Suddenly, a scream from Roman’s studio echoed, cutting through the silence.
Philip and Chantelle turned to look at the TV screen direction at the same time.
A video had started playing. It was an interview from six years ago.
In it, Roman and Ruby were scolding Chantelle for bringing shame to the family. They even announced they were cutting ties with her.
The moment the video went live, the internet exploded with reactions.
Everyone who saw the video was shocked.
"They say Chantelle killed Wesley Wilson, and the Bently family cut ties with her right after. Mr. Bently never even looked for her when she went missing. All he cared about was marrying off his eldest daughter, Kate, to the Wilson family. The only reason he’s close to Chantelle now is because Daniel accepted her as his wife."
People quickly turned against Roman after reading that comment.
"Unbelievable! Is he really her father? He turned his back on her when she needed him most, and now he wants to act like a good dad just because she married Daniel? How shameless!"
"Thanks for sharing this. We would’ve never known the truth otherwise!"
Sitting in the studio, Roman was furious.
Still, he knew he had to stay calm. If he lost his temper, people would believe he was a terrible father. He needed to admit some fault to protect his image.
That way, the public would keep targeting Chantelle instead of him.
"I know some of you might not understand the full story," he said with a heavy tone. "Our family runs a small business. Back then, we couldn’t afford to upset a powerful family like the Wilsons. As the head of the house, I had to cut ties with Chantelle to protect everyone else."
"It was my fault. But I had to do something. The Bently family is big, and they only rely on me. I don’t expect everyone to agree with what I did. I just hope no one hurts my daughter. She just came back. Even if she doesn’t accept me as her father right now, I understand. She must have her reasons."
Tears filled Roman’s eyes.
Even people who had criticized him earlier started to feel sorry for him.
More and more viewers began to believe his story. They understood the pressure he faced as the head of the company.
Some even praised him for the choices he made.
After his explanation, Roman seemed to fix his reputation. His popularity also started to grow. Roman felt proud.
My popularity is about to take off!
But just as he was about to continue selling, his livestream was cut off again.
This time, a video showed Ruby smiling as she unplugged the oxygen tube.
At first, people thought it was a scene from a movie. But then they heard Ruby shouting at Chantelle, who was lying in bed.
"Is that her real mother? Did she really try to kill her own daughter?"
"That’s Mrs. Bently? She looks kind, but she’s so cruel. What was Mr. Bently thinking?"
"Don’t tell me he’s involved too."
"Maybe he is. Remember how he cut ties with Chantelle in that interview? They’re both out of their minds!"
"Oh no! This is attempted murder! Someone call the police!"
"Yeah, call the police!"
People online were furious. Some even contacted the police right away.
The internet was flooded with comments blaming Roman. He tried to defend himself, but no one listened.
He was beyond angry. His face showed it clearly.
Sweat poured down his face.
"Kingsley, go find out the truth. I want to know if that woman really went to the hospital to kill Chantelle! Damn it! She’s so foolish!"
Roman stood up right away. He didn’t need to fake being sick anymore.
"Mr. Bently, were you pretending to be sick this whole time? Are those videos real? You cut ties with Chantelle before, but now you want her back? When she refused, did you send Mrs. Bently to kill her?"
Shawn couldn’t believe what he had seen.
Shawn had believed Roman was just a lonely old man left behind by his daughter who married into a wealthy family.
Now that he knew the truth, he felt an instant deep regret. He had almost helped Roman to cover it up.
"Hey, we’re in this together! You believed what people said too, right? Look how well we were selling just thirty minutes ago! If no one had interrupted the stream..."
"But you can’t try to kill your own daughter! Do you really think people will still buy from us? Many are already asking for refunds. We’re going to lose everything!"
Shawn’s expression turned cold. His brows furrowed.
He thought he was about to make a lot of money. He didn’t expect any of this.
"What did you say, you bastard?" Roman refuted harshly.
But before he could say another word, his phone rang. It was a call from the manager at Leon Network.
He answered right away.
"Mr. Lowe, get your team to work and fix the mess from the livestream. We need to get back on track. Sales are moving fast. I’m sure we can still hit the $100 million sales tonight."
Roman was confident that if he kept the live stream going, people would trust him again. But no one replied on the other end of the call.
Just as he was about to ask if the manager was still there, a loud shout came through the phone.
"Mr. Bently, are you out of your mind? Do you have something against me? Why are you dragging me into this mess?"
"Mr. Lowe, what are you talking about? I gave you record-breaking views during the stream. And now you’re blaming me for something so small?"
Roman was angry after being yelled at out of nowhere. He had no choice but to defend himself. Leon Network was his main source of income. He couldn’t afford to lose it.
"Let me be clear. You’re fired! And based on the contract, you’ve caused losses to the company. Our lawyer will contact you."
"You can’t do this to me! Hello? Mr. Lowe? Are you still there?"
"Damn it! He used me and then dumped me. That bastard!" Roman shouted while gripping his phone. He was so furious that he nearly smashed it on the ground.