Shadows Of A Forgotten Spring

Chapter 177 Chapter 177 But not anymore. Now, it was Annie's turn to shine. She had everything she needed to rise above the likes of the Blacks to build a legacy that eclipsed even Emma's most dazzling achievements. The pity and sympathy pouring in for her after the video had been more than she could have dreamed.

She took her backpack and gave the room one last. It was spotless, devoid of any evidence that she had ever been there. Then Annie took one deep breath, stepped outside, her heart pounding heavily.

Her next plan would require perfection, but she had no doubt she would succeed.

As she walked down the dimly lit alleyway, her smile grew wider Emma Black might think she has seen the worst, but Annie wasn't done just yet. This was only just the beginning.

ААААА Emma's heart pounded as Alexander's car screeched to a stop in the driveway. She did not wait for him to step out before hurrying toward the passenger side.

The moment she saw her mother, she yanked open the door and gently helped her mother out of the car She pulled her mother into a tight hug.

□ For the first tin hours, she could breathe, knowing her mother was safe. She buried her face in her mother's shoulder, trying to hold back the sobs threatening to escape.

"Thank God you're here," Emma whispered, her voice trembling Now she could finally think clearly. Emma help her mother inside the house, where Vivian had been keeping the kids busy in another room. Brianna was already on the phone pulling every string possible to control the damage. Annie's kidnapping case was no more an ordinary case; it had grown into a wildfire tearing into the business world.

In a matter of hours, everything changed. Small businesses were folding; large ones struggled to stay afloat. W2 HOLDINGS once a beacon of hope and resilience, was now teetering on the brink of collapse..

Annie's deceptions weren't just destroying Emma's business; they were ripping through entire industries. Emma wasn't going to keep mute on issue, she had called a press conference to address the allegations and try to salvage her reputation.

The move was a desperate one, but was the only one she had. She needed to let the world know the truth and people would believe her.

pray that Her secretary, who had arrived on the first available flight, was running around arranging everything. A select group of trusted reporters had already been invited to Brianna's estate for the conference. Every second felt like a ticking tbomb, but Emma was determined to face it head-on.

She stood in front of a mirror, smoothing the creases from her simple black gown. Her hands shook as she held the speech her legal team had prepared, for her, the words seemed cold, a litle clinical; lacking the raw emotion she wanted to convey, but there was no tto rewrite them. Taking a deep breath, she read over it again, trying to memorize the key points.

Alexander's voice boomed down the hall. The normally easy-going man was yelling into his cell phone a few feet away her.

from 17:43 Sat, Feb 1 BO.

Chapter 177 His usual composed demeanor was strained, his shoulders tense as he barked orders to whoever was on the other end of the line.

"It's time, ma'am," her secretary softly interrupted her thoughts.

She looked at herself in the mirror one last time, her eyes red from crying, the exhaustion weighing heavily on her features, but she straighten up. This wasn't just about her anymore; this was about her family, her company, and everything she had worked so hard to build.

She squared her shoulders and nodded, following her secretary into the small hall they had set up for the news conference. The sound of murmured voices greeted her as she stepped into the room. There sat a dozen reporters in neat rows, their eyes suddenly on her.

Cameras clicked, flashes briefly lighting up the room, but Emma kept her gaze steady.

She walked to the podium, her heels clicking against the polished floor. Each step felt heavier than the last, but she refused to falter.

As she turned on the microphone, She spotted Alexander. He nodded.

She took a deep breath in, holding tightly onto the edges of the podium for support. Her heart was thumping inside her chest as her gaze moved across a sea of faces waiting for her to speak. Now was the moment to strike back and take back her nand tell the world the truth.

"Good evening,” she began, her voice smooth, even though the storm inside her raged on. “I stand before you today not only as Emma Black, Chief Executive Officer of W2 HOLDINGS but also as a woman who has been accused and vilified in a manner no human being deserves. What you have seen, what you have heard, is not the truth. And I am here to set it straight."

Emma swallowed hard; her eyes jumped across the careful script on the paper in front of herprofessionally prepared by her legal team, perfect for the occasion. But standing there, with a sea of reporters and cameras facing her, they seemed hollow. These were not her words. These words weren't reflecting the storm raging on inside her chest.

She clung to the edges of the podium.

Trying to control her pain.

For a moment, she hesitated to go off the script afraid that she might Emma clenched her jaw, looking down at the speech for the last time.

the wrong thing. But she was done caring.

It was tshe stopped hiding behind prepared words and showed the world what she was made of.

She was no ordinary woman, she was Emma Black and she wasn 'm Emma Black by nonly, she she was smart, strong, vulnerable, tough, violent, and angry, all the ingredients that make up a great entrepreneur.

3 Chapter 178