancée?"
Questions after questions were hurled at them mercilessly, each one sharper than the last.
Tessa’s eyes quickly turned red as she shook her head pitifully.
"No, this is not true," she said tearfully. "Someone is slandering me. Noah and I are innocent."
"But those pictures said a different story, Miss Tessa," one reporter countered sharply. "Mr. Sinclair carried you out from the banquet hall while his fiancée was left alone. This explains that you are important to him, more than his fiancée is."
Another one turned to Elena. "Miss Elena, are you planning to break up with Mr. Sinclair?"
Before Elena could reply, Noah spoke. "Never."
Elena whipped her head toward him.
There was a storm brewing in his eyes. Anger, restlessness, and something close to worry flashed in them.
For a moment, Elena wondered if he really worried she would break up with him.
"Elena and I understand each other very well," he said. In front of everyone, he reached up and held her hand on the table.
Cameras zoomed in on their joined hands. The reporters quickly jotted down something on their notepads.
Tessa tensed in her seat. Her eyes radiated fire as she watched their hands.
"Our trust in each other is strong," he added, looking into Elena’s eyes. "Rumors like this won’t break us apart."
Elena blinked, shocked.
Trust?
What trust was he talking about? The one he had broken with his own hands mercilessly?
He had cheated on her behind her back. He had obtained her signature on the divorce papers without her knowledge and orchestrated her accident to kill their baby. Yet, he expected her to keep her trust in him blindly.
Perhaps the old Elena would have—the foolish woman who had loved him so deeply that she had believed every word he said. She had been living in the bubble of lies he had created around her. But that woman died the moment she found out the truth.
Noah himself had killed her.
She was not the same as before. There was no way she would put her faith back in him.
Irritation stirred within her. She tried to pull her hand back, but he held it tighter. Her eyebrows drew together.
Noah smiled.
That smile was still sweet and warm. It was the smile that had once melted her heart countless times before. Back then, no matter how upset she was, one smile from him was enough to make her forget everything and embrace him.
But not anymore.
Her face remained stern as she tried to free her hand once more.
Noah, however, didn’t loosen his grip. He turned to the reporters.
"She will tell you how strong our relationship is."
He leaned over to Elena and whispered in her ear, "Tell them you misunderstood us. Tessa wasn’t feeling well, which is why I carried her out of the party. Nothing is going on between us."
Elena remained silent. She wouldn’t parrot his words. She would tell the truth—not about his relationship with Tessa, but about the accusation he had thrown at her without even investigating.
"Miss Hart, is everything okay between you and Mr. Sinclair? Are you aware of his affairs with Miss Tessa?"
"Is he really cheating on you? Please say something."
"You must have known about their affairs," another reporter chimed in sharply. "You must be furious."
Elena turned to the woman who was questioning her.
"You posted those photos to take out your anger on them," the female reporter pressed on aggressively. "You called her a homewrecker. So tell us, is she truly the one destroying your relationship with Mr. Sinclair, or are you the one standing between them?"
Hearing her question, Elena’s heart clenched. This woman seemed to have been paid by Tessa.
The air seemed stilled at that moment. The reporters grew even more aggressive with their questions.
"Miss Elena, please tell us... Is Miss Tessa snatching your boyfriend from you? Did you post the photos to take revenge on her?"
"I never posted those photos," Elena said, her voice loud and clear enough to silence everyone.
Noah’s gaze hardened instantly. He was furious. But Elena didn’t care.
She faced the reporters. "That social media account isn’t mine," she announced.
The entire hall erupted into murmurs. The reporters looked at each other in shock and disbelief.
"Elena," Noah hissed dangerously. "Stop creating more scenes."
Elena smiled sarcastically. Even now, he was thinking she was making a fuss.
"I can prove it."
The certainty in her eyes caught him off guard. For the first time, doubt flickered in his eyes.
’Did I misunderstand her?’
Elena pulled out a bunch of documents from her bag and held them out. "These are the records of my actual social media account. I haven’t been online since I had an accident."
Her voice shook slightly as she spoke the next words. "I recently lost my baby. I’m still grieving. I had neither the time nor the emotional strength to go check the social media and post some irrelevant photos."
Noah instantly released her hand. Regret crossed his face almost immediately. He had not thought about the pain she had been enduring and jumped to the conclusion that she had posted those photos out of jealousy.
But Elena had already stopped caring about what he thought. She wasn’t here to seek his understanding. She was here to clear her name.
"Someone deliberately created this account, the same as mine," Elena continued. "I don’t know who it is and what the purpose is. But I checked it carefully. It was recently made."
She glanced at Tessa. "Perhaps someone wanted to target me intentionally."
Tessa swallowed. A wave of panic rose within her.
One of the reporters stepped forward and took the documents from Elena, distributing the copies to the others.
"The evidence is in your hands," Elena continued. "Check yourself whether the photos are real and find out who created that fake account. I also want to know the truth."
She wanted the media to look into it and find the truth about Noah and Tessa’s relationship.
With those final words, she stood up and walked down from the podium.
But the reporters weren’t satisfied yet. They had not gotten their answers. They rushed over and encircled her.
"Miss Elena, is Mr. Sinclair cheating on you? What kind of relationship does he have with Tessa Morgan?"
"Are you still planning to marry him? Or are you going to break up with him?"
Questions after questions shot toward her, overwhelming her. Microphones were shoved toward her face, while camera flashes exploded nonstop around her to catch every flicker of her expression.
Elena stepped back, her heartbeat quickening. But she quickly regained her composure.
"I said what I had to say. You have resources. Find the answer on your own."