Chapter 793

Jonathan Reeves hung his head in shame. "I want to strangle myself too, Ms. Sinclair. I'm so sorry for messing up..."

Evelyn Sinclair turned away with a quiet sigh. 'Next time, I'll choose a project director who doesn't look like he's one stress attack away from collapsing.'

The press conference had been set up at the abandoned construction site - a half-finished skeleton of a building that had changed hands multiple times. With minimal decorations, the raw concrete walls created an unintentional industrial chic aesthetic.

Blending into the crowd of staff members, Evelyn remained unnoticed as Jonathan took the stage. He began detailing the project's development history and future prospects.

This controversial Sandford development project had finally landed in Sterling Enterprises' lap after numerous setbacks. Given its impact on the entire city's growth, media scrutiny was intense.

"Mr. Reeves," a reporter called out, "we've heard Zenith Corp's former employees caused disturbances at your offices. Is this related to the project? How does their current treatment compare to Zenith's era?"

Jonathan's posture relaxed slightly. "Of course it's different. Zenith owed their staff nearly a year's wages. We paid those debts from our own funds after acquisition. If we treated them the same, they'd be starving!"

The room chuckled. Then another journalist pressed: "Zenith's executives were arrested for corporate crimes. Did Sterling provide the evidence? Have they been convicted?"

"Sterling Enterprises has operated here for two months," Jonathan countered smoothly. "During acquisition, we report any irregularities to Zenith and relevant authorities. For legal specifics, please consult the courts."

Evelyn exhaled quietly from her position in the crowd. Jonathan was redeeming himself admirably after his earlier blunder.

Then came the key witness - the murderer's wife.

Unrecognized at first, the room erupted when her identity was revealed. Journalists' eyes gleamed like predators spotting prey. As agreed, the woman confessed to all crimes committed for her husband and offered a family apology. In exchange, Sterling would cover her daughter's cancer treatments.

Bennett leaned toward Evelyn, whispering, "President Sinclair, it'll get chaotic during the Q&A. Should we leave?"

"Wait," Evelyn murmured, her delicate brows furrowing. An inexplicable unease prickled at her - this calm felt unnatural.

As the weeping woman finished her statement, thanking Sterling for their compassion, a sudden shout cut through the room:

"She's been bribed! Her husband faces execution, yet she defends Sterling? What did they promise you?"

The atmosphere shifted instantly. Murmurs spread like wildfire. The accusation shattered the carefully constructed narrative, replacing it with suspicion about backroom deals.

"President Sinclair nearly died!" Jonathan's face flushed crimson with anger.

"But she's fine now, isn't she?" the heckler retorted. "With the husband getting executed, who's to say this wasn't all staged? Easy to buy a confession after the fact..."