Chapter 175 - Checkmate
Regina's face turned as pale as a vampire's. She was on the verge of shattering everything into crumbles when the hacker she hired to destroy the evidence appeared on Leena's mobile. It's not easy to track the location of a black hat, how did they find him?
To Regina's contempt, he openly admitted that he was the one who has worked with her. He was not even an inch scared, neither when obliterating the data nor confessing the truth since the job of hacker itself is illegal. Regina wired the money and he hacked into the system. It was as simple as that. For the emendation, he knew he would be incurred from the hotel and restaurant owner, but he was least worried. It's a part of their murky hacker world. The only question he has in his mind was how did they trace his location.
Leena did not leave any possibility to tarnish Regina for she has solely touched her bottom line. She reached out to the hotel and restaurant owners to seize all the reliefs for her. Cyber attacks are sophisticated, well-orchestrated, and capable of posing severe threats to personal data. Their systems were hacked and the hacker posed malware into them and they were forced to download a malignant app and that's how the hacker entered and deleted the data. If the malware was coded with another source, it would be hard to find the person but that doesn't mean it's impossible for Leena.
Watching all the events unfolding, Roberto collapsed onto the chair with no vigor. He was ashamed. He shouldn't have accepted the invitation, he shouldn't have let his daughter come to this place. He has become a laughing stock of society because of this unfilial daughter in a single day. There would be investors questioning his credibility and status tomorrow. All the reputable image he has been maintaining for the past two decades has turned into ashes. He knew a legal notice would be hanging in front of his office tomorrow for the damage his daughter has done.
He had an urge to throttle his daughter's neck but then the thin line of father and daughter relationship has tied his hands.
"Mr. Roberto! Do you know about your daughter's true colors?" The press bombarded him with questions.
"Are you also a part of her plan?"
"Did you purposefully plan it with your daughter to have an alliance with the Wang family?"
Regina was an omnishambles. Her father was never insulted like this in his entire life. Her head spun with countless questions the reporters were throwing at him. She refused to admit defeat in front of that bitch.
Before they would be swarmed by the reporters to humiliate further, Roberto got up and roughly pulled his daughter's hand to get out of this place.
But Leena was not done yet.
"I want to say one thing to the special girl who won't be named!" Leena looked at Regina with a mocking challenging expression. "Regina Herrera!"
"Woah! Woah!!" There was a loud gasp from the crowd attending the press meet. What an attitude of her, everyone thought. Her way of addressing Regina was sassy and feisty.
Regina stood frozen in the place throwing daggers at Leena. She was provoked, cornered, face slapped. If not her father was holding her hand, she would have torn Leena's face apart without caring for her image, for she lost it already.
"Check-mate! Good move but not enough to put me down. Next time if you come for my man, unlike my mouth, my hand will speak. It's a warning." She was like a black cloud threatening the storms that pass by. It was not only a threaten to Regina but to everyone who wants to trifle with it.
Devin was on cloud nine. He wouldn't say cloud nine, more like cold ten. Cloud nine would be less for the way he was feeling now. He was lost for words to explain how happy he was when Leena possessively declared that he is her man.
That night it was not only a threat to Regina, she is boring a threat to the entire world claiming Devin.
...
Meanwhile, in a vast hall, a man was thundering in laughter watching the interview while occasionally munching carrots. A woman was glued to the TV intently watching it.
"That's my granddaughter-in-law." He slapped his thigh, full of boisterous mood all the way. "She is making Salisbury steak of both father and daughter duo."
"Aish, you mountain gorilla. Can you shut your mouth for a while? I am not able to hear anything. Go and watch the interview in your home if you want to make noise." Margaret ranted. She has gathered the snacks and switched on the TV to watch the press conference peacefully but the annoying old fellow has ringed the doorbell to interrupt her. Doesn't he have a TV at home? Why must he come to my home?
