Chapter 546

chapter546

Skylar sighed and handed her phone to Steven.

“You should take a look at this video. I didn't want to confront you with this reality until it was absolutely necessary. I was hoping she genuinely cared for you—after all, you are an incredible man. So many people have admired you since we were young, and I always hoped to welcome a sister-in-law who truly adored you.”

As Skylar spoke, Steven’s jaw tightened. Tears welled in his eyes, and his fingers trembled slightly as they hovered above the play button. After a long moment of hesitation, he pressed it.

The high-resolution surveillance footage began to play. It showed Annie using a key card to enter a hotel room. She paused for a brief second before stepping inside, closing the door behind her. Then, the video shifted to double speed until Joe appeared in the frame.

Two minutes later, Paul entered the view. He knocked firmly before proceeding to force the door open. Shortly after, Sabrina and Grayson arrived on the scene.

Although the camera couldn't capture their exact expressions, the chaotic energy of the moment was clear. Steven could only imagine the shock when the door was opened, and the sheer panic Annie must have felt as she attempted to flee the room, clutching nothing but a towel around her.

He watched the scene unfold with a heavy heart.

“She told me this was all Grayson and Thomas’s plan,” Steven said, his voice thick as he inhaled deeply. “She claimed she knew nothing from the beginning. She said she was surprised to find Joe in the room and that she had only just finished her shower. She swore she had no idea what was happening.”

Skylar nodded slowly. “That isn’t an impossible excuse.”

Indeed, the silent video couldn't definitively prove Annie’s prior knowledge or her intent to seduce Joe. Annie had clearly prepared her defense the moment the plan went south. By shifting the entire blame onto Grayson and playing the role of the innocent victim, she had reacted with her typical, calculated skill.

To make her story even more convincing, she had admitted to having a crush on Joe in the past—a strategic "confession" designed to make the rest of her lies feel like the absolute truth.

“Will you believe her, Steven?” Skylar asked softly.

She knew her brother didn't open his heart to people easily, but once he did, he was all in. In her mind, Annie didn't deserve that kind of loyalty.

Steven’s expression remained ice-cold. He didn’t say whether he believed Annie’s story or not. Instead, he looked at his sister and said, “You wouldn't have come to see me with just a video as your only evidence. Show me everything else you have, Skye.”

Skylar agreed, opening her message history with Paul. “These are the files Paul sent over. You should look through them yourself.”

Steven took the phone, opening the documents one by one. Skylar remained silent, giving him the space to digest the information. Being lied to by someone you trust is a visceral, hollow feeling—especially since Annie had gained the upper hand by reaching out to him first to spin her narrative.

Skylar watched him, unsure which way the scales of truth would tip for her brother.

As he scrolled through the records, Steven’s grip on the phone tightened until his knuckles turned white. He pursed his lips, his eyes scanning a particular log. It revealed that after Annie had left Steven’s hotel earlier, she hadn't gone straight home as she had promised. Instead, she had gone to a secret meeting with Rowan.