Chapter 179

Mia, of course, couldn't show any loan records. With everyone doubting her, all she could offer was, "I only have call logs with Pearl, and they only show me requesting money. There's no mention of my daughter," she explained.

The reporters then turned to Paxton, since he was Pearl's dad and might know something.

Paxton said coldly, "Why are you all looking at me? I only heard my daughter mention that Mia wanted to borrow money. As for the details, I don't know. It's just a million dollars; I couldn't care less."

Paxton didn't want Pearl to get dragged into this, but he also left himself an out. By telling reporters he was unsure of the specifics, he implied the situation was ambiguous, leaving the burden of proof on Isabella.

The reporters silently cursed Paxton for being so slick, but they were also eager to see if Isabella had more solid evidence.

Isabella didn't let them down. Soon, Juniper brought out the second piece of evidence.

"This is a recording of a conversation between Isabella and her father! Mr. Taylor spilled some info during the call, and Isabella recorded it." Juniper played the recording from Isabella's phone.

Everyone clearly heard the exchange between Isabella and her dad.

Jasper: "Why are you calling me? Ready to admit defeat?"

Isabella: "Mr. Taylor, this is your first and last warning. Take those videos down immediately, and I can pretend this never happened. Otherwise, you won't be able to handle the consequences. I won't let you get away with slandering me online."

Jasper: "Am I lying? Is it a lie that I tried to stop you from being with that man? Is it a lie that you defied us for him? Is it a lie that we almost got buried alive by Paxton because of you?"

Jasper's voice was clear to everyone, and Paxton's face turned very dark. But since this had been addressed before, people only glanced at him before focusing back on Jasper and Isabella.

Isabella: "If I agree to help Bianca and John get together, will you delete the videos?"

The reporters were shocked again and turned their attention to John.

John was also stunned, not expecting to be dragged into this. His face quickly darkened, and he even tried to stand up and call Isabella a liar.

But Mason gave his leg a hard slap, coldly staring at him.

"Sit down and listen carefully!" Mason said coldly, making John shiver.

Despite his reluctance, John had no choice but to sit down.

Bianca, watching the live broadcast, also turned pale. Her relationship with John wasn't much of a secret to many people, but having it exposed by Isabella was a huge humiliation for her.

Isabella: "For your information, Mason hasn't called me in the past two days. That means he hasn't seen the video yet. If he finds out, how do you think he'll react?"

The reporters turned their curious eyes to Mason, eager to see his reaction.

But Mason's face stayed calm, giving nothing away.

Jasper: "Don't try to scare me with Mason. As long as everyone believes you're a heartless woman, Mason will be disappointed in you. That'll open the door for Bianca and John, and our family will rise again!"

Mason's calm gaze swept over Jasper and Mia. He had never understood why they were so cruel to their daughter, but now he did. But those two idiots couldn't fathom his thoughts.

At this moment, Jasper and Mia were very pale. They hadn't expected Isabella to record the call.

Jasper immediately stood up, angrily pointing at Isabella, "I never said those things! This is all fake. This recording is fabricated!"

The judge sternly rebuked Jasper, "Mr. Taylor, please remain silent, or I will have to ask you to leave!"

Jasper had no choice but to sit down.

After reprimanding Jasper, the judge continued to listen intently to the recording, finding it more interesting than any boring TV drama.

But he was puzzled. If these recordings were real, why would Jasper believe Bianca would keep her promise to help him restore the Brown family's fortunes?

Many in the audience had the same question. Jasper clearly didn't trust his own daughter, so how could he trust a niece?

Their question was soon answered.

Isabella: "My poor father, do you really think Bianca will keep her promise? Don't forget, Bianca's father also has a claim to my grandfather's inheritance. When my grandfather left everything to you, do you think her father didn't hold a grudge? Think about it, why would Bianca abandon the father who raised her for decades to side with an uncle like you? Do you really think your verbal agreement means anything?"

Jasper: "Isabella, you think you're so smart, trying to screw up our relationship with Bianca. Think again! Because of what you've done, I'm making more videos. Get ready to be hated by everyone."

Bianca felt like her world was falling apart as she watched the broadcast. She angrily threw her remote at the TV, cracking the screen like a spider web.

"Jasper, you idiot! Don't you think before you speak? Don't you know phones can record conversations?" Bianca screamed at the TV, but soon realized something was wrong.

"Did Jasper only think of signing a contract with me after hearing Isabella's suggestion? Did Isabella anticipate this? Could she have recorded or leaked the content of our agreement?" Bianca trembled with fear, her unease growing.

She could only pray Isabella had no other evidence. One recording wasn't enough to prove anything. As Jasper said, recordings could be fabricated.

With trembling hands, Bianca picked up her phone and dialed John's number.