Chapter 721 721



"At first, I prefer to ignore the rumors and slander about me, because I have a lot of projects to do. But once I realize that the rumors have gotten out of control, I realize that I have to do something or else my reputation will be ruined," Vincent said. 

He clenched his fist under the desk, trying his best to hold this uncomfortable feeling in his heart. The blitzes from the camera made it even worse.

He felt nauseous as if he could throw up anytime soon.

He didn't know what was wrong with him, but he was definitely not in a good condition right now.

Nevertheless, the show must continue, and he had to endure this uncomfortable feeling until the press conference ended. 

"I implore all the news outlets to clarify to me if they want to know the truth. I've been watching the news and my face is plastered everywhere without my consent. This is clearly the violation of privacy and also defamation," Vincent said. "Therefore, I'm planning to take any slander that I got to the court, I will sue any media who dares to defame me without concrete evidence."

The reporters were shocked by that.

Mr. Vincent Gray was usually a very kind yet busy man who wouldn't even care to gossip about him.

But it seemed that it was just a public image he presented to look good, or the rumors already pissed him off.

After all, the rumors were enough to bring his company's stock down to a horrendous level. 

The moderator then allowed the reporters to ask questions one by one. There was a bit of noise from the reporters as they were busy discussing what questions would be good for Mr. Gray.

They knew they were threading on a thin line right now, but they also knew they'd get paid handsomely as long as they could get some sensational, scandalous, and shocking answers out of Vincent's mouth. 

Little did Vincent know that most of the reporters here were already fed by Vernon a lot of 'small facts' about Vincent Gray.

These reporters knew more than Vincent expected. 

Thus, the first reporter asked, "Sir, I want to ask if you're truly innocent in this case of Chelsea Davis. After all, Mrs. Davis keeps on mentioning you in her testimony, saying that you are the one who promised her a hand-in marriage in exchange for murdering her own family."

"And would you believe that?" Vincent raised his brow. "The idea is already outrageous. Chelsea Davis is obsessed with me, and she is insane. She's probably hallucinating about me before murdering my mother-in-law."

The first reporter went silent and backed off, and the second reporter came with another question that was as revolting as the first one.

"But Sir, based on the police report for her mental health screening, Chelsea Davis is not insane. She is in so much shock right now, but she is not mentally damaged and therefore, there is still a possibility that she's not lying," the second reporter said. "What is your opinion on that, Sir?"

Vincent's body stiffened. He was actually surprised by that statement. 

There was no doubt that Chelsea was insane. One look into her eyes was enough to show that she wasn't right in the head.

But how could the police release a statement that Chelsea wasn't insane? What kind of bullshit was that?

'Did the police conspire with my enemy to take me down? After they could bribe the police to release a false statement about Chelsea, Vincent began to panic as he realized he wasn't completely in control of the situation.

'Could it be that Chloe is the one who manipulated the result, so Chelsea wouldn't escape the verdict because she was clinically insane?' Vincent wondered. 'No, there is no way that Chloe has that much power. She is just a stupid housewife that is barely able to think. How could she prepare that kind of elaborate trap for me?'

"A—Anyone could lie," Vincent replied nervously. "Chelsea Davis is lying so she wouldn't get a harsh sentence. After all, if she throws the blame on me, she wouldn't be the only perpetrator."

The second reporter backed off, seemingly satisfied with her answer.

Vincent's palm began to sweat as he got nervous. That was only the second question, and he almost shat himself out of panic.

The third question came soon after, "Mr. Gray, the police department already released the statement that Chelsea Davis' four sons are taken by their only living relative, which is Mrs. Chloe Gray, your wife. Does that mean the boys are in your home now?"

Vincent had expected the question about Chloe and the boys to pop out anytime soon, and he calmed down a bit after knowing he was finally in control of the situation again.

Maria would've handled these questions easily with tons of reasonable lies, but he didn't have that skill because he was so used to reading or remembering a script that had been prepared beforehand by Maria, so his public image would always be perfect.

"My four nephews have been taken by my wife, indeed. They are in our custody, currently living in our mansion," Vincent replied. "Unfortunately, I refused to show their faces in public because they are under so much trauma. They deserve to heal first."

Vincent thought that answer would be enough to satisfy the reporter. He also expected everyone to clap their hands, or at least nod in agreement and satisfaction, as Vincent Gray was still the same good-hearted person the public knew,

But the third reporter didn't back down. Instead, he asked again, "But Sir, we already got a report from the child protection service. They said that the boys are currently living in an apartment with Mrs. Chloe Gray and her daughter. She is a single mother that is currently working as a secretary in a company."

"How do you explain this, Sir? Why do the Child Protection Service have a different report compared to your statement just now? And what about the fact that Mrs. Chloe Gray is now currently living in an apartment as a single mother?"

"Mr. Vincent Gray, are you two already separated?"

Vincent was caught off guard by that statement. 

Again, he had no information about the Child protection service, and he didn't expect Chloe to report her living condition, work, and even her life with Mackie.

As if everything about her was legit, and he was the one who lied.

Vincent tried so hard to find an answer to this question. Of course, he couldn't just say that the CPS lied. Child Protection Service was a highly respected institution. People would just call him nuts for claiming that CPS made a false statement. 

"Mr. Gray?" The reporter called his name because he was yet to get an answer to his question. 

Vincent's face gradually paled, and he began to sweat from head to toe as he didn't know how to answer that question.

The moderator immediately noticed Mr. Gray's nervousness, so he said, "Next question, please?"

The third reporter backed off, and the fourth came. Vincent hoped the question wouldn't be about Chloe anymore because he couldn't answer them.

But this wasn't his lucky day.

Because the reporters in the room—and everyone watching this press conference live—must've noticed the nervousness on Vincent Gray's face. They must be wondering about the truth as well.

"Mr. Gray, what do you think about the rumors that you abused your wife until she left you? Is that true?"

"I—I never abused her," Vincent answered. His gaze began to blur as he tried to stabilize himself. "I never hurt her. We're not in any fight whatsoever. We're not separated either."

"Then how come the Child Protection Service found your wife, daughter, and four nephews in a two bedroom apartment, and your wife is currently working as a secretary in another company? Pardon me, Mr. Gray, but you just contradicted yourself," the reporter said ruthlessly. "Are you saying that the CPS lied about the report?"

"Yes, Mr. Gray, please answer this."

"We want to know about your relationship with Mrs. Chloe Gray!"

"Mr. Gray, everyone is waiting for your answer!"

The reporters began to attack Vincent with questions that he couldn't answer.

Of course, he couldn't answer any of them because Chloe had already left her almost a year ago, and he had no idea where she was and what she was doing right now. 

He began to get nauseous, dizzy, and his heartbeat accelerated as he got a panic attack.

He began to imagine everything crumbling in front of him.

His career.

His family.

His public reputation.

And he realized that his end might be near, and he would be a disgraced man who wouldn't have power anymore.

"Mr. Gray!"

"Mr. Gray!"

"Mr. Gray!"

"Mr. Gray!"

He could hear the voices of the people who demanded an answer he couldn't give. In the end, his body trembled and…

Everything turned black.