The sudden silence from Jacob instantly caused confusion to ripple throughout the hall. Reporters frowned and exchanged questioning glances while cameras zoomed further onto his face, trying to capture every subtle reaction.

Meanwhile, seated comfortably on stage, Gavriel and Cillian both subtly curled their lips in amusement. Having already read through the transcript earlier, they understood perfectly well why Jacob was suddenly struggling to continue.

As for Aliana, she merely frowned impatiently at his hesitation.

Because just like the other two men, she had already reviewed the transcript herself and had found absolutely nothing unusual about it.

When Jacob still did not speak, Nigel, who was standing not too far behind him, subtly cleared his throat before quietly asking, "Mr. Grant? Everything alright?"

Jacob’s jaw clenched so violently that he nearly felt it crack.

At that moment, all he truly wanted was to grab the damned transcript and shove it straight into Nigel’s mouth while violently shaking him by the shoulders and screaming,

’No! Absolutely fucking not! Nothing about this is alright!’

But despite the violent fury tearing through him internally, Jacob merely cleared his throat lightly before swallowing hard as though he were forcing down sharp pins and needles.

Cold sweat had already begun forming along his forehead, yet he desperately forced himself to remain standing. Every instinct inside him screamed to either lash out publicly or walk straight out of this nightmare.

But he couldn’t.

So after taking a shaky breath, Jacob slowly lifted his gaze again before continuing in a much heavier, strained voice.

"It pains me to think that anyone would assume I shared that kind of relationship with Miss Vanderbilt when I..."

His hands tightened painfully around the podium as though he were crushing it beneath his grip while forcing himself to continue. "...have always viewed Miss Vanderbilt as nothing more than my student, the future bright leader of Van Empire... and also as my younger sister."

The moment those words left his mouth, soft murmurs instantly spread throughout the conference hall once again.

Meanwhile, Jacob felt as though his entire body was violently rejecting every single sentence he was being forced to say aloud.

But no matter how unbearable it became, he still had to continue. Because the second his eyes drifted towards the countless cameras surrounding him, the glowing red recording lights instantly dragged him back to reality.

This was still live, and the entire nation was watching him in real time.

So, quickly schooling his expression once more, Jacob forced himself to continue reading. But the further his eyes moved down the transcript, the redder they became while the veins along his forehead slowly began to protrude visibly.

"In fact, it would be a great misconception to think I would ever share that kind of relationship with Miss Vanderbilt when I was one of the people fortunate enough to witness her love bloom..." His jaw clenched violently as he forced the next words out. "...with Mister Valentine back in Spain."

A muscle twitched sharply in his face. "I was one of the first people to learn about their relationship, and I..."

By now, his eyes had turned bloodshot red, shimmering with restrained tears as he continued in a visibly strained voice, "...wish them all the happiness in the world for the bright future awaiting them as husband and wife."

The moment Jacob finished speaking, stunned silence swept across the media hall once again.

Many reporters stared at him with softened expressions after noticing the tears gathering in his eyes, and almost everyone present unknowingly arrived at the exact same conclusion.

’Wow... he really is emotional for them.’

’He’s acting just like an older brother giving away his younger sister.’

Little did any of them know...

Jacob was not tearing up out of emotional happiness at all.

The tears gathering in his eyes were born entirely from the overwhelming effort it was taking to stop himself from completely losing control, tearing the transcript apart before everyone, and screaming on top of his lungs that the woman he had just publicly claimed as a younger sister was supposed to be his to begin with!

Jacob’s rage had become so palpable that it almost felt alive, stirring the darkness lurking within Gavriel and making him want to wrap his hand around the human’s throat before tossing him aside like a worthless ragdoll.

Meanwhile, seated beside him, Cillian wore an openly amused expression, looking close to bursting into laughter at the unfolding disaster before him.

On the other hand, both Aliana and Nigel merely blinked in confusion, genuinely unable to understand why Jacob had become so emotional while delivering his statement.

Trying desperately to regain control over himself, Jacob quickly grabbed the glass of water resting on the podium and drank from it, hoping the cold liquid would somehow extinguish the violent fury threatening to consume him whole.

Then, after forcing himself to calm down enough to continue this godforsaken circus, he finally spoke once more.

"So, I request all of you to stop spreading false news because Van Empire will not take any attacks against our future leader lightly. Thank you."

The moment he finished speaking, Jacob slowly drew in a deep breath before lifting his dull yellow eyes towards Aliana, who gave him a small approving nod.

But the moment his gaze instinctively shifted to collide directly with those icy blue eyes beside her, the atmosphere between the two men turned dangerously cold.

Gavriel looked at him as though he could see straight through every layer of deception and rage hidden beneath Jacob’s carefully maintained mask.

Still, Jacob refused to look away.

Instead, he held Gavriel’s gaze head-on, silently promising retribution for every ounce of humiliation he had been forced to endure today.

Then, without another word, Jacob stepped away from the stage, only for Nigel to smoothly take over once again. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Mr. Grant had to leave in order to attend to some important matters, so unfortunately, he won’t be able to stay any longer. With this, all official statements have now been delivered."

Nigel’s calm voice echoed clearly through the hall as he continued, "The floor is now open for questions."

With that, the media instantly erupted into another frenzy as questions began flying one after another throughout the hall.

"Mister Valentine, you’ve avoided the press until now. Is it true that the sole reason you are present here today was to publicly defend Miss Vanderbilt?"

"Yes," Gavriel replied without hesitation.

"Miss Vanderbilt, if you and Mister Valentine are set to marry in two weeks, why was the engagement kept completely secret from the public and even the board until today?"

’Because I literally just got engaged yesterday,’ Aliana muttered internally.

However, outwardly, she maintained her composed expression before calmly replying,

"We were deciding on the best time to reveal it, but this situation forced us to do so sooner than planned instead."