CHAPTER 223: DID AUBREY JUST SAY CEO AUGUSTINE IS GAY?

All eyes locked onto Augustine as everyone present held their breath in curiosity while some of them gaze was lit up in anticipation, others narrowed in suspicion.

The silence was almost deafening... no whispers, no movement, not even the soft hum of background music, which had faded for some time now.

Augustine exhaled sharply, the sound echoing through the stillness. "Hello, everyone," he said, his voice low but steady.

He raised a hand in a timid wave, fingers trembling slightly under the weight of hundreds of stares.

"So, tonight... tonight I’ve come to realize that some people have made it their mission to throw wild accusations about my private life."

Augustine paused, his chest rising as he drew in a shaky breath.

His eyes flicked across the room catching the glow of phone screens raised in the air, recording, capturing and feeding on the tension.

Earlier, Augustine had no idea some people were secretly recording everything but now, standing before the crowd with every eye and lens on him, he finally saw the phones pointed in his direction.

"First of all," Augustine began, his voice steady but laced with tension, "Aubrey Edison mentioned that I’m her fiancé."

Augustine gaze shifted to Aubrey, whose eyes burned with icy defiance, daring him to stay silent or risk everything.

Despite Aubrey’s piercing glare, Augustine didn’t flinch.

Without hesitation, he snatched the microphone from her grip and brought it to his lips, sparing himself the need to shout.

"Reginald," Augustine called, his voice calm but commanding, "can you please photocopy the evidence we have against Aubrey and hand it out to everyone here?"

"Sure thing!" Reginald responded loudly.

He turned to Freda, brushing a kiss to her temple. "I’ll be back soon," he whispered, then dashed out of the room and made his way to the car, his pace urgent and focused.

Meanwhile, Charles, who had gently pulled away from Freda, kept his eyes locked on Augustine.

He bit his lower lip anxiously, silently praying that Augustine wouldn’t say anything reckless that could destroy his career in one breath.

But Augustine wasn’t backing down.

"So, while my secretary is out getting the evidence that’ll show you all just how cunning Aubrey really is..."

He paused, his voice steadying as he tightened his grip on the mic. "I’m still going to keep talking. I owe myself that much."

Aubrey sneered, her chest rising and falling with visible panic. "That’s enough, Augustine. Just leave," she hissed through gritted teeth, her voice low but laced with fury.

Augustine scoffed, the sound sharp and unforgiving. "I’m not leaving, Aubrey. Not when you were the one who tried to humiliate me and backed me into a corner," he said coldly, his words slicing through the silence as they echoed through the microphone clenched in his hand.

"I have been out of the country for a business trip, and I only just arrived a few minutes past four p.m.," Augustine began, his voice calm but firm as he scanned the room filled with expectant eyes.

From across the hall, he caught sight of his mother. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her stomach, her expression smoldering with fury.

Mrs. Wales still couldn’t stomach the thought of her only son being in love with another man.

To her, it would’ve been easier to accept him falling for a female cleaner than to watch him openly care for Charles.

The idea of her only child belonging to a man? That was a reality she refused to accept because it gives her the creeps.

"I... I have never loved Aubrey in a romantic way," Augustine began, his voice steadying as he continued. "She’s always been a friend—nothing more. Some of you here have known her since she was a child, and you’d agree that I’ve always been the only real friend she’s had."

Augustine started pacing slowly, his footsteps echoing through the silent room as he tried to summon the courage for what came next.

After a brief pause, Augustine exhaled sharply, his chest rising and falling.

Then, with unwavering clarity, he spoke into the microphone.

"I have... I have never asked Aubrey to marry me."

GASPED!

An instant gaped escaped the mouth of all those present.

The younger crowd livestreaming the scene whispered sharp comments into their phone cameras, sharing their shock and disbelief in real time.

Meanwhile, the elders murmured quietly among themselves, their voices weaving a tapestry of gossip and speculation.

"Did he really just say that?"

"What kind of drama is this? It’s like a chaotic movie."

