Shadows Of A Forgotten Spring

Chapter 178 Chapter 178 She crushed the paper in her hand into a tight ball and raised up her head, her eyes ablaze with determination.

"I'm done," she started, her voice trembling, but resolute. “I'm done letting someone else dictate my life. I'm done being defined by lies" She didn't take abreath, as she added, "And I'm done standing by while my family, my company, and my nare dragged through the mud!" She paused, taking a deep breath, her heart pounding like a drum, "I am a mother, a daughter, and the CEO of W2 HOLDINGS. But all those aside, I am a human being, and I am not going to let my sweat be dragged in the mud by a coward who hides, masquerading behind false accusations." The room fell silent, reporters hanging onto her every word. She could feel the weight of their scrutiny, but she didn't falter. Instead, she leaned into the microphone; her voice, steady, raw with emotion ringing out.

"Annie says she's been kidnapped, and somehow she has managed to turn this all around and painyas skind of villain! But letmake one thing very clear: I had nothing to do with her disappearance. My mother, my children, my whole life has been turned upside down because of this." Her voice cracked, but she pressed on, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"I have endured years of Annie's manipulations, her schemes, and her fueled attempts to destroyand my relationships with my people. I've bitten my tongue and waited for her to snap out of it. I've forgiven her more times than can count, thinking she might change. But not any longer. I am no longer playing nice. I am done waiting for her to wake up and see the damage she's caused. Annie destroyed my marriage, tried to killand my children a million times over, and yet I forgave her. A few weeks ago, she still tried to killin the hospital, and if Vivian Black hadn't cin time, I would have died. Annie had always been jealous ofand wanted just what wanted." Her hands fisted at her sides, her fingernails dug into her palms as she tried to control her anger. "You want a fight, Annie?" her voice was low, yet threaded with fire. "Then bring it on. But lettell you something: I'll never let you win. Not now, not ever. Even with my last breath, I will fight for my family, for my company, and for the truth." She scanned the room, her eyes fierce and unrelenting. "To those who have stood byregardless, thank you. Your support means more tothan words can express. And to those of you who have doubted me, taken it upon yourselves to believe these lies being told about me, I ask that you open your eyes. Look at the facts rather than the concocted stories tabled before you to destroy me." Cameras flashed, and murmurs ripped through the room, but Emma didn't bat an eyelid. She had never felt so exposed, so vulnerable, yet so powerful. "I'm done being silenced. My son, Ethan, and his colleagues." Tears welled up in Emma's eyes. "were attacked at his daycare few months ago minutes after Annie physically threatened me," she finished, her voice rising. "The truth will cout, and when it does, I pray you remember this moment. Because this is just the beginning of my fight." Emma breathed deeply, her shoulders rising and falling as she steadied herself. Slowly, she lowered her head in respect.

"All right," she began, her voice steady despite the turmoil in her chest. "I'll take your questions now." Immediately, dozens of hands shot upwards. The expression of the reporters were filled with curiosity and skepticism. Emma scanned the crowd until she cupon a young reporter near the front. His eyes were sharp, his fingers ready to type away on his laptop. She nodded to him, giving him the go ahead.

The reporter stood up and cleared his throat. “Mrs. Black, are you insinuating that Miss Annie orchestrated her own kidnapping?" Emma exhaled deeply, then looked at him in the eye and answered, “Yes.” The room exploded in gasps and the sound of 17:43 Sat, Feb 1 B.

Chapter 178 TO 80% keyboards. "But, she continued, her voice as firm as steel. The police are already doing a great deal of work in bringing out the truth, and it's only a matter of tbefore we know for certain whether she was truly kidnapped or if this was just another of her manipulative behaviors." The room hushed, but Emma raised her hand weakly to silence them. "Letmake something very clear," she said, the emotion in her voice building with every word. "Annie is quite capable of such deception. You don't have to take my word for it, but you can look into her past. Five years ago, she issued orders for three men to kill me."

Silence reigned in the room immediately. And even the reporters were caught off guard by her words" If it weren't for my mom,. I'd be not standing here today. My mother saved me, and to her, I owe it all."

Her hands grasped the edges of the podium, her knuckles white. Those three men," she said, her voice m breaking slightly, "were caught and arrested. But just days after their arrests, they were all found dead in their separate cells. Poisoned.

Coincidence? I don't think so." The room erupted into a flurry of activity, voices overlapping, carneras clicking, questions flying.

Emma raised her hand in the air. "Another question," she shouted above the commotion, cold and cutting.

Next stood a middle-aged woman. "Mrs. Black, can you substantiate these claims of yours? Can't this all be to divert attention from allegations made against you?"

Emma's chest tightened, but she did not break. "I can understand you, she replied, her voice softer now but no less cold. 'But the truth does not needto defend it. It speaks well m enough on its own. The police have began their investigation, and I am fully cooperating with them. My evidence are my scars, my memories, and the people who can. also attest to what Annie is capable of. All I want from this is to clear my nand, that of my family. I have nothing to gain by deceiving you. Thank you." With one last glance of the room, she turned and lef