Chapter 22: The Failed Accusation No one expected Selina to open the door at that moment.
Katieâs eyes flickered with calculation. Selina seemed hesitant, unwilling to open the door fully, and there was even the faint sound of a manâs voice inside.
It appeared that Mr. Perez was still there!
Katie quickly donned her "kind stepmother" persona. "Selina, as long as youâre okay, thatâs all that matters. James was just worried about you. Open the door and let us come in."
Selinaâs gaze lazily swept across the crowd. "Open the door? That wonât do."
Her response was like a match igniting a fuse, prompting disapproving murmurs from the group.
"This is shameless! Even now, sheâs acting like this. All for a bit of money, selling her body!"
"Seriously, Mr. Perez? How could he? I guess those rumors about Selina having affairs are true. Sheâs unworthy of being Nataliaâs sister."
Katie felt triumphant.
Selinaâs life was destined to be nothing more than a stepping stone for Nataliaâa final contribution to the Clark familyâs prestige. Just like her mother, Selina would meet a life of humiliation and disgrace.
Yet Katie maintained her fake tearful demeanor, softly sobbing. "Please, stop saying such things. Itâs my fault as her stepmother for failing to guide her properly. Sheâs my daughter too, my flesh and blood. How could this happen to her?"
Jamesâs expression darkened. "Selina, what are you hiding in that room? Open the door now!"
Selina chuckled softly. "Father, are you sure you want me to open the door?"
James had to ensure Selina married Perez. Otherwise, the 50 million would never come through. There was no more effective way to force her compliance than catching her "in the act" in front of everyone.
He raised his voice deliberately. "Of course! Youâve already disgraced us, and you still wonât admit it? What other option do you have but to marry Perez? Open the doorâIâll discuss the marriage arrangements with him myself!"
The bystanders exchanged knowing looks and shook their heads. Everyone knew Mr. Clark didnât favor his eldest daughter, but wasnât he being considerate? If rumors about Selina and Perez spread, no one would marry her. Marrying Perez was her only path forward.
Feigning difficulty, Selina sighed. "Opening the door isnât impossible... but Iâm afraid the people inside arenât ones youâd want to offend."
A few socialites eager to please Katie chimed in with venomous sneers.
"The eldest Miss Clarkâcould there be more than one man inside? Spent the night entertaining several, did she? Honestly, children without mothers have no shame. If it were me, Iâd die of embarrassment."
"Mr. Clark, you really need to discipline this daughter of yours. Promiscuous to the coreâwhat is she not capable of?"
Jamesâs anger boiled over. Lifting his foot, he kicked the slightly ajar door wide open.
"Iâll see for myself who it is I supposedly canât offendâ"
His words caught in his throat as his face paled, frozen in place.
Everyone turned to look into the room.
The large, pristine bed was perfectly made, untouched.
In the luxurious suite, three people sat on the sofa, leisurely playing cards.
Hearing the commotion, two of themâa man and a womanâturned their heads, smirking with amused, meaningful expressions.
"Mr. Clark," the man drawled, his tone dripping with mockery, "weâre just playing cards in Miss Clarkâs room. Do you have a problem with that?"
The crowd was stunned.
This was nothing like theyâd imagined! Where was Selina entertaining a man? Sheâd been playing cards the entire time?
And the people in the room...
The man furthest in the back had an aura of authority, though his face wasnât visible. He was clearly no ordinary individual.
The two closer to the door were unmistakable. One was Ethan Drake, the eldest son of the Drake family and head of Drake Groupâs hospitals. The other was Alice Drake, the true heir of the Drake family.
Jamesâs heart sank as his expression shifted rapidly.
Waitâwhere was Mr. Perez? Why were the people in the room suddenly members of the Drake family? Where had Mr. Perez gone?!
Katie and Natalia were on the verge of losing their composure, their eyes darting around the room in disbelief.
Impossible. It was impossible! They had seen Mr. Perez escort Selina upstairs. With the drug in her system, there was no way Selina could have resisted. What on earth had happened?!
The noblewomen who had sided with Katie moments ago were now trembling. Alice and Ethan were not people they could afford to offend. If theyâd known, they would never have spoken in Katieâs favor!
Selina, satisfied with the changing expressions on their faces, sighed dramatically. "Father, I told you, the people in this room arenât ones you can afford to offend. And now, youâve interrupted Miss Drake and Mr. Drake while they were enjoying a game of cards. Even if I wanted to plead on your behalf, I wouldnât know where to begin."
Ethan glanced at Logan, then squinted at James, feigning ignorance. "Given the situation, does Mr. Clark think Miss Clark was doing something...
inappropriate in this room?"
Alice and Ethan had been summoned by Logan via a single call. Taking the express route, they had entered the room through a side door from the adjacent suite and staged their card-playing scene.
It took only a glance for the siblings to understand the scheme: James and his mistress had attempted to sell Selina to Mr. Perez for 50 million, intending to destroy her reputation in the process.
Alice tossed the deck of cards onto the table and narrowed her eyes. "So the rumors are trueâMr. Clark doesnât care for the daughter born of his first wife. Imagine threatening to disown her over a simple card game. How shameless."
James broke into a cold sweat.
He shot Katie a furious glare. Everything had been perfectly arranged, but now Mr. Perez was nowhere to be found, and offending the Drake siblings was out of the question. There was no way to explain himself!
Katie clenched her teeth, fuming internally. Somehow, Selina had managed to escape this trap. If there had been three random men in the room, Katie could have framed her for debauchery.
But with Alice in the room? She couldnât possibly claim the Drake familyâs heiress had some scandalous relationship with Selina.
Her only option now was to smooth things over and plot again later to deliver Selina to Mr. Perez.
With that thought, Katie forced a smile. "Miss Drake, youâve misunderstood! James was just overly worried about Selina and said something foolish.
As parents, how could we not care deeply for our daughter..."
Alice cut her off coldly. "Who are you?"
Katie faltered, her tone turning fawning. "Iâm Jamesâs..."
"Mr. Clarkâs mistress?" Alice sneered. "A mistress has no right to shamelessly claim Miss Clark as your child. Have some self-respect. Donât go around clinging to family ties that donât exist."
A deathly silence fell over the room.
Katieâs entire body trembled with rage.
Selinaâs friends were just as vile as she was! She wasnât a mistressâhow dare they! Vile, wretched people!
Just as Katie opened her mouth to curse, Natalia grabbed her hand, taking a deep breath before stepping forward, her tone conciliatory.
"Miss Drake, itâs not like that. Mother was just too worried about my sister and misspoke. Please donât take it to heart. Since youâre still playing cards, we wonât disturb you further."
Natalia turned to Selina, her voice gentle but laced with insinuation. "Sister, today is Fatherâs birthday. While youâre with your friends, donât forget to come down and spend some time with him."
Selinaâs lips curved into a cold smile. Natalia never missed an opportunity to paint her as unfilial, even now.
But Selina wasnât about to let her succeed.
James coughed awkwardly. "Selina, Nataliaâs right. When you finish your game, come downstairs. Weâll head out first."
The group, thoroughly humiliated, was preparing to retreat when a cool, commanding male voice echoed through the room.
"Does Mr. Clark think this matter is over?"
The sudden words froze everyone in their tracks.
Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex's 'Uncle'
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