A Perfect Lie Hides Behind My Billionaire Marriage novel Chapter 495

Reese remained alone in the bathroom for about ten minutes before hearing the anxious voices of Ava and Mariel outside.

"Reese, are you in there? Mariel and I are here to find you!" Ava called out.

Tears welled up in Mariel's voice as she said, "Reese, are you here? Don't be afraid. No matter what happens, Ava and I will be with you!"

Reese's eyes were red and puffy as she responded from inside, "I'm here."

With teary eyes, she opened the bathroom door and stepped out.

Ava immediately rushed to her and embraced her. Ava, usually known for her cold demeanor, was genuinely worried this time.

Mariel, her eyes still moist, came over and joined the embrace, hugging both Reese and Ava tightly.

After a long moment, Reese managed to speak, "I'm okay. Please don't cry for me. Let's get out of here."

She kept her vulnerability to herself, not wanting her friends to suffer because of her.

Furthermore, if she didn't find a way to address this issue, she would be burdened with a bad reputation for the rest of her life. This situation was different from her previous conflict with Rose on the show. In that case, people could criticize her for having a bad personality, but it was a temporary storm that would eventually blow over.

This time, the nature of the accusations was entirely different. Many people might believe she was capable of anything for money, which was a reputation she couldn't bear.

Ava released Reese and gazed at her with concern, asking, "Reese, are you really okay?"

Reese purposely forced a small smile and replied, "I can't claim to be okay, but I won't give in easily. I won't let the person who slandered me get away with it. They better hope I don't find out who they are because I'll make them pay a thousandfold!"

Reese was resolute; she was not one to back down easily.

Mariel nodded vigorously, saying, "We must find out who is behind this. Let's go back and investigate right now. I want to see who would dare to slander you like this. I'll make them pay for this!"

Ava responded, "I recently left Strakovski Jewelry, so they recognized me at the entrance. When I told them I was here to see someone, they let me through without any issues."

Reese nodded, understanding that Ava's familiarity with the company had made things easier. She refrained from asking further questions as they descended to the garage.

Ava's eyes sparkled with determination as she reassured Reese, "Reese, even if Lukas isn't here, you have us. Once we're at my place, I'll remove the mosaic from the photos and see what the man looks like. From there, we can begin our investigation, follow the clues, and try to uncover who's behind this. Trust me, I've dealt with cases like this before, and we will prove your innocence!"

Reese sighed with a hint of worry, "In some of the later photos, the person in the bar is indeed me. There's even one where we went to a bar together. I don't know who that person is in those photos!"

Ava's expression darkened as she explained, "I've noticed that some of these photos appear to be close-ups from surveillance footage. It seems like they were manipulated and combined with previous images to give the impression that you were in a hotel room. We need to clarify that the person in those hotel photos isn't you."

As the three of them settled into the car, Mariel raised a somewhat uncomfortable question, "Reese, what were you doing on Valentine's Day?"

Reese was taken aback by the question, while Ava seemed displeased, "Mariel, what's the meaning of this? Are you doubting Reese?"