The CEO's Empathy Pregnancy Pains

The crowd realized Ella was actually Sophia, and reactions were all over the place-some folks were shocked, others bummed out, and a few just plain skeptical. Sophia kept her cool and smiled on stage, while Emily just sneered, watching the whole thing go down.

"Let's see how she gets out of this one," Abigail said with a grin, clearly enjoying the drama.

Michael was caught off guard for a second but quickly went back to his usual poker face. The host kept the show rolling, asking, "So, why did Ella decide to join this event?" Sophia gave a shy smile, grabbed the mic, and said, "I wanted to surprise someone." The crowd started booing and buzzing about who this mystery person could be.

Emily shot a glance at Michael, and the media picked up on it, swinging their cameras his way.

Michael's face went stiff, but he kept his cool, sitting there like a statue.

Sophia looked bummed when Michael didn't react.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

"Think she'll surprise you or just shock you?" Emily whispered to him.

Michael turned to her, cold as ice, "What are you getting at?"

Emily just shrugged, not giving anything away, while Sophia kept rambling about her jewelry design and inspiration.

Out of nowhere, the big screen behind her went dark, then lit up with a sketch of the jewelry Sophia had just shown off, dated way earlier than she claimed.

It was obvious Sophia had been lying, and the place went nuts. Sophia spun around, her face going pale.

"Miss Ella, care to explain this sketch? Did you design this jewelry, or did you rip it off?" a reporter shouted from the crowd.

That question set off a frenzy, with cameras and mics all pointed at Sophia.

"Miss Ella, did you plagiarize?"

"Miss Ella, whose work did you steal?"

"Miss Ella, why'd you do it?"

Sophia was drowning in questions and spotted Emily smirking in the audience. It hit her-this was all Emily's doing. She looked at Michael, desperate, but he just stared back coldly. Her heart sank. She wanted to strangle Emily right then and there.

The jewelry showcase turned into Sophia's personal nightmare, and the media suddenly remembered who she was the daughter of the Brown family.

Emily and Abigail watched the chaos unfold, ready to drop the final bomb.

"My turn," Abigail said, stepping onto the stage with a confident stride.

She grabbed the mic and stood next to Sophia, who looked like a wilted flower under the reporters' relentless questions.

Abigail was ready to deliver the knockout punch, staring Sophia down and asking, "Are you Ella?"

The reporters went wild, thinking this press conference was the best thing ever. Not only did the daughter of the Brown family plagiarize, but she also pretended to be the mysterious Ella. Then someone spilled the beans about Sophia and Michael's complicated history.

Abigail watched the media swarm Sophia and chuckled to herself, thinking she had it coming. But Emily wasn't ready to reveal her hand just yet, so Abigail held back.

Sophia felt like her world was crashing down. She had done her homework and knew Ella had never shown up in public or attended any events. She thought using Ella's name would win Michael over and push him to divorce Emily. But now, it was all falling apart.

"Michael, let me explain. It's not what it looks like. I can explain," Sophia cried, clinging to Michael's arm.

But Michael wasn't having it. The scandal of Moonlit Treasures' designer plagiarizing and pretending to be Ella was a huge blow to the company, which had just teamed up with Phantom Beauty.

He was too busy dealing with the fallout to listen to Sophia. Ignoring her tears, he looked at her with disappointment, then pulled his arm away. With Andrew and the bodyguards clearing a path, he dodged the reporters. Seeing they couldn't get more out of Sophia, the reporters chased after Michael.

Sophia cried until her eyes were swollen, her makeup a mess. She glared at Emily with pure hatred.

"How does it feel to be exposed? Oh wait, it's not false; it's the truth. But being ruined isn't fun, is it?" Emily shot back, meeting her gaze without flinching.

Sophia laughed like a maniac. "Emily, don't get cocky. When Michael finds out who you really are, how will you explain? Do you think this will make him love you? You've hurt the Smith Corporation; he won't let you off."

Emily sneered. "You're right; Michael won't spare anyone who harms the Smith Corporation, including you. As for me, don't worry about it. But you, how are you going to explain, Ella?" With that, Emily and Abigail walked away, not wanting to see Sophia anymore.

By the next morning, the scandal about the daughter of the Brown family was everywhere, impossible to hide.

When Sophia got home, Hayden slapped her in a rage. "The Brown Corporation's stock is tanking. If you can't handle Michael, our family is done for."

Sophia crumpled to the ground, feeling utterly defeated.

"Why are you hitting me? It's all Emily's fault. She set me up. Dad, this is all Emily's plan," Sophia sobbed.

Hayden's anger flared even more. "What? Emily again? I've been too lenient." He should have taken care of her and Isabella back then.

Hayden's eyes narrowed with a calculating look. Since she didn't want a divorce, he had ways to make her agree.