Chapter 114

A slow, sardonic smile played on Hannah's lips. "These days,even a child knows how simple it is to fake a video."

That comment left Brinley at a loss, her composure slipping for just a second.

A deep breath later, Brinley found her voice. "Fake? Please.The only reason you'd say that is because you're too nervous to-·explain why you were with those four men."

Standing right þeside Brinley, Danica jabbed a finger in Hannah's direction, voice rising with every word. "Brinley's got a point. You are a wanton woman-leave my son out of your mess. Fivesome? Shame on you!"

"That's enough!" Vincent's jaw clenched, tension visible in every muscle. "I won't hear another word about this."

Not backing down, Brinley interjected, "Vincent, your mom is right-Hannah's a lady of easy virtue."

A hard edge crept into Vincent's tone. "Brinley, shut up!" His glare was cold as he turned from her to Hannah. "This ends here. No more mentioning it."

Hannah's eyes met his, cold and glinting with mockery."You want me to drop it? Vincent, you just want this swept under the rug for Brinley's sake, don't you?" Laughter escaped her,low and biting. "Don't think I didn't catch the warning in that last comment. You're telling me to shut up and move on."

Hannah saw right through it. Whatever the truth was, Vincent didn't seem to care-his real worry was protecting Brinley from any fallout. He always had been too invested where Brinley any fallout. He always had been too invested where Brinley was concerned. Still, it didn't matter. She would walk away from him today.

Brows knitting with worry, Vincent tried again. "If this gets out,it won't be good for you. I'm doing this for your sake."

Laughter spilled from Hannah's lips, though her eyes were cold."You don't have to pretend you're doing this for me."

Determination flared within Hannah-she wanted the truth about Brinley's scheme exposed for everyone to see. A slow arch of her brow, and she fixed Brinley with a steady look."Tell me, Brinley-where did you get that video?"

Panic flickered across Brinley's features, but she tried to sound confident."Someone sent it to me."

Not letting up, Hannah pressed for more. "Who sent it? Was it one of those so-called four men? Let's call him in right now and settle this."

"I have no idea who he is. It was sent anonymously," Brinley said, her fingers fidgeting as her eyes darted away.

"In that case, the chat history can be pulled up. I know people who can track down the sender's IP address." Hannah reached out her hand, clearly expecting Brinley to hand over the phone.

"I deleted the chat logs," Brinley said, hiding her phone behind her back, forcing an apologetic expression.

Arms folding, Hannah swept her gaze over Brinley. "No contact details. NNo chat history. And you claim you have no idea who your mysterious source is." Thoughtfully, she began to lay out her reasoning. "Here's the thing-I have no memory of ever being with four men. Yet, the video makes it look like I was right there."

Hannah didn't hesitate as she drew her conclusion. "There's only one logical explanation. That video was made with only one logical explanation. That video was made with deepfake technology."

A murmur ran through the crowd as realization dawned-her argument actually made sense. Advances in artificial intelligence had made such fakes frighteningly believable. Still,suspicion lingered-was Brinley really capable of going this far just to hurt Hannah?

Curious faces swiveled toward Brinley,searching for any flicker of guilt or unease.

Instead of faltering, Brinley returned their scrutiny with a cool,almost mocking smile. Not a single crack appeared in her composure. "Deepfake, really? You'll invent any excuse rather than admit the truth, Hannah."

"Why rush? I've brought proof with me." Mocking amusement colored Hannah's words as she eyed Brinley. "Take a closer look-there's a moment where the face glitches, and the skin looks unnaturally perfect. No pores at all. That's Al, plain and simple."

Countless hours spent studying artificial intelligence for her potential partnership with VitraMind had taught Hannah exactly what to look for in a fake.

"Honestly, whoever tried that face swap didn't even do a good job," Hannah added, her voice cold.

An undercurrent of disbelief ran through Hannah's gaze-she never expected Brinley to go this far out of hatred.

"That's ridiculous. You're just making things up as you go,"Brinley retorted, biting her lip in a desperate attempt to deny everything.

A harsh, scornful laugh escaped Hannah. "Still want to stand by your lies? How about we let a real Al analyst take a look at your video? Experts won't be fooled." Fingers shaking, Brinley reached for Vincent's sleeve, her panic clear. "Vincent, please! You have to trust me. The video's real -I never used any deepfake tricks!"

A heavy frown settled over Vincent's features as he chimed in,"Just apologize to Hannah so we can move past this."

Hannah stared at them coldly. Vincent seriously expected her to drop it like that? She had almost been assaulted and had a fake explicit video of her played publicly. How could she let it go?

"No fucking way would I drop it! Brinley will pay for every bit of what happened today," Hannah said firmly, vowing to never forgive or forget.

Seeing that resolve, Vincent's frown only deepened. His tone sharpened. "Brinley. Apologize now. Dragging this out won't help you:"

Defiance hardened Brinley's jaw as she bit her lip. "And why should I ever apologize to someone who can't stay loyal in her marriage?"