Chapter 147 Ruined Reputation
When Lisa said this, everyone turned to look at Anna.
After all, kids have short memories, so it was possible she got it wrong.
Anna looked deeply at Lisa and said, "Lisa, we don't have a cat at home. Adrian has asthma and feels uncomfortable around animals. There's no way he would actively go looking for a cat."
Everyone's expressions toward Lisa instantly changed.
So this woman really was lying.
The Hagen family didn't have a cat at all, and with Adrian's asthma, it was even more impossible for them to keep one.
"How is that possible?!" Lisa said sharply, "He came up to me himself and asked me to help him find a cat."
At this point, Lisa remembered Maeve and the others.
They had heard it too.
"Maeve!" She quickly found Maeve in the crowd and pleaded, "Please explain to me, I'm not lying."
Maeve's eyes showed mixed emotions.
She already understood clearly - this was a trap.
A trap specifically set for Lisa.
And this matter was definitely connected to Amelia.
But she was torn.
First, she had issues with Amelia, so she couldn't possibly help Amelia.
Second, the Hagen family was now involved in this matter. If she helped Lisa, it would mean making enemies with the Hagen family.
This went against her purpose for coming here today.
If her parents found out, they would blame her for meddling.
In just two seconds, Maeve had already weighed the pros and cons.
She spoke up, "I wasn't with you just now, so I don't know exactly what happened. I can't explain to you, sorry."
Lisa's eyes suddenly widened, staring at Maeve in disbelief.
"How... how could you not know what happened? You clearly heard it! You heard Adrian ask me to come with him..."
Maeve cut her off directly, "Lisa, you just came out for some air. Whether you were looking for a cat or not, what does it matter? Why get hung up on such a small thing?"
This was helping Lisa.
Whether Adrian lied or not wasn't important.
She just came out for air.
Lisa understood.
She immediately nodded, "Right, I just came out for some air. About the cat thing, maybe I got confused. I've been pretty mixed up today, sorry..."
But everyone's expressions were varied.
One moment, Adrian asked her to help find a cat, the next, she said she got it wrong.
This contradiction clearly meant something fishy was going on.
Amelia spoke up at this moment, "Lisa, I don't care why you're here. I want to ask you, have you seen my necklace?"
Lisa said with a dark expression, "What necklace? I haven't seen it!"
Adrian said childishly, "Ma'am, people who lie will grow long noses."
"I'm not lying!" Lisa wanted nothing more than to strangle Adrian, and her tone was very rude.
Anna was displeased.
She spoke up, "Lisa, Adrian saw you arguing with Amelia earlier. If you took her necklace on impulse, please hand it over. I believe Amelia is gracious enough not to blame you."
Amelia nodded.
"As long as you return the necklace to me, we'll let this matter go."
"I told you! I don't know anything about a necklace! How can I return something I've never even seen?"
Amelia's gaze fell on Lisa's coat pocket.
"Then please prove your innocence. Adrian, help me check if this lady has anything in her pocket."
"Okay!" Adrian nodded and walked toward Lisa.
He hadn't hit his growth spurt yet, so he had to stand on his tiptoes to reach Lisa's pocket.
Lisa instinctively wanted to push Adrian away.
But thinking that she really hadn't taken Amelia's necklace, she held back and let Adrian search however he wanted.
However, the next moment, Adrian pulled out two items from her pocket.
One was indeed Amelia's twin fish pendant necklace from when they first acknowledged their relationship.
And the other...
Adrian looked at it in confusion for a moment, then held the item up high and asked Anna, "Mom, what is this?"
Anna's expression stiffened slightly.
Everyone else looked a bit awkward, too.
Because that square thing that looked like disposable glove packaging was actually a condom needed for sex.
"What is this anyway? Is it something to eat?"
Adrian asked while trying to open it.
Anna quickly took it from him.
"It's nothing, kids shouldn't ask."
She handed the item to a nearby servant, then looked at Lisa with disgust.
"Lisa, you came to my son's birthday party and brought this kind of thing - what's the meaning of this?"
Others also looked at Lisa with strange expressions.
When Lisa saw Adrian pull things out of her pocket, she was already frozen in place.
She didn't understand how Amelia's necklace had gotten into her pocket.
Even less did she understand how the condom she had clearly put in Amelia's pocket to ruin Amelia's reputation had ended up back on her.
Facing Anna's questioning and everyone's contemptuous or disgusted looks, she panicked inside and couldn't even form a complete sentence. She just stood there dumbly, her face drained of all color.
