Broken Bond: Claimed by My Ex-Husband's Alpha Billionaire Uncle-Chapter 35: Press Conference (1)

Charlotte took a few deep breaths and clasped her hands, standing in front of the conference room doors, waiting for the staff’s signal to let her in.

The staff had given her a script to help guide her during the press conference, so she wouldn’t get confused while addressing the reporters. However, she knew better than anyone that the script would be useless once the reporters started to ask too many questions.

This wasn’t her first press conference, yet she couldn’t help but feel anxious every time she imagined her name was being called by those reporters.

The last time she stepped into a press conference was to announce that she was leaving the showbiz industry to focus on building a family with Julian.

But now, she was here to declare that she had cut all ties with him.

Wasn’t that a bit ironic?

Back then, she had sat before them with a bright smile, but now, her face was clouded with gloom, and her eyes were filled with regret.

Both of them were Charlotte, but felt like two different sides of the same coin.

"Charlotte."

She jolted in surprise as she suddenly heard that deep, familiar voice. She turned around, looking at Damon who was walking to her. "I can reschedule this press if you’re not ready yet."

Charlotte immediately shook her head. "No, you don’t need to do that," she said firmly. "Besides, they’d think I’m an asshole if I canceled the press conference at the last minute."

Charlotte didn’t want her reputation to deteriorate further.

Charlotte couldn’t afford for her reputation to worsen any further.

"If you’re sure about this," Damon said, placing his hands gently on her shoulders, "then remember, I’ll be right there by your side in the room. You won’t face them alone, Charlotte."

He added, "No matter how things turn out, know that I’ll continue to support you and do everything I can to help you find the best path forward."

Charlotte was momentarily stunned by his words. She lifted her head, her gaze meeting Damon’s gray eyes.

His eyes were so tender and kind, filled with a warmth that made Charlotte wonder, would he go this far for someone else, or was it just for her?

Not only had he supported her by giving her so much money and resources, he had always given her moral support.

This man was like a diamond in the middle of the dirt.

Charlotte even wondered how she could choose to marry Julian instead of him in the first place?

"The reporters will focus on you too if you sit next to me," Charlotte sighed. "Many speculations about us might spread. Who knows what kind of stories they’ll publish to the world."

Damon chuckled softly, leaning slightly closer to her. "Let them speculate. People will always create their own stories, no matter what we do. The truth is what matters."

Charlotte hesitated for a moment, biting her lower lip. "But those rumors might harm your image too, Damon. You’ve been helping me so much already, I don’t want to drag you down with me."

"Image? There is no one in my family who has a good image. Well, maybe Louis has that, but that’s not the important thing." Damon emphasized, his voice firm. "My image is less important than yours, so you don’t have to worry about me."

Charlotte looked at him, her heart fluttering at his words. It was rare for anyone to put her above their own reputation, especially in such a public situation.

"You don’t have to say that," Charlotte murmured, "I can handle this. It’s just ... I don’t want to drag you into this mess."

Damon reached over, gently caressing her hair. "You’re not dragging me into anything. I’m here because I want to be."

Charlotte was about to say something, but the staff suddenly called her. "Mrs. Dawson, they’re ready to see you."

Damon held her hand. "Let’s go now."

As Charlotte stepped into the conference room, dozens of camera flashlights hit her, blinding her for a moment.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves as she walked further into the room, her heels clicking against the polished floor.

All eyes turned to her, like a pack of lions eyeing a rabbit, but the little rabbit wasn’t alone.

She walked beside a wolf, the fierce wolf capable of tearing them apart if they tried to harm the rabbit.

Charlotte took her seat at the front of the room, with Damon to her right and Victor to her left.

A reporter suddenly asked, followed by others. "Charlotte, do you really want to make a comeback?"

"What about your husband?"

"Your husband is on the run now. Do you know where he is?"

"Is it true you came back to pay off your husband’s debts?"

The microphones in front of her suddenly felt too close, too much. She swallowed hard, trying to push back the wave of anxiety in her heart.

As the room grew increasingly chaotic, Victor tapped the microphone with his finger and said, "Please remain calm. We’ll have a Q&A session later, so you need to be quiet for now, or you’ll have to leave the room."

Charlotte mouthed a silent "Thank you" to Victor.

"You can make a statement whenever you’re ready, Mrs. Dawson," Victor whispered to her.

She nodded. "Okay, I’m ready now."

Charlotte brought her face closer to the microphone before speaking, "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." Her voice trembled with nervousness, and her hands suddenly became cold and sweaty.

She looked at the crowd before her, and a sense of dread enveloped her heart like a dark cloud in the sky.

Now she realized, maybe she wasn’t ready for this yet.

However, she couldn’t back down now, or her whole reputation would be thrown to the cliff.

Charlotte clenched the paper in her hands, seeking some comfort, but it didn’t work. She had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from showing how out of breath she felt.

As her legs and hands shook, Charlotte suddenly felt someone hold her hand under the table. His large hand wrapped around hers, gently caressing her palm with his thumb, as if reminding Charlotte that she wasn’t alone.

Damon was with her.