Once Monica had her makeup done, she changed into a red dress.
With her makeup on, her pale and haggard face now looked bright and cheery.
She took a deep breath before holding Michael’s hand and walking toward the press conference.
The moment everyone at the press conference saw them enter, the originally noisy atmosphere instantly quieted down.
The staff member opened his mouth and announced, “This is the press conference held by Mr. Michael Ross and Ms. Monica Cardellini. They would like to clarify some of your misunderstandings about Mr. Ross and Ms. Cardellini’s relationship. Please stay quiet first. Once Mr. Ross and Ms. Cardellini are done speaking, they will proceed to answer your questions.”
The audience applauded, and the emcee handed the stage to Michael.
Michael politely expressed his gratitude to everyone present before saying, “Regarding the matter between Monica and I that has been reported by the media, I would like to give everyone an explanation. First of all, Monica and I have indeed gotten back together, and we started dating a month after I came back to the country. So, we’ve been dating for two months. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want my private matters to take up public resources. However, now that you have taken pictures of us, and it has had some negative impact on Monica and me, I have no choice but to explain it to you in person. Second, with regards to Monica and Finn’s marriage, it was originally a marriage of convenience. They got a divorce a year ago, and today is one year since they separated. You can take a look at the screen behind me. On it are their divorce documents and divorce certificates.”
At that moment, the screen projected the divorce papers and divorce certificates, which the reporters kept taking pictures of.
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“Lastly, I hope everyone can give your blessing to Monica and me. It wasn’t easy for us to be together. After going through a breakup and finally getting back together again, I hope everyone can give our relationship some privacy. Thank you, everyone.”
While saying that, Michael stood up, and so did Monica, to bow to all the reporters.
The reporters present could not hold it in any longer, and some of them had started to raise their hands.
The emcee looked at Michael nodding and said, “Because Mr. Ross’s schedule is rather tight, he will only answer three questions. I hope that all of you, my dear reporters, can get to the main point of what you want to ask.”
Many reporters raised their hands, so the emcee randomly picked one.
The reporter stood up. “Mr. Ross, you said you and Ms. Cardellini have been dating for a year, so why didn’t you come out to clarify the gossip when you both were caught hugging?”
“I didn’t think it would become such a big thing. On top of that, my father hasn’t been feeling well, so I haven’t had time to clarify it.”
“How is your father now? I heard he’s–”
“Next person,” the emcee directly interrupted.
The reporter who asked the question could only sit down again.
“Mr. Ross, I heard Ms. Cardellini was first with Finn, but she broke up with Finn before she started dating you. Then, she broke up with you, and Ms. Cardellini chose Finn again. However, she has now chosen you… Don’t you think your relationship sounds like a game?”
“Monica did date Finn first, but they didn’t get along, so they chose to break up. On the other hand, Monica and I have known each other since high school, but at that time, we were still young and didn’t think about each other in that way. Later, when Finn and Monica broke up, I started pursuing Monica. Our relationship has always been good, but because of my parents’ opposition, Monica and I had no choice but to break up. After I went abroad, Monica was forced by her parents to marry Finn.” Michael explained the matter clearly, “She married Finn because my parents were too aggressive toward her back then, and it made her and her parents look bad. In order for their daughter not to suffer such grievance, her parents made her marry Finn immediately. At that time, they didn’t have any feelings for each other, but Finn agreed to marry Monica because he was raised by Monica’s family and because he wanted to repay their kindness.”
“Mr. Ross, are you saying Finn and Monica had no feelings for each other when they got married?”
“No. They divorced a year ago because they didn’t want to continue with the marriage,” Michael replied.
“Then–”
“Next reporter, please,” the emcee interrupted.
The next reporter stood up. “Mr. Ross, you and Ms. Cardellini may have broken up and gotten back together, but she has been entangled with Finn for a long time. Don’t you care about her love life? As far as I know, Mr. Ross has only dated Ms. Cardellini. Regardless of whether Ms. Cardellini is in love with you, her behavior does make us think that she isn’t good enough for you.”
“You’ve misunderstood. It’s not that Monica isn’t good enough for me. In fact, she’s out of my league. Back then, it was my fault that caused the break-up with her, and I’m grateful to her for giving me a chance to be with her again. I hope you’re not here to deliberately sow discord between us.” Michael’s displeasure was obvious.
Everyone could tell that Michael was protective of Monica, and he would not allow anyone to say a bad word about her.
Monica turned to look at Michael, who seemed to put her first no matter what the occasion was.
He knew he had to curry favor with the media, yet he lost his temper in public because of her.
“I’m not trying to sow discord between you both. I’m just telling the truth. Mr. Ross, are you angry because you care about Ms. Cardellini and Finn’s relationship? They were together for so many years, so I’m sure they’ve done it, right?” The reporter seemed to be doing it on purpose.
It was so that the reporter could start a conflict for news’s sake.
Michael did not hide his anger either. “What Monica and Finn had was just a marriage of convenience. It’s not what you think it is. I know what she’s like, and don’t you slander her here.”
“How do you know? Will she tell you?” the reporter mocked.
“You!” Michael was so angry that he was about to stand up.
However, Monica pulled Michael back. “Nothing happened between Finn and me. If you don’t believe me, you can get the hospital to verify it.”
The reporter was stunned.
At that point, another reporter could not help but say, “Ms. Cardellini, are you saying you kept your innocence for Ms. Ross?”
Monica gritted her teeth. “Yes.”
She had always kept her innocence, but it was not for Michael.