"How did you know that she is my granddaughter?" Margaret asked. She wanted to know it from the time he barged into her home. Devin has told her that he hasn't informed him about Leena yet.
"I am a powerful man in the country, Cross River Gorilla. Nothing can overstep me." He lazily raved turning his gaze to the TV. He thought Leena might have misunderstood his grandson seeing the scandal and he let Fernando check on her address and background to meet her personally but he was surprised to know that she is Heather's daughter and Margaret's granddaughter. When Devin informed him of the press conference, he crashed into this house to annoy his friend, for he was bored of watching alone. "By the way, where is that brat, Francis?"
"How would I know? I am sitting in front of you from the time the interview started." She barked at him for asking a ridiculous question. She was sure that his son would be sitting and watching the press meet despite he was sulking over Devin.
...
Regina was a mess, she was screaming, throwing tantrums but his father dragged her away home. In a matter of one night, she has become a standing joke and he has become a figure of fun. A leather whip that has never been used, he was planning to take out today. He has to.
The press meet ended and the impact no one has anticipated. It was juicy gossip.
Devin held Leena's hand and took her out of the hall but the reporters stormed in front of them unexpectedly for they knew Leena was a man-hater and they wanted to pull more information on how she ended up with a man. Although the guards tried to stop them, Leena interjected. Like her dopamine levels, her serotonin levels are also high today and she wanted to play with even reporters
"Do you still have questions?" Leena lazily asked.
"In the past, you were in a relationship with your secretary, Reese Allen. What are your comments?" A reporter asked.
"Are your feelings mutual?"
"Did you break up with her and started dating Wang Devin?"
"Are you a bisex_"
"She has never dated any woman in the past," Devin's deadly stares bore through the reporters. It was enough for them to hear the threat and shut their mouths. It was mere gossip. Just because she attended the events with Reese, they are slandering my sweetheart's name.
Leena kept her eyes docked to the ground in embarrassment. Stupid reporters. I wanted to play with them for a while and now they are bringing my relationship?
She has spread the news of her relationship with Reese to shoo away the wooers. She never thought of getting into a relationship with a man but then Devin happened. Now she has to address the most pressing matter.
She ransacked her brain and instantly came up with an idea to pull herself out of that zone.
"Dear media, I, Leena Hayes hereby declare that I have not dated any woman in the past." Leena hugged Devin as she spoke. "Do you see, I am only comfortable around my man. But I can't help it if some other person has a feeling for me."
"You mean Reese Allen likes_"
"You have to beseech her. Trust me, she is something else." A sly smile vanished in seconds. Now she has escaped and the ball is thrown into Reese's court. Let her answer it for always disturbing the intimate moments with Devin.
"That's it from my end." She added. "Are you going to put it in tomorrow's main headlines?"
Watching Devin's lethal stares, they swallowed hard. They immediately shook heads fear of the devil. "Umm..no...W_e are not going to write."
Leena sighed thinking that they are getting scared of Devin. "You are making a mistake again."
There was a hint of dread in their eyes. Mistake? What did they do? What is she speaking?
"I have given such a wonderful topic to write. Don't you think it should be in the headlines?" She asked ignoring Devin squeezing her waist not to go gaga again.
"Umm.Yes...I guess it's a wonderful topic." The reporters retorted.
"Of course it is. So, what's your channel name?" She asked with a giggle.
"The Vulpes"
"Mirror today."
"Relay race fourth position." She screamed at the top of her lungs leaving Reporters in plight.
"Pardon?"
"With four teams participated in a relay race, I won fourth place." With a giggle, she added. "Highlight this on your channel while writing about myself. The great Leena Hayes has shown incredible performance and won fourth place in a Relay race when she was in school."
Devin was now obvious that she has hit the bottle before she came to the press conference. If he doesn't shut her mouth now, her drunk story would be highlighted tomorrow. He quickly lifted and put her on his shoulder and carried her away while all the way, she was screaming.
But the loving picture of the couple didn't go unseen in the cameras.