CHAPTER 446: ACTING LIKE A DIVA

Scott really did have that question in mind, but for some reason, the moment Selina brought it up herself, he suddenly felt a bad premonition.

Unfortunately for him, Selina just gave him a single glance before walking off lightly. "If you’re so curious, you can think about it yourself."

Scott’s throat tightened. "..."

After Selina left, Logan also walked out without another word. Only Ethan stayed behind for a moment, letting out a long sigh.

Scott frowned. "Logan’s really going to turn against me over one woman?"

Ethan gave him a look of pure exasperation. "Turn against you? You kidnapped Selina. You talked to her like garbage. Whether Logan loves her or not, she’s Mrs. Reid. And judging by how he acts? He absolutely does love her. You’re the only one too thick to see it."

"But..." Scott struggled. "What does that have to do with him insisting on bringing her back?"

Ethan gave him a long, meaningful look. "Tell me, Scott—who do you think is the most important person at today’s press conference?"

Scott looked confused. "Obviously Logan. SL’s President Brooks. And Riley."

"Wrong," Ethan said flatly. "It’s Logan. President Brooks. And Selina."

Scott’s confusion deepened, but Ethan didn’t bother waiting for more questions. He turned to leave.

"And why it’s Selina—why everyone’s waiting on her—why Brooks lost his temper when she vanished—think about that yourself. Oh, and think about whether Riley had anything to do with this, too. Think real hard if you ever heard Brooks mention Riley even once."

Scott broke into a cold sweat.

If everyone was waiting for Selina... If she was actually one of the most important people there today...

Then Riley’s claim about being the personally appointed project lead by the SL chairman—did that even hold water anymore?

...

Selina climbed into the car. Jack floored it, rushing them back to the press conference venue.

By now, the event was already an hour behind schedule.

Selina bit her lip hard.

"Let’s just go in." Logan reached over, rubbing the back of her head gently. "We can talk about everything else later."

"Okay."

Selina pushed open the car door—only to hear a voice ring out over the speakers:

Riley, speaking to the press with calm confidence: "I’m sure I’ll be able to lead this merger successfully."

Selina’s brows lifted in amusement.

...

Half an hour earlier.

Riley was pacing anxiously in the waiting room. She’d tried to see President Brooks, only to be blocked by staff saying he was unavailable.

She couldn’t understand it. The event had been set to begin, but now it was officially delayed, with no new start time announced.

She was supposed to be the appointed lead. Everything was ready. Why hadn’t it started?

Logan was nowhere to be found. Scott had also disappeared. Her frustration spiked.

"Miss!"

An assistant ran up, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "I found out—Logan ordered the delay because he went to look for Selina."

"What?!" Riley’s face twisted in rage. She swept an arm across the table, sending cups smashing to the floor.

"Selina?!"

Logan delayed her big moment—for Selina?

Of course she knew Scott had taken Selina away. So what? Today was supposed to be her day, all eyes on her. Whether Selina lived or died had nothing to do with her!

"Riley, calm down."

Madam Nelson put a hand on her arm, eyes glinting. "Actually, this is a great chance. With the event delayed, with Logan and Brooks absent, if you step up and show how dedicated and professional you are, it’ll make you look even better."

Riley ground her teeth. "But Logan was supposed to be by my side today. I was supposed to be the star. This was supposed to be my moment. It’s all Selina’s fault!"

Madam Nelson lowered her voice. "You want to get back at Selina? It’s not that hard. There are so many reporters and big industry names here today. All you have to do is hint that Logan was late because of Selina."

"Just imagine what people will think of her then."

Riley’s eyes lit up.

Right—if the entire press conference had actually been delayed because of Selina, people would tear her apart!

They’d see her as nothing but a scheming mistress, an obstacle to Logan, while Riley, the one holding things together as the responsible lead, would look like she deserved to stand at Logan’s side.

...

At the press conference.

Riley picked up the mic and stepped onto the stage. The reporters all turned to look.

"Is it starting now?"

"Where’s Mr. Reid? Where’s President Brooks?"

Riley put on her most gracious, polished smile. "Logan had something urgent come up and will join us shortly. I’ll be hosting the start of today’s conference."

A reporter immediately asked, "Miss Nelson, are you the project lead for this merger?"

"Yes." Riley gave a modest little smile. "I’ve been friends with the SL Chairman for over twenty years. He knows my abilities, so he asked me to take on the role."

Another reporter looked puzzled. "But we’d heard from some SL insiders that the project lead was Miss Selina. Are you aware of that claim?"

Riley’s brows twitched slightly. Selina?

She realized at once—Selina must have fed that lie to the press herself to avoid losing face.

Ha, Riley sneered inwardly. What an idiot. She just handed me the perfect weapon.

Riley let out a regretful little sigh. "I don’t know where you heard something so ridiculous. It’s utter nonsense. I’ve known the SL Chairman for over twenty years, and he made it very clear I was the only choice for project lead. As for Selina..."

She hesitated, as if remembering something awkward, and gave a small, pained shake of her head.

"Selina has nothing to do with SL. But she’s...competitive. She wants to fight for everything, even things that don’t belong to her. When she found out I was the project lead, maybe she couldn’t accept it. But some things don’t become yours just because you want them badly enough. She’s young—please don’t hold it against her."

A murmur spread through the crowd.

If you believed Riley’s version, then Selina sounded like nothing but a jealous liar who couldn’t hold a candle to Miss Nelson.

"Miss Nelson, you’re so kind. Even now you’re still defending her!"

Just then, a man in his early forties strode over. Everyone immediately recognized him: Eric Taylor, Vice President of SL.

He stopped beside Riley and gave a cold snort.

"Mr. Reid and President Brooks delayed this entire conference for Selina—kept everyone waiting just for her. And for what? Tell me, what exactly does she have to do with this event? How many people’s time did she waste today?"

Eric’s words made the room go dead silent.

Wait, what? They delayed the press conference because of Selina?

But Taylor’s question also struck home.

What did today’s event have to do with Selina at all? She wasn’t the project lead—so why couldn’t they start without her?

Who did she think she was? Did she think she was the SL Chairman or something?