Chapter 44
“Crying? What right do you have to cry?” Charles shouted.
While Charles was furious, Lillian choked out an explanation through her sobs. “Charles, Annabel drugged me. It must have been Zack she hired. If you hadn’t shown up in time, I would have been ruined.”
Charles’s face darkened. He wished he hadn’t shown
upa
at
all.
Otherwise, things wouldn’t have escalated like this, leaving him in a difficult position. He wouldn’t just lose the pendant; he might also miss out on the opportunity to get close to the White family.
“Let’s not talk about it now. Save it for when we go out and explain to your grandparents,” Charles said. They quickly got themselves together and went
out.
Lillian was still crying, wailing about how wronged she felt. “Grandpa, Dad, Mom, believe me. I was framed. I was drugged and didn’t know what was happening. I-” She was crying so hard she could barely speak.
Beatrice walked over and hugged Lillian, tears streaming down her face. “Mr. White, you have to help Lillian. She needs justice.”
The sight of them crying together was quite pitiful. And given Lillian’s earlier behavior, it seemed plausible that she had been drugged.
Walter turned to Charles. “Mr. Shaw, were you drugged as well?”
Charles’s expression flickered. He had only gone upstairs to see Lillian being humiliated. Before he could get close, he was hit on the back of the head. When he woke up, this was the situation. He had no idea if he had been drugged or even if anything had happened between them.
“Yes, I was drugged too,” Charles said.
Walter’s face grew serious. Dealing with Lillian’s situation would be easy, but as a guest, Charles being drugged at the White residence during a party would tarnish the White family’s reputation if it got out.
“Grandpa, why don’t we check the security footage?” Annabel suggested, her gaze falling on Lillian, who was crying and shooting her resentful glances. Annabel added, “I don’t believe Lillian would shamelessly try to seduce my fiancé.”
Charles quickly chimed in. “That’s right, Annabel. Believe me. I would never betray you.”
Walter nodded in agreement, but Beatrice quickly objected. “We can’t check the security footage.”
Everyone looked at her suspiciously, and Beatrice hurriedly explained, “No, that’s not what I meant, I meant the security system is broken and being repaired.”
In reality, Annabel’s previous use of security footage had left Beatrice traumatized.
So, while Annabel was out, Beatrice had dismantled all the visible and hidden cameras, except for the ones in Annabel’s bedroom. Now, Beatrice was just
relieved she had made that decision.
Annabel spoke up again, seemingly considering Lillian’s reputation. “But for Lillian’s sake, it’s better to investigate thoroughly. We need to find out who drugged her, don’t we?”
Beatrice, fearing complications, continued to refuse. “Even if we do check, it shouldn’t be today. There are still so many guests here
Annabel interrupted Beatrice. “That’s exactly why we should check
now,
with the guests here, It’ll prove Lillian’s innocence.”
“You-” Beatrice looked at Annabel’s confident expression and suddenly realized she had been outmaneuvered. No matter how clean Beatrice thought she had played it, Annabel would find a way to create evidence.
“Annabel, it was you, wasn’t it? You drugged Lillian?” Beatrice accused.
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Chapter 44
Annabel responded with a blank expression. “Beatrice, do you have any evidence?”
Everyone else thought Annabel was just heartbroken and lashing out. But Victor believed Annabel was ruthless in her attempt to get rid of his wife and daughter.
“Annabel, I should have strangled you the moment you were born. Are you trying to ruin this family once and for all?” Victor accused.
Annabel bit her lower lip. “Dad, what are you saying?”
Victor pointed at Annabel and cursed viciously. “You drugged Lillian to tarnish her reputation. How can you be so heartless?”
“Victor, shut up,” Walter said, trembling with anger. He couldn’t believe Victor was so biased, throwing all the blame on Annabel for Lillian’s sake,
“How dare-” Walter’s body shook violently as he fell backward, collapsing straight to the ground.
“Grandpa?” Annabel quickly moved to support Walter, while Jonathan’s hand also reached out, steadying him firmly.
“You hold him up,” Annabel instructed Jonathan, immediately placing her hand on Walter’s wrist.
Victor, realizing what was happening, shouted in panic and lunged to push Annabel away. “Dad!”
“Get out of the way. If it weren’t for you, Mr. White wouldn’t have fainted from anger,” Jonathan snapped coldly.
Annabel stood her ground, continuing to check Walter’s pulse.
Jonathan glared at Victor, his tone menacing. “Try moving again.”
Victor swallowed hard, acknowledging that he had once again been intimidated by a young man he barely knew. He grunted and stepped aside to call an
ambulance.
Everyone was anxious and focused on Walter, except for three people who exchanged relieved glances. They hadn’t expected Walter to faint from anger, and especially not because of his own foolish son.
Unfazed by the commotion, Annabel continued to press on Walter’s pulse. After a while, she silently returned to her room and came back with a black bag. Inside was a row of silver needles. She took one out, preparing to insert it into Walter’s acupoints.
Victor, returning after making the call, saw what she was doing and exploded. “Annabel, are you trying to kill your grandpa?”
Jonathan and Leonard, however, looked surprised. Annabel’s demeanor and the way she handled the needle clearly showed she was skilled in traditional medicine.
Annabel paused, looking at Victor with a deep, intense gaze that seemed to take the breath away from everyone in the room, especially Victor, who stood frozen, unable to speak.
The needle descended again, accurately and deeply inserted into the acupoints. A few minutes later, Walter gradually woke up. “W–what happened?”
Seeing Walter truly awake, everyone who had been holding their breath and not daring to blink let out a collective sigh of relief.
Someone exclaimed in amazement, “Wow, Miss Annabel White can actually practice medicine. She’s amazing.”
Annabel still looked worried at Walter. “Grandpa, do you feel better now?”
Walter soon realized what had happened and said slowly, “Annabel, it was you who saved me?”
Annabel simply nodded, without any hint of seeking credit. She kept thinking about why Walter had fainted so suddenly.
While others might have assumed he had fainted from anger, Annabel’s examination had shown that, but she still felt something was off.
Walter reached up and gently touched Annabel’s head. “Thank you for saving me,” he said, thinking to himself, ‘Annabel is becoming more and more
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Chapter 44
excellent, like her mother.‘
3.70%
+15
The next moment, Walter turned to Charles, his voice weak but his tone firm. “Mr. Shaw, it seems Annabel and you are not a good match. Tomorrow, I will talk to your grandfather about calling off the engagement.”
Charles protested. “Mr. White, I was drugged. It’s not-”
Walter gave him a sharp look. “After what you did here at the White residence, do you still think you can marry Annabel?”
Charles, feeling the gazes of the others on him, blushed with embarrassment and dared not speak further.
At that moment, the ambulance finally arrived. Victor, at least, still had some respect for Walter and accompanied him to the hospital. Beatrice stayed behind to handle the aftermath.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.