Chapter 298

Evelyn remained completely unfazed by Lucas's accusations. Why should she panic when she knew she'd done nothing wrong? A camera couldn't possibly capture events that never occurred.

"Fine," she said coolly. "Show us this video then."

Lucas gave a sharp nod to his secretary Edmund, who promptly connected a phone to the conference room's large screen. The footage began playing for all to see.

The video showed a popular female influencer perched precariously on the riverbank railing, her selfie stick extended high as she livestreamed. The camera angle accidentally captured the street behind her, where Evelyn sat alone on a bench in the corner of the frame.

There she was - drinking a soda, gazing at the clouds, her expression unreadable from the distance but undeniably solitary. Evelyn cringed internally at how melancholy she appeared.

"As you can clearly see," she pointed out, "I was by myself."

Lucas's gaze remained steady. "So you confirm that's you in the video?"

"Obviously. Now where's this mysterious accomplice you keep insisting was with me?" Evelyn countered smoothly.

"Patience, Miss Whitmore," Lucas murmured. He fast-forwarded the footage before pausing at a specific timestamp. When playback resumed, a young man carrying flyers approached and sat beside Evelyn.

The bespectacled youth stood about five-seven, slightly heavyset, wearing a checkered shirt. After a moment, he handed Evelyn a promotional leaflet, enthusiastically describing a new barbecue joint's opening specials and membership benefits.

Evelyn had only half-listened at the time, absently accepting the flyer. When the young man offered a free premium steak for signing up - and mentioned his commission - her softer side had emerged. She'd scanned his QR code, thinking she might treat Lily and William to dinner there later.

Never had she imagined this mundane interaction would be caught on some random livestream. Worse still, the influencer's loud sponsorship pitches drowned out their conversation, making the QR code scan look suspicious without context.

Evelyn's stomach dropped as she realized how damning this looked. The video provided just enough visual evidence to fuel speculation, while the missing audio created perfect conditions for misinterpretation.

Lucas's expression turned triumphant. "Now do you understand why we have questions?"

The screen froze on the moment Evelyn's phone connected to the young man's device - an image that, taken out of context, appeared far more incriminating than the harmless reality.