Chapter 2

I quietly took in the jeers, not getting upset or hysterical.

Years of navigating the cutthroat business world taught me to read people and keep my emotions in check. Acting discreetly, I reached into my bag and switched on the recorder.

I had got to hand to Archie for his little drama. He made accusations against me while stepping in to defend me.

Meanwhile, the parents who’d cried their eyes out when they finally found me now cast me looks of doubt, all because of his offhand remark.

Yet, the report on my desk stated that the Bournes were financially strained but functional as a family.

Apparently, my investigative team had been far too generous in their assessment.

“I’m telling you I never did any of this. Is there a single person in this room who believes me?”

Met with my question, the crowd kept their lips tight and fell silent.

I swirled the glass of red wine, my piercing eyes cutting straight to Archie.

“Archie, if you’re going to make claims like that, you’d better have evidence. False accusations can get you into serious legal trouble.”

Archie could barely contain the fleeting smug look across his eyes.

That was the exact cue he’d been waiting for.

“How could you think that of me, Brock? Why would I make up lies about you?”

Archie looked wounded, his eyes welling up. Still, he stubbornly kept the tears at bay and pulled out his phone from a leather pouch. With trembling fingers, he tapped his photo gallery.

“I didn’t want to show this for fear of hurting your ego… Since you refused to own up to it and tried to make me out to be the bad guy, I have no choice but to show receipts.”

Turning the screen brightness all the way up, he thrust the phone right in front of Chloe and Flint Bourne.

Chloe snatched the phone over for a closer look, her breathing turning ragged. She pointed at me shakily.

“Y-You…”

Flint inched closer for a glance. He turned ashen and trembled in rage, nearly losing his footing.

“Good lord, what is this?”

Several nosy family members leaned in. Soon after, sharp gasps filled the air.

“Good grief, look at what he’s wearing. He’s all over some female client dripping in diamonds. This is disgusting.”

“Wait, isn’t that the hallway to the VIP room at The Garden of Eden? I’ve seen it before. One of my clients posted a picture with that exact background.”

“How did Chloe end up with a son like that? What a disgrace to the family. Is he still going to be welcome to the family?”

I watched callously as the phone was passed from hand to hand.

It was me in the pictures, and the setting was undeniably The Garden of Eden.

That day, the parent company behind The Garden of Eden was facing bankruptcy and liquidation. As CEO of Wayward Entertainment, I was there with my acquisition team to tour the facilities.

The supposedly glamorous woman I was accused of getting cozy with in the photo was the bankruptcy trustee in charge of the liquidation. She’d been appealing to my softer side in hopes I’d raise our purchase offer by another two percentage points.

That day, I was wearing a bespoke black suit. The combination of an awkward camera angle and the dim hallway lighting made an ordinary interaction look far more intimate than it really was.

Archie took my silence as an admission of guilt and went in for the kill.

“Look, Brock. The proof is right here. Mom and Dad love you so much. You don’t have to feel insecure.”

I set my wine glass down, the crystal base hitting the marble surface with a crisp clink.

Chloe went red in the face, then white. Whatever affection she had for her biological son faded at the first sign of trouble.

I could tell that Chloe was kicking herself for bringing me back into the family. However, Archie had put her in an impossible position.

If she were to turn her back on the son everyone believed had been forced down the wrong path by poverty, in front of a ballroom full of wealthy, well-connected guests, she would never live down the shame.

Since she was in a bind, I took it upon myself to break the silence.

“I’m not feeling insecure. I just think you are all hilarious.”