On Charlie's phone was a secretly filmed video.

The camera angle was awkward and tilted. From the speakers came the muffled, suggestive sounds of a man and a woman breathing heavily. Through the grainy footage, it was clear the encounter was taking place in the back seat of a car.

The woman in the video was wearing a suit jacket similar to the one I had on that day. Her face wasn't clear, but her voice and side profile did resemble Madeline's.

The guests, who had no idea what was going on, began to look at me with open disdain. Then, Charlie put on a face full of grievance and began accusing me loudly.

"That day, after I got in the car, you saw my clothes were soaked and said you were afraid I'd catch a cold. You insisted I take off my shirt," he recounted, "but I resisted. I tried to get out of the car, but you, as the CEO, ordered me not to move."

He looked every inch like the victim. "I'd just joined the company. I didn't dare fight back. I remember you saying you liked obedient men, that you'd marry me, so that's why I swallowed my pride and didn't call the police.

"Ms. Spencer, how could you toy with my feelings and then refuse to take accountability?"

His words were delivered with such righteous fury as if he had suffered some enormous humiliation. I ignored him and focused on examining the video carefully.

I had to admit, deepfakes were getting scarily realistic nowadays. The lighting and shadow on the figures were handled so well that I almost believed it myself.

"Mr. Langford, you really think you can call this deepfakes evidence?" I questioned, a chortle slipping out.

"Deepfakes? How dare you insinuate these are fake?" Charlie barked, as if he had been deeply insulted.

With a roar, he spun around and dashed toward the open-air balcony outside the ballroom. "Madeline Spencer, you abused your power to harass your subordinate. I'll die right here today and use my blood to expose your vicious heart!"

He moved fast. Before anyone could react, he had already climbed over the railing. His whole body hung in midair, swaying.

"Shit! Don't do it!"

"Somebody, help!"

The crowd erupted into chaos. Several security guards and guests rushed forward and grabbed his arms, holding on for dear life.

"If you won't admit it, I'll just die a used, abandoned man!" Charlie howled at the top of his lungs. "Is forcing your subordinate to death what you want?"

With this spectacle, those who had reserved doubts earlier now shifted to his side. After all, who would risk their own life to put on an act?

A few board members who had never gotten along with Madeline seized the moment to step forward.

"You're in the wrong this time, Ms. Spencer," one balding director said in a mocking tone. "If you've made a mistake, you should take accountability like a responsible adult. If someone dies over this, what'll happen to the company's stock price?"

"That's right. How can you still pretend to be innocent when that young man is ready to sacrifice his life? This is atrocious!"

I stood there under a storm of accusations, condemned by everyone, with no way to defend myself.

I took a slow breath, then looked toward Lorelei Green—my driver—who had been standing quietly in the corner. She was the only witness that night.

"Lorelei!" I called out sharply. "You were the one driving that day. Tell them—did I touch Mr. Langford?"

At the sound of her name, Lorelei flinched. She shuffled forward bit by bit, too cowardly to meet my eyes. However, her voice was loud enough for the people nearby to hear.

"Ms. Spencer, after we arrived at Mr. Langford's place, y-you did give me a thousand bucks… Said I should get out of the car to buy some late-night snacks… In the end, I waited for almost 30 minutes…"

A thunderous realization hit me like a lightning strike. Why did Lorelei lie, too? Her words basically confirmed the accusation that I had taken advantage of my male subordinate.

"Trash!"

"You're rich but a scum! How could you abuse your power like that?"

"How can someone like this be CEO? Get out of Spencer Group!"

The crowd of onlookers and guests erupted. I didn't even notice who started it, but a plate with a half-eaten slice of cake flew at me, smashing against my body. Then came napkins, fruit peels, and even wine glasses, raining down on me like bullets.

My trusted aide, Alex Holland, threw himself in front of me, shielding me with his body as we staggered toward the corner of the ballroom. Even so, a wine glass caught me at the temple.

Warm liquid ran down my cheek. I couldn't tell if it was blood or red wine. I wiped my face, and the cold fire in my eyes felt tangible.

"Enough!" I shouted, silencing the noisy crowd. "If you all think I'm guilty, feel free to call the police and check the surveillance! Let the authorities find out the truth!"

I pulled out my phone, unlocking it, ready to dial, only for a shadow to dart from the side and snatch it from my hand out of nowhere. A sharp crack rang out. My phone hit the ground hard, and the screen shattered into a spiderweb of glass.

The one who lunged at me was Zachary Smith, Charlie's close friend and a member of the technical department at the company. He glared at me, spittle flying from his mouth and practically hitting my face.

"What do you take the authorities for?" he spat out. "The evidence is clear. Why waste the cops' time? I knew you wouldn't admit it, so that's why I got a technical appraisal ready in advance."

With that, he clapped his hands. A man in a suit, a badge from some appraisal institute hanging on his chest, stepped out from the crowd. In his hands was a sealed report.

"I'm an expert from the appraisal center," he announced. "This is a polygraph report and video authenticity assessment commissioned by Mr. Langford three days ago on an expedited basis."

He continued, "After verification, we can confirm that Mr. Langford's statements regarding his encounter with Ms. Spencer are truthful. Furthermore, the video clip provided has not been edited or manipulated in any way.

"The findings support Mr. Langford's claims as factual."

The room erupted. Even the faintest trace of doubt vanished. I looked at the report and couldn't help but smile instead of getting angry.

Very well. Even the expert was lined up. This scheme was flawless.

Faced with my silence, Charlie straightened his disheveled clothes and put on a mask of patience and magnanimity. "Maddie, I really love you, but I don't want to force anything. I only ask for some compensation for emotional damages and a non-disclosure fee.

"After this, I'll leave the city and never appear in front of you again."

Zachary immediately pulled out two pre-prepared contracts. "Ms. Spencer, I advise you to be reasonable. Don't push such an honest man to the edge. If you don't want to take accountability, just sign this agreement and give him five million dollars."

At the same time, he held up his phone, pointing it at my face. On the screen, a live stream was running. The chat feed was scrolling wildly, every comment an insult to me.

"She toyed with her subordinate's feelings and refused to commit. Now that she's being asked to take accountability, she's pretending to be clueless."

"That's infuriating. Whoever's at the scene, please curse her out for me!"

"Hahaha! Sucks to be her! She thought she could play that pretty face like a fiddle, but look who's getting exposed now?"

"How's five million enough? He deserves some shares! Let this be a painful lesson for her!"

…

What an extravagant performance. They thought that by cornering me, I would have no choice but to pay up, all for my reputation and the company's stock price. Unfortunately for them, they miscalculated.

I smoothed back my tangled hair, wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth, and looked at Charlie with a calmness that sent chills down one's spine.

"Fine. I'll marry you."