Chapter 62

62 Defense

The room buzzed with gossip and mockery chuckles as the journalists proudly took their seats. They were so excited for delivering the first part of their mission.

Leon glared at the journalists as a poisonous rage enveloped him. His heart hardened and his pulse quickened. A devilish thought crossed his mind and he smirked. He guessed rightly, that this premature stunt was Chloe’s handiwork. He took a deep breath to calm his raging heart and waited patiently for Ella to handle herself in public.

Ella smiled proudly as she waited for the murmuring to seize. She had prepared herself mentally for the worst form of questions. She knew that there would be haters; who would want to crucify her for her sudden wealth. But she was unperturbed by their hurtful questions. She will defend her honor, even with her last blood.

“Thanks for those lovely questions. I have been waiting to clear the air concerning that.” She smiled again and paused as she looked around at the eager reporters, critics, and bloggers. The camera flashlight was blinding but she didn’t blink for a second as she was fired up by the questions. She locked eyes with the journalist, who asked the first question, and smiled.

“First and foremost, I want to start by thanking F&K fashion home for giving me the platform to express my love for creative fashion designing.” Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “I freely gave the company five years and four months of my ingenious knowledge, creativity, and uniqueness. Hence, it is ironic for them to accuse me of stealing. Instead, I could confidently accused the company of swindling me of my knowledge with no intentions of rewarding my efforts. If I may put that question back to you,” She sneered at the journalist. “Honestly, who is the thief?

Ella paused for a while to allow her question sink in, before continuing her defence speech. “As proof on my ingenious capabilities, you can ask the financial section of the company to print out their profit margin realized before I joined the company and when I proudly resigned. My humble resignation was due to the company’s incompetence in handling nitty-gritty matters which I will explain extensively, in a bit.” Ella paused again and allowed the outburst of commotion to settle.

Some guests and brands were laughing and mocking F& K fashion home, while others sneered at Ella’s pride. They hated her for her proud remarks.

After five minutes of explaining and exposing F& K fashion company for their atrocious behavior during the past Haze Awards ceremony, there was complete silence in the room. Ella did not spare Chloe and her family’s manipulative treatment. She invited eleven former employees of F& K fashion home to corroborate her story. Even startling evidence of the one hundred million dollars lawsuit threat by Chloe’s father was made public by her. She finally made it known that Chloe Robinson was the main reason she had resigned from the F&K fashion home.

At this point, the crowd of guests went into a frenzy. Even those, who earlier sneered at Ella for her proud remarks, felt empathetic toward her.

.....

“How could a company be so cruel to their staff...”

“They should have protected her from that evil wolf...”

“I have heard compelling stories about that evil Chloe Robinson’s and her family’s oppression of the weak...”

“Isn’t that the same Chloe Robinson that was caught some week ago drug binging and making out in public...”

The room was filled with so many questions and animosity against the Robinsons. Instant hate for them ignited like a forest wildfire.

Ella tapped on the microphone severally to achieve decorum in the room. When the noise quietened a bit, she continued with her defense speech.

“And finally, concerning my personal life, I will clarify some little details. But...” Her stares became frosty. “I will not give anyone the liberty of interfering in my private life. However, I choose to leave my life is nobody’s goddam business. So, I am sending this as a warning to all those plotting and trying to ridicule my marriage...” She paused again and breathed down her burning fury. “Be guided.” Her tone was firm and resolute. “I am happily married to the love of my life by the name of Mr. Leon Treshvire.” She smiled and blew a kiss to a dazzled Leon. “This is the only statement I owe the public and the rest is my business.”

The journalists who had earlier been heavily paid quietly left the room for fear of being mobbed. They dreaded the fact that more hateful questions might incite the crowd against them.

Leon gave a coded signal and the journalists were picked up by Leon’s men of the underworld and taken to an undisclosed location.

After a few more questions, the interview session came to a happy end. All guests were invited to a glamorous dinner party, which was to take place at the Grandeur Hotel. While Ella left briskly with Leon to go change for the dinner event.

————–

Back at the F&K fashion home, Chloe watched the live television interview in horror.

When her paid journalists had asked the first three questions, she had been so thrilled to see how Ariella would cover her face in shame. She had even told them to accuse Ariella of prostitution and forcing herself into a family that didn’t want her. She further told them to expose Ariella as being a golddigger and cheating on her high school sweetheart and fiance.