She knew she was finished.
The scene became unspeakably awkward and tense.
Amelia spoke lightly.
"Anna, let's go. I've already found what I was looking for anyway."
Anna nodded, not forgetting to say to Lisa:
"Lisa, the Hagen family doesn't welcome people like you. Please leave!"
With that, she led Adrian away.
The other guests followed suit and left one after another.
But everyone's eyes were full of gossip.
Amelia's face remained calm and peaceful.
The man Adrian mentioned, the condom in the pocket, the necklace, and Lisa's inconsistent statements all thoroughly proved that Lisa was a liar.
Regardless of whether the man Adrian mentioned actually existed or not, the condom and necklace already made it impossible for Lisa to explain.
Even if Lisa wasn't a loose and promiscuous woman, she was at least a thief.
Her reputation was completely ruined.
But Amelia didn't feel sorry for her at all.
Because all of this should have been what she herself endured.
If she hadn't discovered in time that Lisa had secretly put a condom in her pocket, then the mastermind behind it all would have been Lisa.
And the one with a ruined reputation would have been her.
This was all Lisa's own doing.
The Hagen family servants threw out Lisa.
As she was being kicked out, she cursed continuously, saying Amelia deliberately framed her.
But now, no one would believe a habitual liar anymore.
After all, kids don't lie.
And Amelia had lost her necklace - she was the victim.
Lisa, cursing Amelia, was just trying to drag Amelia into this mess.
After Lisa left, the living room quickly came to life again.
Maeve quietly came to Amelia's side and said in a cold voice, "You're truly vicious, using such dirty tactics against Lisa."
Chastity was the most important thing for a daughter from a wealthy family.
But Amelia had ruined Lisa's reputation.
Amelia raised an eyebrow and looked at Maeve.
"So you're saying that when Lisa frames me and damages my reputation, I should just take it?"
Maeve frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm a single girl, I have no use for condoms. Where do you think I got it from?"
Maeve's fingers stiffened slightly.
She remembered that not long ago, Lisa had told her she would give her a surprise.
Could it be that the condom really was Lisa's own, and she had originally planned to use it to frame Amelia?
"That thing was Lisa's?"
"Nonsense! People who bring things on themselves don't deserve pity."
Maeve's brow furrowed deeply.
If that was really the case...
No, the facts should be exactly as they are.
Everything added up.
Amelia had simply fought back against Lisa.
Her expression toward Amelia changed subtly.
After a moment, she said, "I wasn't involved in this. I don't like you, but as a fellow woman, I wouldn't use such dirty tactics."
Even if she were to go against her, she would use fair and square methods to defeat her.
That way, it would be a proper victory.
Amelia looked deeply at Maeve and suddenly said, "You're a bit different from what I imagined."
"Did you think I was the same kind of person as Lisa?"
Amelia raised an eyebrow slightly.
"That day when you fought me for the herb, I thought you were unreasonable."
Maeve's expression darkened slightly.
"My grandfather was in critical condition at the time and urgently needed that herb. Never mind you - even if it were Samuel, I would have fought him for that medicine."
Unfortunately, she didn't win against Amelia in the end.
And because she had issues with Amelia beforehand, she was unwilling to believe she was the Miracle Physician the family had hired.
It wasn't until her grandfather's health improved later that she was convinced she had been wrong.
She was a bit willful and had a bad temper, but she could tell right from wrong.
Just like now, knowing that Lisa had tried to harm Amelia with the condom first, she wouldn't think Amelia's counterattack was vicious or despicable.
Amelia said, "If that's the case, then let's consider the herb incident closed."
Maeve said expressionlessly, "Either way, I still don't like you. We don't get along."
Amelia laughed softly.
"Maybe. But out of kindness, let me remind you; that boyfriend of yours is no good. You'd better break up with him soon."
Maeve's eyes turned cold.
"Is it your place to judge my boyfriend?"
"Actually, it is my place."
"Instead of wasting time arguing with me, you should go check out his hometown. You might discover some very interesting things."
"What do you mean?"
But Amelia didn't say anything more to her and simply turned and left.
Maeve's eyes deepened as she watched Amelia's retreating figure.
After a moment, she took out her phone and called one of her people.
"Go to Isaac's hometown and investigate him."
"Ms. Sullivan, what should I look for?"
"Whatever there is. Just go to his hometown and investigate him."
"Yes."