“Ms. Acosta, I don’t know what he told you, but please just give me five minutes to explain everything—”

“Shut up!” Nancy’s furious roar cut through the air. Seeing Vespera’s delicate, pitiful expression—designed to play on a man’s protective instincts—made her stomach churn with disgust. Vespera flinched at the harsh outburst. Standing off to the side, Blake smirked inwardly. Love-blinded tools were always the easiest to manipulate.

Meanwhile, Samuel listened intently from the other end of the call. His face darkened, and his sharp eyes narrowed.

Finally, Dominic spoke up. “You are the one who should remain silent.” His cold, unyielding gaze locked onto Nancy as he delivered his final judgment. “You’re truly beyond redemption.”

Time and again, he had extended a hand, hoping she would come to her senses, hoping she would finally recognize the truth. But in the end, she continued to allow herself to be manipulated, dancing to the whims of a pitiful fool.

Nancy trembled. Those words shattered her heart into nothingness. Tears began to well up, spilling down her cheeks uncontrollably.

Vespera watched in silence, and in that instant, everything became painfully clear—Nancy had never been focused on the company’s affairs at all. On any other day, Vespera would have picked up on it immediately, but this time, she had been too preoccupied to realize they weren’t even on the same page.

A flicker of frustration crossed her face, but there was no time to dwell on misunderstandings. Explaining her relationship with Dominic was the least of her concerns—there were far more important matters at hand.

Pushing aside all distractions, she set her sights on Blake—the real culprit behind it all.

“Mr. Green, do you honestly think that just because it was only the two of us earlier, my words alone won’t be enough to bring down a pathetic excuse for a man like you?” Blake tensed ever so slightly, momentarily caught off guard by how precisely she had read his thoughts.

His irritation flared, and he shot back, “Ms. Gildon, I have no quarrel with you—why are you trying to malign me? Are you so desperate to win Mr. Reid’s favor that you’d resort to fabricating lies and throwing around baseless accusations?”

Vespera held his gaze, her expression unwavering and cold. Without hesitation, she turned to Dominic, “Mr. Reid, when I went out to investigate this morning, I took a voice recorder with me. It has a continuous recording function—48 hours, non-stop. I kept it hidden in my chest the entire time. It’s now under the coffee table in the abandoned house where I was held captive, by the sea. I’ll draw a map, but please, send someone to retrieve it.”

“Everything Mr. Green said, everything Mr. Chavez said, everything the factory workers discussed—it’s all there. The truth will come out soon.”

The moment her words landed, panic rippled through the room. Even Blake visibly tensed, his face darkening.

“There’s no need for a map. That house belongs to Mr. Chavez. He’s already confessed,” Dominic interjected, dropping another bombshell.

Without a second thought, he called Gerard in front of everyone, instructing him to retrieve the recorder and bring Derek back as well. The tension in the room was palpable. The guilty parties seemed to shrink, their faces drained of color as they realized the truth was just around the corner.

Meanwhile, Gerard had already been en route when the call came in. He and Luke had learned that Vespera had returned to the factory, so their teams were heading back together. At the same time, Derek was already in Luke’s custody. Gerard didn’t find it necessary to mention that detail—it didn’t matter who brought Derek in, as long as he was dealt with.

Vespera didn’t know that her stubborn, infuriating ex-husband was here. It wouldn’t be long before he appeared before her, just as relentless as ever.

As Dominic set his phone down, the air in the room changed instantly. Some of the bystanders—those who had been unaware—now began to genuinely believe that Vespera had been kidnapped and held against her will. On the other hand, those who were aware of the truth—or worse, had played a part—felt as though they were standing on the edge of a precipice.

Blake’s jaw clenched, his face twitching with barely controlled anger. “Fine! Go ahead, find the recorder. Let’s end this now. I have nothing to hide!”

Vespera let out a weak, mocking laugh. The blood she had lost made her voice sound unusually soft and gentle.

“Feel free to keep going, Mr. Green. Go ahead—swear on your life, shed a few tears, maybe even beg for mercy. Otherwise, when the truth comes out, your downfall won’t be nearly as entertaining.”

Blake froze, visibly shaken.

“What’s the matter? Keep going,” Vespera taunted. “And someone, please, hit ‘record’—just in case Mr. Green tries to deny everything later.”

She challenged the room, but everyone hesitated, exchanging nervous glances. No one dared to press “record.”

Just then, Dominic picked up his phone. “I’ll do it.”

The moment he took charge, the hesitation vanished. Those who were certain they had nothing to hide quickly pulled out their phones as well. Surrounded by a sea of cameras, Blake’s composure finally began to crack.