Chapter 396
(Author’s POV)
’Gavin? Didn’t she meet him for the first time with us a couple of days back? They are on a first-name basis, so soon?’ Alex murmured, his voice filled with jealousy. Alaric didn’t give him any reply and just kept his gaze fixated on Myra without a care.
“Hmmm~ we heard your side, Ms. Miracle. Mr. Long, now you can add up your part. Tell us about your bullying incident first?” This time, Zachary Johnson spoke.
“Prof. Johnson, I did not harass anyone. But if stating facts is called bullying nowadays, then yes, you can consider me a bully.” Nigel spoke blatantly.
“Nigel,” Zara tried to stop him, but would he listen? He surely wouldn’t, “Tell me, what did I say so wrong, professor? Isn’t she the one damaging our Red Stone’s reputation? Isn’t the gossip circulating online on the forum about her all but true? There are tons and tons of rumors surrounding her. I don’t believe any of that is untrue.” He said it with so much confidence that anyone would have believed him. “Where there’s smoke, there is fire p>
“Hmmm~ I agree with your words. Where there is smoke, there definitely is fire,” Prof. Mitchell hummed while remarking.
Nigel got overly excited seeing Oswald finally siding with him.
Oswald then added in a matter of factly tone, “But, Nigel, you should be ’well aware’ of why the gossip and rumors about Ms. Myra Miracle are making the rounds in the first place. Isn’t it correct p>
Nigel wrinkled his brows as the smile on his face vanished. His eyes flickered for a nanosecond. But he composed himself in the blink of an eye and uttered, “Prof. Mitchell, I don’t understand what you mean p>
“You know exactly what Prof. Mitchell is implying to, Mr. Long.” Zachary voiced, matching Oswald’s coldness. “After all, you are the one who had posted those retouched pictures on the forum p>
Myra’s eyes widened as the sudden realization hit her. Her gaze immediately turned towards Nigel, who flinched. ’Nigel was the one who did all this? I was aware he didn’t like me, but this~ I never expected him to despise me so much. What did I even do to him p>
“No~ professors. This is absolutely false. Why would I even do it? Why would I, Nigel Long, waste my time on someone like her?” he tried to defend himself.
“Yes, Prof. Mitchell, Prof. Johnson, there seems to be a misunderstanding. Nigel would never do such a degrading thing. I know my son,” Zara added.
“Mrs. Long, you will have to ask your son about it, whether it is all a misapprehension on our part or not,” Zachary commented. Then he dropped the bomb, “I received an anonymous tip this morning about Nigel Long being the culprit behind all this p>
“A tip? Are you going to believe an anonymous bullcrap over my words, professor?” Nigel was trying to play a sympathy card. “Is there any evidence regarding it p>
“Hold down your horses, Mr. Long. Don’t use those kinds of words in my presence. I am getting to it. There is, and quite unfortunately, that’s not the only thing you did p>
In that moment, hearing Prof. Johnson’s remarks, Nigel felt his blood curdle.
Meanwhile, Zachary continued, “Apparently, Mr. Nigel Long didn’t just post those images. He also instigated the gossip surrounding Ms. Miracle online as well as offline. He even hired dozens of people to write those foul comments. And~ before you can wrestle in again, I would like to tell you that there is concrete proof regarding it. So, don’t dare to deny it p>
Nigel felt his entire body tremble. ’How could it be? How could anyone know about that? I have been so discreet. How is it possible for anyone to find out?’ His mind was spiralling. Wyatt Long was involved in the entertainment industry, and as his son, Nigel, was well aware of the functioning and methods of dealing with such things. No doubt, he was clever and astute. But he used his sharp wit in slandering Myra.
Oswald threw a folder on his desk and spat, “This document holds the malversation you have committed, Nigel. There are witness statements as well as the IP address that has posted those images. It traces back to WLZ Entertainment. Now, do you have anything to say, Mr. Long p>
His words jolted Nigel to the core. ’Everything was going according to the plan. So, why? Why is this happening? Who could be the one to out me?’ He opened his mouth and closed, not being able to word anything out.
Zara looked at Alaric, who was sitting opposite her. He had a laid-back smile on his lips, as if he was enjoying her son’s misery. And he was.
The truth is, she knew everything about Nigel’s doing. Just like her son, she didn’t like Myra either. She thought that this foreign countryside girl stole Nigel’s rightful place, and when Nigel told her to raise this issue in the trustee meeting, she didn’t decline. The mother-son duo was sure that after this, Myra and her family would definitely be thrown out of Red Stone mercilessly.
But this morning, an unexpected thing happened. She received two speed posts. One held evidence regarding Nigel’s wrongdoings, and the other had detailed information about their business dealings and corruptions p>
She asked her assistant about the sender, but they weren’t able to track it. She was pacing around in her office when her phone chimed. She was getting a call from an unknown number. Zara had an eerie feeling and picked it up. A masculine and authoritative voice came from the other side, “Zara Long, have you decided which one you are going to choose? Are you going to save your son or are you going to throw him under the bus and save your business instead p>
“Who~ Who the hell are you to threaten me?” She retaliated, though her voice held an uncanny tremble.
The sound of a humorless chuckle echoed from the other line as the person said, “An answer for an answer. You go first. Who are you going to save p>
To Be Continued………