But unfortunately for Chloe, the tables turned around in Ariella’s favor. Ariella not only succeeded in ruining her name and personality, but she also dared to mention Chloe’s father’s name.

“I will kill that b**ch!” Chloe fumed in fury and started thrashing everything in her new office.

Chloe’s new secretary came in to enquire what the matter was but narrowly escaped from being smashed on the head with a mug. The mug narrowly missed her and crashed on the wall.

“Get lost, you bloody tramp!” Chloe’s high-pitched voice shrieked.

The secretary ran out of the office to inform Frost of Chloe’s sudden madness.

Frost and Kyle, who have been licking their wounds in Kyle’s office, jumped to their feet and ran towards Chloe’s office.

“What the hell!” Frost’s voice boomed as he glared in fury around his once cherished office. Chloe had turned it into a house of circus rampaged by an elephant that saw a rat.

“Chloe! What’s the problem? Why are you destroying everything?” Kyle’s voice was subtler. He feared raising his voice at Chloe because of her father. “Everything in this heavily furnished office is rare and extremely expensive. Money can’t buy everything, you know!” His face contoured in anguish. “Can I...”

“Shut the fuck up!” Chloe screamed and moved menacingly towards Kyle to strangle him.

Kyle quickly averted her madness for fear of slapping some senses into her head. While Frost caught her in his arms and immobilized her, to stifle her temporal insanity.

“Take a chill break, Chloe!” Frost shouted into her ear. He was tempted to punch her face as he looked in agony at his prized office that the little brat had destroyed.

“Get off me! Get off me! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” Chloe tried in vain to wriggle herself free. But after a few minutes, her adrenaline spike dissipated and she calmed down.

Frost, sensing her calm disposition, released her from his tight grip. He looked around his former office one more time and took pictures of the damages before storming out. Kyle took a long look at the panting lunatic they had just sold forty percent of their hard-earned shares to. He shook his head in utter disappointment before following Frost out of the office.

“We’re doomed, Frost!” Kyle sighed loudly as he shut the door to his office behind him. “We’ve invited a hideous goblin in disguise to our company. She’s going to wreck us! We’re doomed!” He slumped into his chair and gawked into the face of a riled Frost.

“God help me, I will kill that bastard of a brat before she destroys my hard-earned company.” Frost had a haunted look in his eyes that scared the living daylights out of Kyle. “We will make her pay double for every damage she has done in that office. I swear! Except my name is no longer Frost.”

Frost quickly placed a call across to Albert Robinson. He informed him of Chloe’s tantrum and the damages she had inflicted in her new office. He also sent the pictures he took earlier to Mr. Robinson as proof.

“Don’t worry Frost, I’ll talk some sense into her and I’ll pay for the damages,” Albert replied and ended the call.

Back at Chloe’s office, after stuffing her stomach with dry gin, she immediately placed a call to her dad and informed him of all that transpired in the interview session.

“Daddy, that wretched witch by the name of Ariella, insulted you, mum, and the entire Robinson family,” Chloe yelled over the phone. Her Interview is on all news stations and all over social media. Just watch it and you will see what I’m talking about.”

“Chloe, calm down!” The voice on the other end of the receiver was gentler but deep. “I don’t want you throwing any more tantrums because of this. Get back to the house now and I will handle things from henceforth.”

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“One more thing dad, I want Frost and Kyle to be tortured dearly for laying their filthy fingers on me.” She bit her lower lips in agony as she made her atrocious demand.

“Chloe, you can’t be serious,” her father’s voice became infuriated. “Is this how you intend to run down that company I just spent a huge fortune acquiring for you?”

“Dad...”

“Get back to the house now!” Her dad boomed and ended the call.

Chloe gawked at the phone in disbelief. She rechecked the contact details in horror. Her dad had never spoken to her in this manner. “Was this really her dad speaking? Is he alright?” She thought out loud. “I can’t believe he spoke to me that way!” She looked around the thrashed office in dismay. “Did I do all of this?” She sighed out loud. She went over to the desk, picked up her handbag, and dashed out of the office.

“Where are we going to, Madam Chloe?” The driver of her red exotic limousine inquired.

“Take me to the Emerald boutique first and then to the Grandeur hotel!” She replied as a sinister glint danced in the corner of her eyes.