30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 164: A Web of Lies

"What’s going on? Is there some big announcement? Has Alex Carter set the wedding date?!"

"Does this have anything to do with your public attacks on the Carter and Johnson families during various interviews?"

"Was there some hidden reason behind your imprisonment?!"

The journalists bombarded Henry Anderson with questions. Today was going to be a goldmine of explosive news.

Henry had already gained media attention from his previous interviews, and the situation has escalated.

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Bill Carter strode forward with a stern expression. He took the microphone and addressed the media, "I apologize, my friends from the press. Today is a joyous occasion—Carter Group’s centennial celebration. Let’s not discuss unrelated matters for now. I hope you all understand."

"Mr. Anderson, please say something."

"Mr. Anderson, what’s the issue here?"

"You criticized the Carter family in interviews, yet you’re marrying your daughter into the family?"

The reporters were relentless.

Henry turned his gaze to Bill Carter, and the two middle-aged men locked eyes, tension crackling between them.

After a moment, Henry reclaimed the microphone, speaking with righteous indignation, "Since I’m standing here today, I will say it. I strongly oppose Lily Anderson marrying Alex Carter!"

The crowd erupted in shock, and the flash of cameras intensified.

"What’s going on with your father?" Alex asked in confusion, turning to Lily, who stood pale and silent. "Lily?"

Lily didn’t respond and just stood there.

Alex moved forward, striding toward the stage. Lily finally reacted and hurriedly grabbed his hand. "Alex, let’s leave."

If her father publicly broke off the engagement, the media would swarm her...

What was she supposed to say?

Now that she knew the truth about the past, she wasn’t sure if she and Alex could continue their relationship. But to break off the engagement in public, humiliating Alex, was something she couldn’t do...

No matter what, she didn’t want to hurt Alex.

Lily held tightly to Alex’s hand, using all her strength to pull him toward the exit. But before they could reach the door, her father’s condemning voice echoed from behind—

"I oppose this not out of selfishness as a father but because they can never be together. This is all Bill Carter’s doing. Alex and Lily are not just unrelated individuals—they are half-siblings!"

They are half-siblings!

Lily froze, her grip on Alex’s hand loosening, her arm falling limply to her side...

What was her father saying?! Half-siblings? What did he mean by half-siblings? She didn’t have any siblings—she was an only child...

Bang—

The door to the banquet hall was forcefully pushed open, and several security guards were knocked to the ground. Ethan Blackwood entered, flanked by his bodyguards, and immediately spotted Lily standing in stunned silence.

He hadn’t made it in time to stop this.

"What is Uncle Henry saying?!" Alex asked in disbelief, looking toward the stage.

Half-siblings? He and Lily? How could that be...

What was Uncle Henry talking about?

The media, now fully energized, were snapping photos like crazy.

This was explosive news... Enough to drive sales for months!

"You’re talking nonsense!" Bill Carter shouted angrily, turning to the cameras and firmly denying the claim. "There’s no such thing! I have a happy, loving family. My wife and I are deeply in love, and I would never betray her."

More camera flashes.

"I have something else to show you," Henry said calmly, unbuttoning his coat and pulling out a document. He held it up for the cameras, speaking clearly and deliberately, "This is the DNA test report for Alex Carter and Lily Anderson."

"DNA?!" Bill Carter stared at him in shock.

"If Bill Carter insists on his innocence, he’s welcome to take another paternity test with Lily," Henry declared confidently.

Bill Carter was left speechless, glaring at Henry, unable to find the words.

With the DNA test now revealed, no one cared about verifying its authenticity. What mattered was the scandalous news. The reporters continued their flurry of photos and questions.

"Mrs. Carter, did you know about your husband’s affair? Did you know he had a daughter this old?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Mrs. Carter, would you care to comment?"

"Mrs. Carter..."

The cameras turned toward Bill Carter’s wife, dressed in a beautiful evening gown.

Bill Carter didn’t refute the claims.

Mrs. Carter walked over to Bill, her face cold. Without warning, she slapped him hard across the face. "Bill Carter, so you were already having an affair when I was pregnant with Alex! You’ve really done right by me!"

Slapped by his wife in front of everyone, Bill Carter lowered his voice angrily, "What are you doing?! Do you want to make this situation even worse?"

Bill knew full well that the situation had already spiraled out of control. There was no way to contain it now. Sweat trickled down his forehead.

Mrs. Carter turned to face the media and said, expressionless, "Bill and I have been divorced for five years. For the sake of his company’s reputation and our son, I kept it private."

One shocking revelation after another.

The media were more excited than ever.

Alex, meanwhile, staggered back several steps, his usually calm and composed demeanor completely shattered. He looked dazedly at the people on stage, his characteristic warmth gone...

Divorced?

His parents had been divorced for five years?

And he... and Lily... were half-siblings?

What kind of sick joke was this...

This had to be a joke...

Suddenly, the reporters swarmed around Alex and Lily, furiously snapping photos and bombarding them with questions.

"Did you not know about this?"

"Are you just finding out now?"

"As siblings, how do you feel about this revelation?"

"Do you think the grudges from the previous generation have ruined your relationship?"

"How much did you know about the issues between your parents?"

