Chapter 84

Alexia stood tall in the face of their derision. "You've lost the right to negotiate with me. Marilee paid criminals to abduct me, and Brandon tried to kill me.How ironic, Roger-these are the very people you hold dear."

Her cold words hung in the air, each syllable sharper than the last.

Roger went rigid at the accusation, Marilee's name knocking the wind from him. "Alexia, that's outrageous! Don't throw wild accusations around.How could Marilee possibly be involved?"

Allen and Eleanor exchanged worried glances,anxiety creeping into their features.

Allen's voice was gravelly. "Someone needs to explain what's happening here."

Eleanor's tone softened, supportive. "Don't let them intimidate vou, Alexia. Start from the beginning Tell us everything.

Under their urging, Alexia laid out every detail,holding nothing back.

As her story unfolded, the tension in the room grew thick-her ordeal was almost tangible.

Allen's hands clenched as he listened, his anger rising with every word about Brandon's treachery.

Eyes stinging with disappointment, he rounded on his grandson. "You're an utter disgrace!"

Had Alexia been telling the truth-and if Brandon hadn't turned traitor halfway through-she could have handled the Black Tiger Gang alone. The Gibson family could have flipped the whole situation,wiped out the gang, and cleared Brandon's debt in one stroke.

But thanks to Brandon's lack of foresight, everything fell apart.

Once so boastful, Brandon now shrank under Allen's furious glare, not daring to utter a single protest.

Alexia's voice was cold with contempt. "Maybe Brandon's attempt to kill me was someone else's idea, but Marilee hired the Black Tiger Gang to kidnap me. Roger, how do you plan to answer for vour girlfriend's crimes? You'd hate for her dirty laundry to become public, wouldn't you? It'd be a shame for her to be blacklisted and hounded out of show business."

She tapped her phone, letting the recording fill the room with Marilee's unmistakable voice.

"Alexia's at Afoross University. Grab her in the parking lot. You know what to do after that, right?Don't forget to send me the video when it's done.And make sure Roger gets a copy anonymously-l bet he'll love watching it."

Gloria's composure crumbled. "Why drag Roger into this? Even if this is all true, blame the Jenkins family for raising Marilee so poorly!"

"Oh? You think he can just walk away from this scandal?" Alexia's reply was cold, her gaze pinning Roger to the spot. "Roger, you once publicly declared you'd marry Marilee, even if it meant wearing the stain of adultery. With that kind of love,I'm sure you'll stand tall and face the consequences,won't you?"

Eleanor's complexion drained of color. "I will never accept a woman like her into this family! Roger, pick up your phone. Call Marilee here-now!"

Roger hesitated, voice faltering. "She might have other commitments right now..."

Eleanor shot him a withering look. "If she doesn't show up today, she can forget about ever setting foot in this house again!"

Left with no options, Roger made the call and arranged a car to fetch Marilee.

When Marilee finally arrived, anxiety clung to her.She scanned the room, confusion written on her face, until her eyes landed on Alexia-standing there with a cold, imperious presence.

A sense of foreboding crept into Marilee's chest.

Trying to sound innocent, she moved toward Roger."Roger, what's the matter? Why does everyone look so serious?"

Eleanor shot to her feet and delivered a stinging slap."You dare play dumb with me?"

The smack erased every ounce of pretense from Marilee's face, fear glimmering in her eyes."Eleanor..."

"Don't call me by my name-we're not friends, and we're certainly not family," Eleanor retorted. WVithin the Gibson family, even Allen respected her authority.

Alexia offered a graceful, mocking glance. "Drop the act, Marilee. Seeing me here in one piece-does that ruin your day? Or are you too busy wondering what happened to your hired goons?"

A jolt of panic flickered in Marilee's eyes; her heart thudded painfully in her chest. How on earth did Alexia uncover her plot so fast?

Biting her lip, Marilee forced a weak smile. "I have no idea what you mean. Alexia, are you always this paranoid? You see conspiracies everywhere."

Alexia's smirk widened. "Paranoia or not, the truth always has a way of surfacing in court."

She pressed play on her phone, letting Marilee's incriminating words echo through the room once again.

With each damning sentence, Marilee's face drained of color. A chill crawled down her spine as beads of cold sweat broke out along her skin.