Chapter 793 Laughingstock
Leon's question caught Valerie off guard. Her body began to tense up, and her breathing became uneasy.
She felt as if a wave of icy water washed over her. She almost gave in and confessed, but she was to regain her composure just in time.
"No, I didn't. The video I gave you was the final edit. There were many versions of it, but to my knowledge, that was the complete version. You can search it on the Internet and see for yourself," she answered firmly. The atmosphere in the living room was tense.
It was obvious that Leon didn't buy her excuse. On the other hand, Bryant had no idea what the two were talking about.
He just stood there clueless and listened.
With a frown, he looked at Valerie. He wondered how many evil things she had done without him knowing.
He thought he knew his cousin well, but now he realized that he didn't know her well enough at all.
If he had known about it, he might have had a chance of stopping things from turning out the way they did. But now, there was no way for him to get her out of trouble now. 'Forget it.
There's nothing else I could do for her, ' he thought.
Bryant looked at them and said, "You guys talk. I'll just go to the room and check if my kids are already asleep. They still have school early tomorrow."
He knew that the children were already asleep. He just said it as an excuse to leave the two to sort things out.
Deep inside, he was quite disappointed.
Meanwhile, Valerie didn't notice him at all. She was too busy trying to think of a strategy to deal with Leon.
She never imagined that he would find about what she did three years ago.
Trying to recall what happened, she was sure that the guy who edited the video had no idea who she was. She had him remove just a short part of the video.
'What should I be afraid of?
There are no loose ends. I have no reason to be nervous,' she thought to herself.
Valerie did her best to calm herself down and to look relaxed.
"I don't know if you've watched a longer version or if you've heard anything. All I did was to let you know that she had a live interview that day. I haven't watched the whole thing myself. I really have no idea why you're suspecting me." After speaking, she smiled innocently at him. She looked like an angel who wasn't capable of lying.
Meanwhile, Leon just looked at her as if trying to decide whether to believe her or not.
Cold silence fell upon the room once again.
The deafening silence made people overthink, especially those who were trying to hide secrets. Valerie's heart felt like it would beat right out of her chest.
Just as she was about to say something, Leon gave her another reason to be even more nervous.
"Do you know the reason why Michelle went abroad three years ago? I hope that you can explain it to me. If you tell the truth, I might even forgive you. But if you don't..." Leon said threateningly, looking straight into her eyes. He then chuckled to himself, mocking her.
"If I tell everyone how you keep lying about being my fiancee, who do you think they'll believe? Tell me, what do you think will happen once everyone finds out about your charade? Oh, I'm sure everyone will look down on you, Valerie." Valerie's face turned pale, and her eyes widened in disbelief.
Seeing how uncomfortable she was, Leon smiled at her and went on, "And maybe I should let everyone know my identity first. I'm not just the chairman of Feng Group. I'm also the prince of C Island.
I've also never admitted that you were my girlfriend or fiancee. You'll be the laughingstock in Lexingport City."
Prestige and reputation were very important for Valerie. In the past three years, she worked her way up the highest social circles in the city. Once those snobbish people heard what Leon had to say, they would definitely shun her. In the highest rungs of society, it's very easy for one's reputation to be ruined.
Of course, Valerie understood the stakes very well.
And she knew very well that once her reputation was tainted, it would be impossible to repair.
Since the beginning, she had always tried to act properly and to be pleasant around other people. It was because she had a deep-rooted fear of being criticized. One of her greatest fears was for people to think poorly of her. Now, Leon had a tight grip on her Achilles' heel.
She was speechless.
"So, is that what you want? Do you want to be a laughingstock?" Leon asked her again.
The pressure was getting to her. She was starting to imagine the scenario in her mind.
"No, I don't," Valerie answered quickly, her voice trembling.
"I know you don't want to. So, tell me. What happened three years ago? You have to explain it clearly, do you understand?"
Leon said, warning her with his gaze.
At that moment, Valerie's body felt numb. Her eyes welled with tears. The teardrops rolled down her pale cheeks, but she didn't make any sound.
If it were another man, his heart would surely melt at the sight of her. Her acting would have been enough to disarm others, but not Leon.
Maybe it was because he knew her well. He was completely unmoved. "I don't care if you're crying. I'm certain that you can still explain it. Just be sure to speak clearly," he said coldly.
Although she tried her best to look meek and helpless, he just ignored her. She felt humiliated and embarrassed.
Her eyes red with tears, she shouted at Leon, "It was you who was using me! You used me to get you out of trouble, and now you're trying to put the blame on me! How can you be so cruel?" "Oh, did I?
I kept refusing you, but it was you who insisted. Don't you forget that!" Leon snorted.
Valerie was full of rage.
Her body shuddered.
Her face turned pale as tears kept rolling down her cheeks.
She looked at him resentfully and asked, "Leon, you used to like me very much. What went wrong? Why did you choose Michelle instead of me? She's good for nothing. She doesn't deserve you at all. I should be the one for you!" Suddenly, Leon's hand was on her neck.
Furious, he gripped her neck tightly. His eyes burned with anger.
Valerie coughed and gasped as she struggled to take in some air.
Using both hands, she tried to pry his fingers from her throat. However, she couldn't shake him off. His grip was too tight.
His eyes glared at her as he told her angrily, "Don't you dare speak her name ever again. You don't deserve me. You will never deserve me."
Gripping her neck even tighter, he went on, "Now I don't need you to explain what happened three years ago. I know the truth now."
"Let...let me go..." Struggling to free herself, Valerie was nearly out of breath. She struggled and kept punching the back of his hand, trying to make him let go of her.
The more she struggled, the more he tightened his grip. He had no trouble controlling her at all.
Meanwhile, her lungs labored to get any air in. She in pain from suffocation.
Terrified, Valerie desperately cried out, "I...I was wrong..."
The noise downstairs was so loud that it reached Bryant's ears. Although he didn't want to get involved in their conversation, he rushed down to see what was going on. From the second floor, he saw his cousin struggling in Leon's grip. Panic filled his body.
In his slippers, he hurriedly went downstairs and tried to pull the two apart.
"Bryant, Bryant. Help me..." Valerie cried out to him.
"Leon, please let go of her. Whatever punishment you want to give us, we'll take it. Just let go of her, please. Leon, please, for my sake, let go of her," Bryant begged desperately.
The next second, Leon slowly let go of her throat. He looked at Valerie on her knees and gasping for breath. She was a pitiful sight, but he felt nothing at all.
Bending down, he took a tissue and wiped his hands with it.
It was as if Valerie was so dirty and disgusting that he had to clean his hands after touching her.