Chapter 298: Do You Have Proof?
That "youâre just being a good daughter" line? It was a slap right across Angelicaâs face.
Luke leaned in next to Joe, voice dripping with sarcasm, "Chairman Morris, impressive. Youâve raised a great daughter. To cover for her adoptive mom, she tries to frame her own sister. Who knowsâmaybe if you ever get into trouble, Angelica will pin it on someone else for you too."
Everyone instinctively took a step back from Joe.
After all, with a daughter like Angelica, any one of them could be the next âsacrificeâ for her idea of filial piety.
Joeâs expression darkened.
Selina, meanwhile, looked thoughtful. "I can understand why Angelica would do that, but what I canât understand is my dad and my grandpa."
"If Angelica wants to protect Katie and throw me under the bus, fine. But why are you all helping cover it up too? Iâm your biological daughter. Am I worth less than some cheating mistress?"
Grandpa Clarkâs face turned red, then pale. He caught the guilty look in Angelicaâs eyesâand finally realized what had happened.
He just didnât want to believe it.
Others were starting to put the pieces together too.
"So this whole âcatching them in the actâ thing... Angelica planned it?"
"She spread rumors online first, then brought everyone here to watch the drama unfoldâonly for it to backfire. The woman in Ellisâs bed wasnât Selina. It was Katie!"
"Wow... The Clark family is really something. Supporting the mistress is one thingâbut throwing their own daughter under the bus to help her? Thatâs disgusting."
Grandpa Clarkâs face went even darker.
Meanwhile, Katie was still moaning on the bed, completely lost in the moment.
James looked like he wanted to die. "Get her off him!" he barked.
Angelica panicked and rushed over to Katie, pushing her urgently. "Mom!"
Katie froze at the sound of the shout, and slowly started to come to her senses.
She opened her eyesâand saw a crowd gathered around the bed. Cameras. Reporters.
What... what the hell is going on...?
"AHHH!!" Katie screamed as last nightâs memories came rushing back. Her face collapsed in horror as she looked upâstraight into Selinaâs eyes.
It was over. Totally, completely over.
Sheâd been set up by Selina, ended up in Ellisâs bed, and got caught in the act. There was no explaining her way out of this.
That bitch. That bitch!
Katie lost it and started screaming, "Selina! You set me up! You set me up!"
"How could you do this to me?! Iâm your stepmother! Even if you hate me, you should care about the Clark familyâs reputation! Iâve brought shame to the familyâI might as well die!"
She lunged toward the wall as if to bash her head against it, and Angelica screamed, crying, "Mom! Donât! Please donât do this!"
"Selina humiliated me in front of everyoneâhow am I supposed to keep living..."
Angelica sobbed, "Selina, you went too far! If Mom did something wrong, say it! Why would you trap her like this with such cheap, disgusting tricks..."
For a moment, everyone exchanged uncertain glances. Katieâs breakdown seemed... pretty real.
Logan narrowed his eyes.
Selina calmly watched Katieâs hysterics for a while, then asked lightly, "You done performing?"
The room fell quiet. Katieâs face stiffened. "Selina... what do you mean, performing..."
"You didnât ask any questions. You didnât even try to understand what happened. First thing out of your mouth was that I framed you." Selina gave a half-smile. "So go ahead. What exactly did I âframeâ you for?"
People around them nodded. Katie woke up and instantly teamed up with Angelica, but what did any of this actually have to do with Selina?
Katie cried, "Youâre saying me showing up here has nothing to do with you?"
She choked back sobs. "Last night I saw you getting too close to Ellis and came over to warn you out of concern. But you dragged me into Ellisâs room and said to sit for a bit... Then you gave me a drinkâand after that, everything went black!"
Katie cried while putting on a full act, like she was ready to die. "Selina, I know I was wrong in the past, but Iâve changed! I care about you so much, and yet you framed me! Boohoo... just let me die!"
Angelica stood there biting her lip, tears fallingâlike the whole world owed them something.
All eyes turned to Selina, but she stayed calm and composed.
"Then tell me," she said slowly, "exactly how did I âframeâ you?"
Katie opened her mouth to speak, but Selina cut in first:
"I was in the banquet hall all night. I only left when Logan arrived. There wasnât even a window of time for me to meet Ellis in private."
"And when Ellis showed up at the banquet for drinks, I was already upstairs in my room playing cards. Plenty of people can confirm that."
Sure enough, Alice said lazily, "We got there around 9 p.m. If Miss Angelica doesnât believe it, check the cameras."
Ethan spoke up, and then others joined in.
One contestant said hesitantly, "I saw Selina head back to her room... that was right as Ellis arrived. The two of them definitely didnât have any time alone together."
"Yeah, and Selina stayed in her room the whole time after that. So how exactly did Ms. Bryant see her being âharassedâ by Ellis?"
Katie was about to explode.
She snapped, "Butâbut if Selina hadnât invited me, why would I have gone to Ellisâs room in the first place?!"
Selina nodded like she agreed. "Exactly. Shouldnât you be answering that? Ms. Bryant, you came just because I invited you? Go ahead, ask aroundâ
whoâs actually gonna believe that?"
"Everyone here knows this isnât your first attempt to take me down. Ever since you clawed your way into this family, youâve hated me. You really expect us to believe youâre dumb enough to walk into a trap just because I âinvitedâ you?"
Katie froze, her expression cracking.
Freya scoffed, "Seriously. Ms. Bryant, you should stop assuming the rest of us are idiots."
Everyone knew exactly what kind of relationship Katie and Selina had.
Katie claimed to be the perfect stepmom, always saying she never wronged Selina. But the truth was plain as day.
It was Katie who got Selina kicked out to the countryside. Katie who stole her inheritance. Katie who took her late motherâs belongings.
If Ellis had really taken advantage of Selina, Katie wouldâve been the first to cheer. No way sheâd sacrifice herself to protect her.
And besidesâeveryone saw Katie clinging to Ellis like that. Who was she trying to fool?
Katieâs throat tightened. She was just about to defend herself when Selina casually spoke again.
"The entire banquet hall and hotel are covered in cameras. Ms. Bryant, if you can find any footage proving I framed you, Iâll quit the competition on the spotâno argument. But can you?"
ÆreeÏebnovel.Æom She couldnât.
There was no way.
Katie had deliberately avoided all the security cameras when she went looking for Selina. There was no footage at all of them going to Ellisâs room.
Suddenly, a chill ran down Katieâs spine.
She remembered what Selina had told her last nightâ"Iâll make sure you canât explain your way out."
Now the fear set in. Full-on dread.
Sheâd been playedâcompletely.
Selina wasnât surprised by Katieâs reaction.
"So," she said, voice light but sharp, "you have no proof, and yet you think your word alone is enough to convict me?"
"You were the one in bed. You were the one caught in the act. And now, you and Angelica cry a little, and suddenly all of it is my fault?"
Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex's 'Uncle'
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