He Cheated I Rose Making Him Regret Everything (Chloe and Arthur) novel Chapter 652

As Eugene finished speaking, he carefully opened the envelope containing the winner's name.

"And the winner for Best Actress is... Oralia."

He announced it plainly, then glanced out toward the audience.

The camera panned across the theater. On the large screen, the faces of the five nominated actresses had been displayed—but once the winner was called, only Oralia's image remained.

Oralia sat frozen in her seat. When her name was called, she looked momentarily confused, as if she hadn't quite processed it.

It wasn't until Melinda nudged her gently that she blinked and looked up, dazed.

"Was that... me?" Oralia murmured under her breath—a moment the cameras captured perfectly.

Melinda gave her a light push to stand. Only then did it sink in for Oralia: she had actually won Best Actress.

The entire audience broke into warm, sustained applause. Oralia rose gracefully, first embracing the fellow nominee seated beside her, then turning to hug Melinda.

An usher approached to guide her toward the stage. But after taking a step forward, Oralia suddenly turned back and hurried excitedly toward Chloe.

Seeing her approach, Chloe stood slowly and reached across the row of seats, wrapping her arms around the younger woman as she leaned in.

"Chloe..." Oralia choked out, her voice trembling against Chloe's shoulder.

"Congratulations, Oralia," Chloe said softly, her tone gentle but steady.

"Chloe, I'm so sorry... today was supposed to be—"

"Go on now," Chloe urged, not letting her finish. "Your stage is waiting."

Oralia nodded, trying to steady her breathing and hold back the tears.

Chloe reached over and gently brushed a tear from the corner of Oralia's eye. The carefully touched-up makeup was smudged again, but in that moment, it hardly mattered.

Gathering the folds of her gown, Oralia took a slightly unsteady step, then straightened herself. Slowly, she made her way up the steps to the stage.

To everyone watching, she simply seemed overcome with nervous excitement. No one realized she was pushing through physical discomfort, determined to maintain her poise all the way to the podium.

Once on stage, Oralia accepted the Best Actress trophy and certificate from Eugene.

The moment the award was in her hands, she stepped forward and hugged him.

She'd been blaming herself since it happened, convinced that Robert's capture was tied to her choices.

"Don't do that to yourself," Melinda said, placing a steadying hand on Oralia's shoulder. Her own face was lined with worry, but she kept her voice firm. "This wasn't your fault. What matters now is finding Robert as fast as possible and making sure Carolyn faces the consequences."

"But I could've stopped him—" Oralia leaned into Melinda, trying to steady her breathing.

"Carolyn planned this," Chloe cut in calmly. "She took Robert because she wants to use him to get to me. Until she gets what she's after, he's likely safe. We just need to locate her before she makes another move."

"She's been nothing but trouble, again and again," Zachary added from the side of the room. Usually composed, the lawyer was visibly agitated now. "This time, we can't let her slip away."

Chloe's expression remained controlled, giving away little. She was waiting—patiently, intently—for the next piece of information.

"Clo."

Vincent's voice broke the silence. Chloe looked up, suddenly reminded that he had been standing quietly in the room this whole time.

Just as Vincent met her eyes and began, "Right now, we should go—"

Eugene interrupted, phone already at his ear. "It's Bruce," he said quickly, then spoke into the receiver. "Yeah, it's me. Go ahead—"