Chapter 225

Chapter 225:
Their eyes met. Stella could see it plain as day: he was abandoning her. Again. Letting her take the fall to protect his image, his so-called “interests.”
Staring at the three faces opposite her, her stomach turned.
She had never known people more vile.
She scanned the crowd, trying to find the person who backed Jazlyn’s claim. But whoever it was had already vanished—like smoke.
At her side, William stepped closer, quietly offering his presence.
Before he could say anything, Stella gently tugged his sleeve.
This was her fight.
With a calm she didn’t feel, she walked over to the control panel, pulled out the USB drive she’d brought, and plugged it in.
“Marc, you’ve shown me exactly what kind of people you all are. Since you’re so obsessed with proving I’m Stella, I figured I’d dig a little deeper into this woman who looks like me.” She gave a half-smile. “And guess what? I found a few skeletons in the Walsh Group’s closet.”
With that, she opened a folder. One by one, documents filled the big screen behind her—each more damning than the last. “These files? They lay out every shady move your company’s made. Fraud. Lies. Fake bidding wars. You told clients they were up against competitors that didn’t even exist—just to jack up the prices.”
This wasn’t recent. This was old dirt, back from when the Walsh Group was still new. When Stella’s patent helped them land partnerships. But profits were slim.
Marc had come up with a “solution”—pit companies against each other with fake bids, ultimately choosing the one with the highest bid.
Marc’s face went pale as he stared at the files flashing on the screen. He never thought she kept records. Especially not these.
His chest heaved as he opened his mouth to speak—but Stella was already onto the next folder.
More files. More proof of the lengths he went to get ahead.
And the worst part? Some of the very people he’d tricked were in the room right now. Anger spread fast.
“You lied to us, Marc. We trusted you,” one man said coldly.
“This is criminal,” another snapped. “We lost millions because of your games. Either you pay up, or we’ll see you in court. And if there’s any justice, you’ll end up behind bars.”
Marc stood stiffly, chest heaving, eyes darting toward the partners now closing in on him, their expressions grim. “Everyone, this is just a misunderstanding! We’ve worked together for years—surely you all know what kind of person I am. These accusations are completely baseless!” His voice strained as he tried to salvage the little credibility he had left.
But no one looked convinced. The partners, who had long since seen through his tricks, weren’t having it.
“Marc, there’s no need to waste more breath. Just return the money you scammed from us—or prepare to be sued,” one of them snapped. The other guests in the hall didn’t bother hiding their curiosity. Whispers swirled around the room.
What was supposed to be an engagement party had spiraled into a full-blown circus. People were already imagining how juicy the gossip would be at dinner tables for months to come. Marc and Haley’s reputations were completely wrecked.
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