"What is she doing here…" he muttered under his breath.
His eyes locked onto the girl, disbelief flashing before quickly turning into something darker.
He had given those morons clear instructions to "take care" of her, so why was she standing here, alive, exposed, and ruining everything?
His jaw tightened, a vein ticking faintly at his temple as his gaze hardened. The hatred in his eyes could no longer be hidden. It was all her fault. Everything had started going wrong the moment she waltzed into his life. Her being here meant that Madeline has found out everything about the whole scenario.
Madeline stepped forward without hesitation, her hand reaching out to pull the girl gently to her side. The contrast between them was striking, one calm and composed, the other visibly shaking, barely holding herself together.
"Since everyone is so interested in the truth," Madeline said smoothly, her voice carrying across the room with practiced ease, "let me introduce you properly."
She tilted her head slightly, her fingers resting lightly on the girl's shoulder, not forceful, but firm enough to keep her from retreating.
"This," she continued, "is the person in those photos."
The room erupted instantly, reporters shoved their mics forward, questions overlapped, voices rising over one another in total chaos.
"Is that true?"
"Were you involved with Director Lee?"
"You look quite young, were you forced?"
"Did Madeline Myers threaten you?"
The girl flinched, her entire body recoiled, the noise was like a weight pressing down on her chest, stealing the air from her lungs. Her hands gripping her clothes tightly as she took a step back instinctively, only to feel Madeline's hand still resting on her shoulder, grounding her in place.
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
Her eyes, wide, darted through the crowd before landing on Lee. She froze. He was staring straight at her and his eyes were bloodshot, the veins crawling across the whites like cracks, his jaw clenched so tightly it looked like it might snap.
The girl's throat bobbed.
She opened her mouth…
"I know you."
Lee's voice cut through the noise quickly.
The room quieted just enough for him to continue.
"Weren't you the one who came to me?" he said, his tone low, controlled, but laced with threats "Begging for help for your brother?" The girl's fingers tightened, her knuckles turning white.
Lee leaned forward slightly, his gaze locking onto hers. "So tell me," he continued, each word deliberate, pressing down on her like a weight, "why are you working with her to frame me?"
There it was. Not just an accusation but also a reminder. Her brother was currently in the hospital of a close friend of Lee and all expenses were paid by him.
The girl froze completely. Madeline's brows drew together almost imperceptibly. A flicker of irritation passed through her eyes. She knew this old man was not easy to deal with and something was bound to go wrong. The girl's silence stretched.
Her lips trembled slightly as her mind raced, the weight of the decision pressing down on her chest until it hurt to breathe. Her brother or herself.
Lee's sharp gaze bore into her reminding her exactly what he was capable of.
But then, another face flashed in her mind. Cold and terrifying. Madeline's husband. The memory of her time in that dark room came back vividly. She could still feel the cold tip of the needle against her skin. The way her body had stiffened as an unknown substance entered her bloodstream. The calm, almost bored expression on his face as he spoke.
"Come back for the antidote after you clear things up." There were no threats but someone his tone made it worse. Her stomach twisted violently. She didn't know what the substance was and she didn't want to die. She also didn't want to be sent to those men either.
Her breathing hitched. Slowly, very slowly, she took a deep breath, then another and another and opened her mouth to speak.
Her voice came out shaky at first, barely audible, but as the words continued, they gained strength not by confidence but desperation.
"I… I was the one in the photos," she admitted, her fingers twisting together tightly. "But it wasn't like that."
The reporters leaned in again, sensing the shift.
"He, he gave me something to drink," she continued, her voice cracking slightly. "I didn't know what it was at first, but I felt dizzy… I couldn't move properly…"
Her eyes lowered, tears gathering but not quite falling.
"I just went to him for help," she added softly. "My brother… I had no choice…"
She didn't mention Mrs. Lee nor mention anything that would complicate things further. She just painted herself as the victim, if the media believed her narrative then that was alright.
The room exploded again, the reporters smiling from mouth to ear. They had enough material to post for days. Things were getting even more messy. First Lee claimed he was drugged, but the girl claimed he drugged her.
Madeline watched quietly from the side, her lips curving ever so slightly.
There it was. She had wondered, just for a moment, if the girl would break and turn on her at the last second but she looked scared and fear was a powerful motivator. Her smile deepened, subtle and satisfied. With the chaos at its peak, she looked over at Lee and his counterparts slouched on the chair and she stepped forward again, effortlessly reclaiming the attention of the room.
"I'd like to thank all my fans," she said suddenly, looking into the camera. Her tone, playful, "for supporting me from day one and believing in me from the very start of my career. You have my heart". She continued, showing a heart shape and throwing a wink. The silence that followed was loud. Everyone present was shocked by her shamelessness. Madeline Myers didn't have any original day one fans who had supported her throughout so who exactly was she thanking.
She gave a polite bow and turned around to leave. The driver followed with the girl on his tail.
Nobody tried to stop her as they were all focused on Lee and his team. Madeline stepped out of the hall and took a huge breath before slipping into the car without hesitation. The girl quickly got into the passenger seat.
"Why are you following me?" Madeline asked, her tone casual, but her eyes… not quite matching.
The girl hesitated, shifting from one foot to the other. "I… I'm not. I just need to go back to your husband's house."
Madeline smiled clearly amused. "My husband," she repeated lightly. "You keep repeating that, did he tell you that?"
The girl froze.
"Oh," Madeline continued, tilting her head slightly. "What did he tell you about his beautiful wife?"
A soft snicker came from the front seat, it was Simon the driver. He quickly masked it but the damage was done. Madame has clearly changed a lot and has become more…interesting.
Madeline didn't even spare him a glance before continuing " is that why you changed your mind at the last minute," the girl stiffened
"Weren't you planning on denying everything I said there?"
The girl shivered, unknown if it was from the cold or Madeline's eyes. "I'm sorry…" she whispered.
"What's your name?" Madeline asked finally, her gaze resting lazily against the window.
"…Daphne," the girl replied after a moment. "Daphne Hale."
Madeline didn't respond. Daphne shifted nervously.
"I'm only going to your place because your husband has some medication I need," she added quickly. "That's all."
Madeline laughed softly.
"Stressing that because you have a history with married men?"
Daphne's head snapped back. "Huh? No, I don't"
Madeline had already looked away.
"Simon," she said calmly, "drop me off at the nearest subway."
There was a pause.
"…Ma'am," Simon began carefully, glancing at her through the rearview mirror, "sir asked me to bring you straight home."
Madeline smiled, Just… a stretch of her lips that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Really?" she said softly. "Because I really want to get down at the nearest subway."
Simon swallowed.
Their eyes met through the mirror. He held it for a second, then looked away.
"Sir asked me to tell you something if you insisted," he said finally, his voice steady.
"…Do you want to know what is happening to your body?"