Mr. Villain's Lovely Wife

Lovely wife 223

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"Do you think it's true? That they've been married for months?" one of the reporters asked, adjusting her earpiece as she stood near the cordoned off area.

"Depends who you ask," said Kelron Baines, a senior field anchor from Vista Signal News. He flipped through his notes." Just last year, Isabella Rossi was with Calen Weiss of Weiss Inc. I heard that Mr. Weiss had some affairs that were exposed during a company event and that prompted Miss Rossi to leave the company. If she's really married to Mr. Horvath then... wouldn't that make her relationship with Mr. Weiss a joke?"

Across the lot, several media vans were lined up outside the glass-fronted conference building. A long red backdrop had been placed behind a single podium. It was sleek, minimal, Horvath-brand neutral. There was no official signage beyond a generic statement: Media Briefing - 9:00 A.M.

Reporters checked their mics and light gear while muttering among themselves.

"I heard this press con is just a PR stunt to clean up after the Sarano mess," said Leena Ardell from Daily Praxis. "Why else go public with a marriage now?"

"Come on, Liam Horvath doesn't need to marry anyone for PR, someone behind her chimed in. "He's already the heir. He doesn't answer to anyone."

Leena turned to face him. "Then why now? Why make it public right after Cassandra's claims started falling apart?

A younger reporter, Benzo Vale from Channel Tenfold, was typing something into his tablet. There's a file floating around showing Cass had contact with Olivier Horvath's office days before the incident," he said. "If that's true, this whole thing could blow up from both ends."

Kelron raised a brow. "You saying Olivier Horvath set this up?"

Benzo shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time Horvath Holdings cleaned up its mess by making a bigger one?

Another voice joined in from the group. "What about the rumors from two years ago? The ones about Liam and that model from Ardesh? The one who

disappeared from the industry overnight?"

"You mean Saphira Kess?" Leena asked. "That was never confirmed."

"It never needed to be confirmed," someone muttered. "Billionaires bury problems. Everyone knows that."

Most of them turned as a sleek black car rolled into the drop-off zone. Security shifted formation immediately. Cameras were immediately lifted. Lights adjusted.

Benzo double-checked his setup. "We're live in seven minutes."

Kelron kept his eyes on the doors. "Let's see what they say. Either this is damage control... or something much bigger." Behind them, whispers grew louder as other journalists joined the crowd, waiting. A few independent bloggers had set up tripods near the back, desperate to get clean audio. The press assistant walked past with a clipboard, checking names against a list.

A few minutes before the clock struck nine, the murmur of voices grew quieter.

A man wearing a dark grey suit stepped up to the podium. He adjusted the microphone and tapped a few buttons on the small control panel attached to the side. The background music faded out immediately. The reporters turned their full attention toward the stage.

The man cleared his throat, then lifted a clipboard in front of him.

"For those attending," he said, "thank you for your patience. We ask that you hold all questions until after the formal statement. There will be an opportunity for a short Q&A session afterward."

As he spoke, several individuals entered from the side door. They took their places behind the podium in a line, Most of them wore tailored suits stamped with the subtle Horvath Industries logo on the breast pocket.

among themselves, recognizing faces

Alcaraz, sharp in a deep navy suit, her badge

continued. "Please welcome Mr. Nolan Reeve, lead counsel

neatly

Successfully unlocked!

a tall man with sandy hair and a stern

glanced once across the room

here to present facts. Not rumors.

reporters shifted,

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first page

grandfather, Mr. Victor Horvath, suffered a medical complication that required immediate hospitalization. Mr. Liam Horvath remained at the hospital

from the stack and held

logs, signed by attending physicians, security footage from the emergency department, and sworn affidavits from hospital staff. Mr.

of murmured surprise passed

few days ago, Mr. Horvath's wife, Mrs. Isabella

gasped. A few others immediately jotted frantic notes. They noticed

Nolan ignored the stir.

Horvath prioritized the safety and care of his wife. He has been by her side throughout her recovery. There was no meeting with Miss Sarano. There was no

stepped back up quickly, tapping the

"hold your questions until after the full statement is complete." Nolan

images showing Mr. Horvath and Mrs. Horvath together in New York State during the timeframe Miss Sarano claims the alleged

folder and set

available to all credentialed media representatives following this briefing. Each file is

began whispering among themselves, clearly caught

Miss Sarano was documented participating in fan events in Los Angeles. Social media posts, official event schedules, and live streams place her there-over two

motioning for the crowd

either side of the

Sarano chose to escalate the matter in

He flipped another page.

These include: defamation, attempted

list hit the room like a punch. Reporters scrambled

"we are pursuing

retraction from Miss Sarano and all parties who

Vale from Channel Tenfold typed even faster, eyes darting between Nolan and the documents being waved toward the press table by the moderator's assistant. "This is not simply a matter of reputational harm,” Nolan added. "This is a deliberate, coordinated attempt to damage not only Mr. and Mrs. Horvath but two multinational corporations tied to thousands of employees

few questions after Ms. Maria Alcaraz, representing

seated."

to step forward, a slim folder in her hands, her expression unreadable. The moderator moved to adjust the microphone height slightly for her as

then looked up at the room full of reporters, her voice steady as

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