"No way! Aubrey wouldn’t lie about an engagement if it wasn’t real."

"Maybe she’s pregnant, and he’s backing out because of that."

"This is a total mess."

"Poor Mr. Edison..."

The room buzzed with tension, the air thick with whispered doubts and uneasy questions.

"Everyone, please quiet down. Let me finish." Augustine’s stated with a loud voice which cut sharply through the murmurs, demanding silence.

Slowly, the restless crowd settled, the room falling into a heavy silence.

"My mother wants me to marry Aubrey," he began, eyes darkening with pain. "But after what Aubrey did the accident that almost took my life... my mother finally despises Aubrey. She’d rather see me wed a cleaner than Aubrey."

The weight of Augustine’s words hung in the air, sending ripples of shock and disbelief through the gathered crowd.

The gasped expression from the crowds was much more astonishing than the previous one.

"There’s no evidence."

"This news is going to make Mr. Edison pass out. He doesn’t even look okay."

"This can’t be real."

"Gosh! I love tonight!"

The whispers cascaded through the room like wildfire.

Augustine exhaled deeply, rubbing the bridge of his nose before raising the microphone again.

"On the day of my company’s design launch," he said, his voice low but cutting, "my projector was hacked by Aubrey. And with that, she committed not just one crime, but two crimes that could land her in jail."

Gasps rippled through the room as Augustine decided to continue his words.

"I chose not to press charges on Aubrey," he added, his tone softening. "Not because she didn’t deserve it, but because of our long-standing friendship... one I thought was worth protecting and..."

"Aug... Augustine what... what are you saying?" Mr. Edison who have been quiet for a long while now suddenly questioned Augustine as he cut Augustine off from completing his words.

Mr. Edison was still finding it hard to wrap his head around what he had just heard.

"Yes sir. All that CEO Augustine said are true, and here are the proofs."

Reginald who had just stepped inside the room declared.

He had printed papers piled up on his hands and with hastened steps, he began to distribute the printed papers to everyone and eventually, it got to Mr. Edison hands.

"If you look at the paper clearly, there are pictures of when Aubrey paid the truck driver who ran over my car and made me hospitalised for a month. At the back of each paper you would also see the pictures of when she paid a photographer to take picture of I and my lover."

"Noooo!" Aubrey screamed. "Everyone! The picture at the back is your beloved CEO with a man. A fucking man!" Aubrey screamed, pointing at the intimate picture where Charles face was blurred.

"Wha... what? I thought you claimed at the event launch that the male figure was a model? Or isn’t it the same picture I’m currently seeing?" a female voice rang through the crowd.

"Is that the most important question right now? Besides, is all this even real? How could Aubrey pay someone to kill the man she claimed to love?"

"That girl has mental health issues. I’ve always said it, and this just proves everything."

"I think CEO Augustine actually kissed the male model just to promote his company designs."

"Yeah... that must be why the model’s face was blurred."

’Geez! Aubrey really got some nerves.’

Just as Mr. Edison’s eyes scanned the image on the printed sheet, he gasped, clutching his chest as his legs gave way beneath him.

"Dad!" Aubrey screamed, bolting toward him as he staggered until he fell towards the ground.

Reginald quickly sprang into action, reaching Mr. Edison just in time to stop him from collapsing completely to the floor.

"Augus... Augustine! Do you plan on giving my dad a heart attack? What the hell is your aim, you goddamn jerk!" Aubrey seethed in rage, releasing her grip on her father just to seize Augustine by the collar.

Her eyes were wild with fury, blazing and unblinking, as she yanked him forward and shoved him back. "You promised to marry me when we were kids, Augustine!" she cried, her voice cracking with desperation. "I don’t care if you’re gay. I don’t! I’m the one for you! I can love you better than anyone ever could! Better than that your gay boyfriend—!"

"Wait! Did Aubrey just say CEO Augustine is gay?" A young man suddenly chipped in as he cut Aubrey from completing her phrase.