She turned to the resentful young man, putting on an air of superiority:

"Sir, you need evidence when you speak! If everyone made baseless accusations like you, what would happen to a company's reputation?"

The young man sneered: "Since I dared to come, I naturally have ironclad evidence!"

The police said no more, only stating: "I’ll have to ask you all to come with us."

"Mr. Xavier Sterling, please do not leave the city in the near future and cooperate with any summons."

Arthur gritted his teeth, knowing he couldn't escape. Before leaving, he hissed at Margaret:

"Not a single word of what happened today is to leak out! You handle the aftermath!"

Margaret nodded frantically.

Arthur was about to breathe a sigh of relief when his secretary rushed over, face pale, and reported in a low, urgent voice:

"President Vance... something has happened!"

"The engagement party was livestreamed in its entirety. It has already hit number one on the trending searches; the whole internet knows!"

Chapter 11

"What!"

The blood rushed to Arthur’s head, and he nearly blacked out and fainted.

Xavier also snapped back to his senses, sharply questioning his subordinates:

"Didn't I tell all the media to keep their mouths shut? How could there be a livestream!"

The secretary’s face was deathly pale, his voice trembling: "The ones livestreaming... weren't the media from North Shore."

"We... couldn't control them."

"But the media list was vetted long ago, there were clearly only—" The secretary’s voice cut off abruptly.

Halfway through, Xavier suddenly paused, "It’s Sera!"

By now, how could he not understand?

This was all a meticulously planned revenge by Seraphina Vance.

But how exactly did she pull it off?

His gaze darkened as he issued orders:

"Immediately silence all North Shore media! Minimize the impact!"

"It... it can't be suppressed..."

The secretary hardly dared to look up, "It’s already spread all over the internet..."

"Silencing them now would be the same as confirming the contents of the livestream..."

Arthur had been taken away by the police, and Margaret was huddled in a corner, frantically making PR calls.

The gazes of the guests below the stage were like needles and blades, making Xavier feel numb all over.

The engagement party had completely devolved into a farce.

He took a deep breath and turned to leave.

He had just taken a step when his wrist was grabbed firmly.

"Xavier..." Sienna’s voice was shaking uncontrollably, "Where are you going? What about our engagement party?"

"Engagement party?"

Xavier turned back, pulling a cold smile, "You still dare mention the engagement party? Sienna, you should be glad I don't have the time to settle this score with you right now!"

He leaned in close, every word laced with frost:

"Otherwise, I would show you the meaning of a fate worse than death."

Sienna shuddered and instinctively let go.

She had never seen Xavier like this; terror washed over her limbs like ice water.

But she knew clearly that if she let him leave today, she would become the laughingstock of all North Shore.

"Listen to my explanation..." She gritted her teeth and held on, "Those things aren't true..."

"Whether it’s true or false, I will find out."

Xavier straightened up, his gaze looking at her as if she were a dead object:

"Sienna, you’d better start praying now—praying that those things are all fake."

"Otherwise..."

His unfinished sentence dissolved into a cold laugh, yet it was more terrifying than any threat.

Sienna’s legs went weak, and she slumped onto the floor, watching helplessly as he left resolutely.

The atmosphere inside the car was terrifyingly heavy.

Xavier leaned against the back seat, closing his eyes and rubbing his brow, when he suddenly spoke:

"Where is Sera? Has she been found?"

The secretary in the passenger seat turned around hurriedly: "We only found that Ms. Vance left the hotel before the engagement party started... her specific whereabouts are still being investigated."

"Keep searching!"

Xavier snapped his eyes open, dark undercurrents swirling within them.

The image of Seraphina giving her calm blessings flashed before him, along with her relieved smile before she left.

His heart tightened suddenly, a dull ache spreading through him.

Was this her revenge?

How deeply had he hurt her for her to use such a resolute method to burn everything to the ground?

Over three years, he had clearly walked into her heart, only to push her away with his own hands.

He pressed his fingertips against his chest, and all the anomalies finally had an answer—

He instinctively paid attention to her because he cared.

Hearing her composed blessings made him frustrated and irritable because he was jealous.

He didn't want to see the hatred in her eyes and refused to let her go... all because he had long ago lost his heart to her.

Yet he had been blinded by the so-called "life-saving debt," identifying even the person he truly should have cherished incorrectly.

From beginning to end, the only person he ever wanted was Seraphina Vance.

Fortunately... it wasn't too late.

Once he found her, he would apologize, he would make amends, and he would tell her his feelings clearly.

This time, he would never let go again.

Chapter 12

The plane took off and landed; a flight of only two short hours, yet Seraphina felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

It was as if the shackles that had imprisoned her for years had finally shattered and fallen away.

She walked out of the boarding gate and was about to hail a taxi to the Thorne estate when a black sedan slowly pulled up in front of her.

Seraphina thought the car was there to pick someone else up and instinctively moved to the side.

But then the window rolled down.

A gentle voice came through: "Ms. Vance."

She paused and looked up.

Inside the window was a cold and handsome face, with deep-set eyes watching her quietly.

Seraphina was stunned for a moment, pointing at herself uncertainly: "You’re calling me?"

The man nodded.

She searched her memory quickly and confirmed she didn't recognize this face before speaking cautiously: "I’m sorry, but who are you...?"

The other man picked up his phone and gave it a slight wave toward her.

On the screen was their chat interface.

"Your marriage partner." He offered a slight smile. "William Thorne."

Seraphina was completely dazed.

Meeting this "fiancé" for the first time, she was a bit flustered, her words becoming clumsy:

"How... why are you here...?"

"You said you were flying to South Haven today. I happened to be free, so I came to pick you up."

William’s expression was natural as he pushed open the rear door from the inside, "Get in; let's go back to the Thorne residence first."

Since he had specifically come to pick her up, Seraphina didn't refuse.

As she reached for the door, her gaze accidentally swept over his legs, moving away instantly.

But even through his suit trousers, the silhouette of those legs... really didn't look disabled.

She suppressed the doubt in her heart and sat inside the car.

Being in a small space with a marriage partner she was meeting for the first time made the atmosphere inevitably delicate.

Seraphina pursed her lips, and it took a long while before she squeezed out a sentence: "Thank you for the trouble."

William gave a gentle smile: "It’s only right."

There was no conversation along the way.

Fortunately, the airport wasn't far from the Thorne estate, and the car soon entered a courtyard.

Seraphina got out of the car first and was about to walk around to the other side to open the door for William when she saw him step out calmly on his own.

His long legs landed firmly on the ground, his posture tall and lithe.

Seraphina’s mind went blank, and she blurted out: "Your legs... they're fine?"

William let out a soft laugh.

Seraphina’s face flushed instantly, and she hurriedly explained: "I didn't mean it that way..."

"It's alright." William helped her out with a smile, "To the outside world, I am indeed the 'disabled' second Thorne son. It's normal for you to be surprised seeing me like this for the first time."

Seraphina’s ears felt hot, and she didn't know what to do with her hands or feet, letting out two dry laughs to change the subject:

"Then why are you...?"

"This." William didn't mind; instead, he began to explain seriously, "There was indeed an accident when I reached adulthood, and at the time, I almost couldn't save my legs."

"After the news spread, it turned from 'potentially disabled' to 'completely disabled'."

"I was despondent for a long time, and the companies my family originally intended to hand over to me were temporarily managed by my sister."

"Later, my legs recovered through rehabilitation, but I found I had absolutely no interest in managing companies."

"My sister is doing a great job, but those old fossils on the board are sexist and always want to push her out."