I frowned, but before I could speak, an authoritative voice boomed from the entrance, filled with undeniable anger.
"Apologize for what?" my father's voice boomed. "A housekeeper's daughter committed theft in my home. She is the one who should be apologizing—along with all of you who can't tell right from wrong!"
My parents had just returned from a vacation abroad. They had intended to surprise me at my birthday party but instead walked in on this farce.
No matter how arrogant Dorian was, he had to show some restraint in front of my father, the current chairman of the Prescott Group.
He dropped his playful smile and greeted my parents, "Mr. Prescott, Mrs. Prescott."
My mother slid off her sunglasses, her sharp gaze raking across the room before landing on Dorian. "Mr. Hawthorne, while your family may be influential in certain circles, we do not welcome those who threaten my daughter in our home."
She turned to the security team, which was already on standby, her voice like ice. "Throw these three irrelevant people out, along with that traitor, Preston."
Preston looked at our parents in disbelief. "Dad! Mom! You're going to kick me out for this vicious woman?"
Father didn't even bother to look at him. "If you lack basic loyalty and judgment, you don't deserve the name Prescott. Arthur, remove them."
In front of everyone, the four of them were forcibly "escorted" out of the estate gates.
The drama didn't end the next day. Erik quickly went live on Instagram to publicly announce that he was breaking off our engagement.
When the news spread online, he used his company's official social media account to host a live stream titled "Exposing the Truth."
Within minutes, over a million people had flooded into Erik's live stream, where he promised to answer all of their questions.
Once again, I saw the torrent of scrolling comments. They always appeared whenever a scene of my humiliation was about to unfold.
"The reckoning I've been waiting for is finally here! Quick, expose the evil Victoria's wicked deeds and let her be despised by everyone!"
"Yes! Everyone should join our Anti-Victoria Association! As long as Victoria is alive, we'll keep cursing her to death!"
I clicked into Erik's live stream, his voice coming through my tablet's speakers. He explained in a weary tone, "I apologize to everyone for hiding my engagement. Victoria and I were never in love."
"I always thought I could sacrifice myself for the sake of my family's interests. However, what Victoria has done has crossed my line."
I snorted. Sacrifice himself, huh?
Honestly, considering my family's power, agreeing to marry Erik was practically an act of charity on my part.
Erik quickly gave an exaggerated account of what happened yesterday. He painted Brielle as a pure, innocent Cinderella who simply wanted to try on a beautiful gown, only to be viciously humiliated by me.
With righteous fury burning in his eyes, Erik declared, "Brielle is a delicate young woman. If Victoria dared to treat her like that when Preston and I were present, I can't imagine what kind of suffering Brielle has endured behind our backs!"
"This incident has forced my hand. I am officially calling off my engagement to Victoria. No matter how she tries to cling to me, I will not yield! Furthermore, Vaughn Industries will be severing all ties with the Prescott Group!"
Thanks to his bold and righteous pronouncements, the comment section was filled with praise. People called him a principled and outstanding young man.
To add credibility, Erik even played a maliciously edited surveillance video. The clip only showed the scene of me ordering security to throw the three of them out.
There was even a heavily doctored audio clip where my voice could be heard shrieking, "A housekeeper's daughter thinks she's worthy of wearing my gown?"
With this seemingly irrefutable proof, online public opinion instantly turned against me. Countless angry netizens flooded the Prescott Group's official account, venting their rage by leaving vicious comments.
"What's wrong with being a housekeeper's daughter? She's much better than a disrespectful bitch like you!"
"How can someone like this be in charge of a company? Boycott the Prescott Group! As long as Victoria is in her position, I won't buy their stock!"
"I demand that the Prescott Group fire Victoria!"
Erik then stared into the camera, as if challenging me through the screen.
"Victoria, I don't know if you'll see this live stream. If you do, then I feel it's necessary to tell you that you still owe Brielle an apology! The entire internet is waiting!"
Instantly, the comments in his live stream and the ones floating before my eyes all echoed the same demand.
"Apologize, Victoria!"
