I Married the President

Chapter 372: Chapter 372: Stubborn

The moment she finished speaking, all eyes in the room snapped to Phoebe Lockwood.

Adrian Quincy’s gaze was particularly sharp, like a hawk’s, seeming to pierce right through her. An overwhelming, suffocating pressure washed over her.

Phoebe Lockwood felt a sudden chill run down her spine. She could barely withstand the pressure, but for the sake of her reputation, she had to keep up the act.

’Besides, no one knows what happened last night, so what do I have to be afraid of!’

’Claire Sinclair, you can’t win against me!’

Phoebe Lockwood forced a pitiful expression onto her face and began to speak in a weak voice, "Last night, I wanted to invite Claire Sinclair to dinner. But she didn’t just refuse me—she shoved me. I lost my balance and hit the corner of the table. It hurt so, so much... *sob sob*..."

Unfortunately, her acting was terrible. No tears fell, and she only managed to make a whimpering sound.

’Still so stubborn. This woman truly is the type who won’t shed a tear until she sees the coffin.’

Claire Sinclair’s expression remained unchanged as she said, "Phoebe Lockwood, have you thought this through? Are you certain this is the real story of what happened last night?"

"I’m already in this state. Why would I lie to everyone? What more do you want from me?" Phoebe Lockwood continued to play the victim.

Claire Sinclair gave a cold smile, unzipped her purse, and took out a USB drive and a voice recorder. She said in a low voice, "On these, I have the audio and video recordings of our conversation from last night. Do you want everyone to listen to the audio first, or watch the video?"

What?

’This bitch actually prepared audio and video recordings???’

In that moment, Phoebe Lockwood began to panic. Her head felt like it was about to explode, and she could hardly think straight.

’What should I do?’

’If everyone sees the video, they’ll know I was faking it. If that happens, how can I possibly continue my career at the Astoria Daily?’

The more Phoebe Lockwood thought, the more she panicked. Her panic grew into fear. She lowered her head, lost in thought for a long moment, completely unable to utter a single word.

Seeing that she was afraid, Claire Sinclair pressed her advantage. "Fine," she said, her tone sharp, "I’ll let everyone listen to the audio recording first."

As she spoke, she made a move to play the recording.

In a panic, Phoebe Lockwood simply pretended to pass out.

Mrs. Lockwood was frantic. "Vera, Vera! What’s wrong?"

When Vera didn’t wake up after several calls, Mrs. Lockwood grew furious. She looked up and glared at Bernard Lockwood. "Why did you bring so many people here? Can’t you see Vera needs to rest in peace and quiet?"

Bernard Lockwood said, pained, "I was just trying to get justice for Vera..."

But before he could finish, sound began to issue from the voice recorder in Claire Sinclair’s hand...

Lockwood: "I know I was always nasty to you before. I was being petty, and I want to apologize. You won’t refuse me, will you?"

Sinclair: "You’re right. I refuse."

Lockwood: "Claire Sinclair, don’t be so ungrateful!"

Sinclair: "Heh... Then I’ll be ungrateful. Goodbye."

Lockwood: "Claire Sinclair, stop right there! AHHH—"

Lockwood: "Claire Sinclair... you... Help me, it hurts so much..."

Sinclair: "Hey, Phoebe Lockwood, are you alright?"

The recording ended there, because that was when Claire Sinclair had used her phone to call 911.

While the recording couldn’t prove whether or not Claire Sinclair had pushed her, it was clear that no intense conflict had occurred between them. In fact, it sounded like Phoebe Lockwood had been the one making a scene, while Claire had been the one on the receiving end of the harassment.

Claire Sinclair glanced surreptitiously at Phoebe Lockwood’s face. When she saw Phoebe’s eyebrow twitching occasionally, she knew she was faking it.

’This idiot. Does she really think she can get away with this?’

’Heh. In that case, she can’t blame me for what comes next.’

Claire Sinclair addressed the crowd, "I know this audio recording might not be enough to convince everyone, so let’s watch the video. However, I didn’t bring a laptop with me. The footage is on this USB drive. I’ll have someone bring a computer over. By the time it arrives, Phoebe Lockwood should be awake, and we can all watch it together."