Chapter 5

Before I could even process what was happening, Heather's cold voice rang out beside me. "Randall, I just wanted a divorce, and you go online spreading rumors that Luke plagiarized? You really are vicious!"

"What?"

Seeing my reaction, Heather grew even angrier. She grabbed her phone and hurled it at me. "Still playing dumb, are we? Well, see for yourself!"

As I wasn't able to dodge in time, the phone struck me square on the bridge of the nose, and two streaks of blood began to trickle down. Wiping the blood away in a sorry state, I steeled myself against the pain and picked up the phone to look at what she was talking about.

The screen showed a post exposing that the patent Lucas had published was actually plagiarized from me. To make it more convincing to netizens, the post even had the draft sketches of my original design attached.

The post had blown up online the moment it was published, and the comments section was flooded with netizens cursing Lucas out.

However, the post was most certainly not my doing.

"Heather, I didn't post this. I've been at home packing this whole time..."

Heather looked completely unconvinced. "You've kicked up a fuss about this before! Who else could it have been if not you?"

Three years ago, with Heather backing him, Lucas had stolen my patent sketches when I wasn't paying attention, published them first, and claimed my patent as his own. Afterward, in a meeting, he even turned the tables and accused me of plagiarizing him.

I had wanted Heather to speak up for me and prove my innocence. However, though she knew the truth, she sided with Lucas instead, pinning the plagiarism charge firmly on me.

Furious, I went to confront her, only for her to turn around and gaslight me.

"It's just a patent. Since Luke published it first, just take the blame. Is there any need to be so petty about it? If this really blows up, what good will it do for you or the company? If you refuse to admit fault, don't blame me for divorcing you!"

In the end, I had no choice but to accept the false accusation.

Due to that incident, Heather naturally assumed this post was my way of getting back at Lucas.

After connecting it with the messages Lucas had sent me earlier, I finally realized this was his setup. I quickly explained, "Heather, Lucas posted this himself to frame me!"

"Enough! I know exactly what kind of person Luke is. Stop slandering him!"

Heather didn't give me a chance to explain. She pulled a document out of her bag, threw it in front of me, and said coldly, "Sign it."

The words "Confession Statement" were written in bold at the top of the document.

I couldn't believe that after all these years, Heather would once again force me to take the fall for Lucas, to admit that I was the one who plagiarized and that I had posted the thread out of jealousy to slander him on purpose.

In the past, I had only compromised due to my love for Heather. Now, I decisively tossed the confession statement aside. "I won't admit to something I didn't do!"

At this, Heather simply sneered and pulled out her phone. She made a video call to her bodyguard.

In the video, my parents were tied to a bungee jump platform. Cold wind howled around them as they stood there. Their faces were deathly pale as they trembled in terror.

Heather threatened me with utter indifference. "If you don't sign, your parents are in for a rough time. If I recall correctly, they're both afraid of heights, right? And your mother has a history of stroke too. If I have someone press the switch, do you think they can handle a shock like that?"

"Heather, how could you do this to my parents?"

My eyes went red with rage.

My parents had always treated her well. After finding out Heather's health was poor, my mother had sought out an experienced physician for medicine and, sparing no effort, traveled all the way from the countryside to brew herbal tonics for Heather to nurse her body back to health.

My father had even sent her piles of nutritious food to help build up her strength.

Yet now, she was repaying their kindness with malice, threatening their lives just to force me into signing the confession.