It wasn''t until this moment that Antoney finally understood Ste''s true intention.


    She''d brought him here as a decoy, to muddy the waters.


    The three women nced at the three men present, then turned their eyes


    collectively toward Joshua.


    "It''s him."


    Ste asked, "Do you know his name?"


    The businesswoman replied, "He told me his name was Caleb."


    The heiress added, "He told me he was Rankin."


    The socialite said, "He introduced himself as Cory."


    Three different names. ssic con artist behavior.


    Ste pressed further, "Since you were in a rtionship with him, you must have


    some photos or videos of him on your phone, right?"


    The women calmly handed over their phones.


    With how advanced photo editing is these days, it''s hard to tell real from fake just


    by looking. You can''t trust your eyes anymore.


    Ste continued, "Can each of you describe when you dated him, where you met,


    and what happened?"


    Though they''d already posted about the story online, those were just general


    summaries.


    The businesswoman stole a quick, almost unconscious nce at Haynes.


    Clearing her throat, she began. Her ount matched what she''d written online,


    but this time she added plenty of vivid details.


    There wasn''t a single logical w to be found.


    Next, the heiress shared her story:


    her rtionship with "Rankin"-who


    was actually Joshua. She spoke


    smoothly and confidently, as if she''d


    rehearsed this story a thousand


    times in her mind.


    Still, she cast a few surreptitious nces in Haynes'' direction.


    These subtle gestures didn''t fool Haynes-and even Antoney picked up on them.


    The socialite''s ount was just as convincing, every detail delivered with the ring


    of truth. But unlike the others, she never once looked at Haynes. Her gaze kept


    darting around the room.


    Ste spoke again. "You''re all sure you were in a rtionship with Joshua, right?"


    All three nodded in unison.


    "Then," Ste went on, "does he have any birthmarks or scars-anything


    distinctive?"


    The businesswoman answered steadily, "We never got that close, so I wouldn''t


    know."


    The other two nodded in agreement.


    Haynes watched the trio, brow furrowing deeper and deeper.


    Their stories were airtight, not a single inconsistency totch onto.


    But sometimes, a story that''s too perfect is the biggest red g of all.


    Ste pressed on, "You''ve known all along, but never came forward. Why are you


    choosing now to expose Joshua?"


    The heiress replied, "After he


    scammed us-our feelings, our


    money-he disappeared without a


    trace. We tried everything to track


    him down, but it was like he


    vanished. That''s when we realized


    all the personal info he gave us was


    fake."


    The socialite added, "Honestly, it''s


    because Ms. Cameron is so famous


    now. Even people around her are


    getting a lot of attention. Someone


    online said her assistant was really


    good looking. My friend recognized


    him as the guy who scammed me


    and then disappeared. She told me,


    and I decided I couldn''t let him hurt


    anyone else. I made a post about it. I


    never expected the other two


    women to see it and realize we''d all


    been through the same thing."


    Ste turned to Joshua. "Joshua, do you know these women?"


    He shook his head. "No, I don''t."


    The businesswoman spoke up, "Well, since you go by Joshua now, I''ll use that.


    Joshua, Ms. Cameron is a good person. She''s about to represent our country in


    thepetition and bring us honor.