"Lily, did you know your mother had an affair with Mr. Carter? How does it feel to go from being the daughter-in-law to the daughter? Do you have any comment?"

"Have you two been intimate? Were you rushing to get married because you’re pregnant? Will you terminate the pregnancy now?"

The media overwhelmed Lily and Alex. Lily had no idea what Alex was going through. All she knew was that she was completely lost...

The camera flashes blinded her, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

She couldn’t see anything...

It was as if she had fallen into an endless white abyss, where there was nothing she could grasp onto...

Nothing but confusion.

The reporters’ questions buzzed in her ears like the incessant drone of cicadas, threatening to deafen her.

Slowly, Lily raised her hands to cover her ears, instinctively blocking out everything.

All this talk about the Anderson-Carter feud.

Her mother’s betrayal, the affair...

Being half-siblings...

It was all a lie. It had to be a lie...

She didn’t want to hear any of it. She didn’t want to hear anything...

Suddenly, a pair of strong arms pulled her into a warm embrace. Ethan Blackwood held Lily tightly, like a puppet. She didn’t react at all.

Ethan wrapped his arms around her, shielding her as Cipher Stone and the other bodyguards cleared a path through the crowd of reporters.

"Warn all the media outlets: no one is allowed to publish photos of me and Lily," Ethan commanded Cipher.

"They’ve likely already sent out the news. It’s probably too late," Cipher replied with a frown.

"I don’t care if it’s too late! Get it done!" Ethan barked coldly.

"Yes, Mr. Blackwood!" Cipher didn’t dare question him further...

Ethan held Lily tightly as they left the chaotic banquet hall. She moved mechanically, responding to his nudges and pushing as if she were unaware of what was happening.

What was wrong with her?

"Lily?!" Ethan lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him.

Lily’s head was tilted up, her eyes staring blankly at him. Although her gaze was directed at him, it was utterly unfocused, as if she were lost in a daze.

It was as if she wasn’t even seeing him... Who knew what she was thinking.

"Lily! Say something, damn it!" Ethan shouted at her, glaring at her pale face in frustration.

Had she gone into shock?!

So what if she found out she and Alex were half-siblings? Why was she acting like this?

He had expected Henry’s "plan" to make her cry, but he never imagined she would end up in this state.

Not a single tear, just total numbness.

Seeing her like this... made his chest tighten painfully.

It hurt.

He couldn’t bear seeing her like this.

"You all, guard her and make sure the media don’t take any more photos of her!" Ethan shouted at his bodyguards before storming back into the banquet hall.

Henry had already stepped down from the stage, casually waving the DNA report in the air with a smug look as he glanced at Ethan from afar.

That sly fox Henry had succeeded.

He had successfully brought down the Carter family in one fell swoop. Starting tomorrow, this scandal will be the talk of the country.

The lighting was soft in a private dining room on one of the upper floors, and the wine on the glass table shimmered a rich, inviting red, filling the air with its fragrance...

Ethan and Henry sat across from each other. Ethan’s presence was intimidating, his dark eyes glaring daggers at Henry. He slammed his fist on the table and demanded, "Why didn’t you answer my calls all day?!"

Henry, the sly fox, had clearly been avoiding him, worried that Ethan would ruin his plan.

Ethan had tried everything to stop it, but it had all ended like this!

"Because I needed to focus on today’s performance."

Henry chuckled, his face full of triumphant satisfaction. "So, Mr. Blackwood, what do you think? I told you I would make my daughter willingly return to your side. Now that she and Alex are confirmed to be siblings, they can never be together."

No matter what, Lily and Alex were destined never to be together.

Siblings?!

Were they really siblings?

Ethan looked coldly at the DNA report on the table, his expression darkening.

Seeing his reaction, Henry burst into laughter. "Are you interested in whether Alex and Lily are truly siblings? Honestly, it doesn’t even matter..."

Bang!

Ethan slammed his fist on the glass table, standing up and glaring furiously at Henry. "Do you realize what you’ve done? Lily is completely unresponsive now—no matter what I say, she doesn’t react!"

If Lily stayed in this state permanently, Ethan would never forgive Henry!

"Mr. Blackwood, why are you so agitated? Lily is only twenty-two years old. It’s understandably difficult for her to process everything all at once," Henry said nonchalantly as he swirled his wine glass, gazing out at the dazzling city lights. His eyes gleamed with the satisfaction of revenge. "This time, the Carter family won’t be able to recover."

Crash!

Ethan knocked the wine glass from Henry’s hand, smashing it to the floor. His eyes blazed with fury. "If you weren’t Lily’s father, I would have destroyed you by now!"

"Mr. Blackwood, is that essential?" Henry asked with a smile, unfazed, spreading his hands. "You agreed to this deal. I’ve made sure Lily will never want to be with Alex again. Now, where’s your part of the bargain? You promised to help me acquire Carter Group."

Damn that deal!

If Ethan had known Lily had feelings for him, he never would have agreed to this ridiculous deal!

"I’m backing out of the deal! Blackwood Enterprise will no longer be involved in acquiring Carter Group. I’ll have my office transfer the money directly to you! Do whatever you want with it!"