Chapter 12
Julian’s breathing was quick and uneven. His body was shaking all over. He immediately checked with Christine again.
“Mom, what are you talking about? There’s no way Aria would do something like that. What videos are you talking about? Did someone fabricate those materials to smear her name? You shouldn’t fall for those tricks.”
Julian wondered if it was Stella who had uploaded the videos. He figured she had uploaded the censored video of him and Ariana with her account last time. So, this must be her way of getting revenge on them.
He might be able to find the hints to Stella’s whereabouts if he were to look into the source of these videos.
Julian never imagined he would feel like laughing after hearing such awful, scandalous news.
On the other hand, Christine was so irked that her voice became shrill. “Those videos aren’t fabricated! They are actual recordings! I’ve asked our company’s programmers to check the videos for their authenticity.
“The whole nation knows now that we, the Chapman family, have almost allowed a dirty slut to marry into our family. Go ahead and take a look at the videos yourself. I’ll disown you if you still want to marry someone like her!”
Christine ended the call abruptly. Then, she sent Julian numerous videos, one after another.
Julian clicked on one of the videos. He could instantly see Ariana engaging in various lewd, obscene acts while lying beneath a man.
Julian Julian was filled with anger and disgust. He felt like even his eyes were contaminated.
Ariana could be seen with a different man in each video. Julian was one of those men. Moreover, the video that featured him was the one that got Ariana threatening to end her life on the rooftop the other day.
His eyes were red. Being betrayed by someone whom he once loved deeply was like a knife in his heart.
Meanwhile, Ariana flushed with embarrassment when she picked up on the lewd sounds coming from the videos. She pressed her body slightly against Julian’s.
“Jules, why are you watching that type of video? I’m right here if you feel like doing it.”
She slowly drew circles on Julian’s chest with her finger. However, the smile on her face vanished the second her gaze fell on the screen.
Color drained from her face. Ariana instinctively backed away, yet Julian seized her wrist with a dark look on his face. /
His grip was so strong that she felt like he might crush her bones. Ariana was so overwhelmed by the pain that she shed some tears.
She looked at Julian pleadingly and shook her head vigorously. “That’s not me. No, this must be another one of Stella’s attempts to slander me. Right! The video must have been fabricated. The woman in the video must be her!”
Ariana was crying non–stop as she said through sobs, “Jules, you believe me, right? I know you love me. You love me, so you trust me. Right?”
If it were before, Julian would have given her his full trust without any hesitation. They were childhood friends. He and this pure, innocent girl practically grew up together. Under normal circumstances, Julian would never believe that Ariana would do something like that.
Perhaps Stella had changed him, or his resolve wavered after he heard those words from Christine.
It was the first time Julian had felt this worn–out and heartbroken. Ariana felt like she was waiting for the judge to announce the verdict as she listened to Julian’s cold, monotonous voice.
“Go to the authorities, then, If you’re innocent, I’m sure the police will help clear your name.”
Ariana flinched. Fear flooded her in waves. She screamed hysterically, “How could you not believe me, Jules? You love me! You said you would love and trust me for an eternity. Have you forgotten what you’ve said?”
Julian’s eyes were unreadable. He curled his lips.
He looked at the agitated Ariana and said slowly, “That’s right. I’ve forgotten about it, and I think you’ve probably forgotten about it too. Aria, do you remember that you once said that you wanted our first time to happen on the day we get married?
“Yet, on the day I proposed to you, you tried to get me wasted and used the opportunity to sleep with me. Although I wasn’t fully conscious at the time, I still noticed how you seemed quite experienced. Back then, I believed you. I thought you had picked up the skills by watching a lot of videos.”
He heaved a deep breath. Then, Julian continued in a grim tone, “After you lost the ability to conceive a child naturally due to the car accident, I asked the doctors and found out we could help you conceive through artificial procedures.
However, you were strongly against the idea since you worried that giving birth to a child might bring about irreversible changes to your body. For the past three years, I’ve tried to come up with different ways to persuade my parents to accept our relationship.
“Stella had done her best to help me with my work and matters relating to my private life. You kept making things hard for her because you were jealous
her. However, I’ve overlooked it time and time again.
thought you felt insecure because I hadn’t done enough to show you that I love you. Yet, despite my spending a lot of time and money on you, you still act the same. You want nothing but to destroy Stella’s reputation.
“Now that she’s gone, my memories are failing me as well. Instead of relying on my love, you’ll have to put in your own effort to salvage your reputation this time.”
Chapter 12
Ariana had a glazed look in her eyes when Julian dropped her off at the police station. Julian was about to turn around and leave when a policeman called out to him.
“Mr. Chapman, we’ll need you to stay around for a bit longer to help with the investigation.”
“I’ve given my statement. I wasn’t involved in Ariana’s indecent acts.” Julian frowned slightly. He wanted to continue his search for Stella as soon as possible.
Yet, the policeman’s next response left him absolutely flabbergasted. With a look of bewilderment on his face, Julian stood in the same spot.
“One of your company’s employees has reported to us that Chapman Group has committed the offense of tax evasion. We’ll need to ask you to cooperate with the investigation.”
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