Chapter 32 Chapter 32

Chapter 32 Chapter 32
ELENA'S POV:

"You can use this room," Zara said as she showed me to the guest room.

"Thank you, Ma."

"You are welcome, Elena. Let me get some of Agnes's dresses for you. She is in college and hasn't returned home yet," Zara said with a polite smile, and I nodded.

Agnes was Mark's younger sister. She was my best friend, but she stayed on campus while I lived at home with my mother.

I stepped into the guest room and waited for Zara to return with some of Agnes's dresses. Just then, my phone rang aloud; it was Agnes calling me.

"Hello, Agnes," I answered her call, and she replied, "Elena, I have been trying to reach you to no avail. What the hell is going on? Martha is gaining massive followers online as we speak. She has an estimated following of 300,000 people."

My fist clenched as I heard what Agnes said.

"So what if she has?" I murmured, clearly displeased.

"What? You are not surprised? Well, she accused your mother online, and so many people are calling for your mother's arrest. They believe Martha was bullied because she is skinny," Agnes said, her tone laced with irritation.

Agnes was studying mass communication in college.

"Agnes, I do not want to discuss that bìtch anymore. I hate the fact that she is my stepsister. I wish she had never been born. She cannot get away with this, and my mother will not go to jail," I retorted, my body trembling from the cold.

"So what do you want to do now, Elena? Do you want to go on a live stream to counter what Martha said? You know there are two sides to a coin. Since there is no evidence, you can go online and tell everyone that Martha is lying just because she doesn't like you and your mother. Tell everyone that your mother treated Martha like her own daughter, and that Martha is just too ungrateful to appreciate you both."

I pondered what Agnes meant. She had a point, but I didn't want to get dragged online.

I couldn't come up with such bold lies because my mother hadn't really taken care of Martha.

"I do not think I can do this," I said, when I heard a knock on the door.

I went over to unlock it, and Zara stood there smiling, a few dresses in her hands. "Here are some of Agnes's clothes that I could find. I do not know if they will fit you."

"Oh, thank you, Ma. I am not too chubby, and Agnes and I are the same size," I replied with a smile as I accepted the clothes.

Agnes screamed over the call. "Where the hell are you, Elena?"

"Your house. Since my mother got detained by the police, I cannot go back there."

"Fine. I will be home tomorrow, but we have classes. How about after class we can figure out a way," Agnes said, as her mother left the guest room.

"Alright. I am famished. Let me take my bath and join your family for dinner. We will talk later," I said, to which Agnes agreed.

"Alright, Elena. Take care."

The phone call ended and I looked at the screen for a while, thinking about what Agnes had said about me going online to counter Martha's story.

I was too anxious, so I clicked on the social media page and went to check Martha's profile.

Indeed, Martha's page had gained 400,000 followers. Before, Martha had only 550 followers, and now she was trending.

Looking at my 20,000 followers, I gritted my teeth and considered doing what Agnes had suggested.

I looked at the mess due to the heavy rainfall that had drenched me.

Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself, set my phone screen to live, and started recording, ensuring I looked miserable enough.

Tears pooled in my eyes as I sobbed over the screen and began narrating my own part of the story.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Elena Roger. I am Martha Roger's half sister. Unfortunately, we lost our father two years ago. Since then, things have been hard for us. Because of our father's loss, Martha refused to eat, as she lost her mother at a young age. My mother did her best to take care of Martha and treat her like her own child, but Martha is ungrateful. Now, she learned that her fiancé doesn't love her anymore and he wants me, so she is furious. She called off the engagement, locked herself in her room, and accused my mother of being the one who hurt her. Martha even went as far as going out to a club and sleeping with a mysterious man, and she had not been home except for today. We did everything to make her happy, but she is a sadist, and she doesn't like my mother. She wants to kick us out, take over my father's company, and leave us with nothing. Is this fair? Martha cannot have my mother locked up when all my mother did was care for her as a guardian. I want my mother released. King Kendrick cannot favor Martha without considering my mother's efforts over the past twenty years since my dad married her to care for Martha. Please, help me too..."

After ending the live stream, my heart was racing loudly in my chest as I got over 120,000 active viewers.

"Elena, what the hell did you do?" Mark growled as he barged into the guest room to meet me.

"Mark," I turned to face him, wiping off my crocodile tears as I smiled at him.

"You do not expect me to sit back and watch my mother go to jail. Martha is not the only one who knows how to use a phone. My mother is innocent. Mom did her best," I said confidently.

Mark looked at my face with a strange expression.

"Do you think that will work? What if we get dragged into this? What if no one believes your story?" Mark said, his brows furrowed, but I cut him off.

"Enough, Mark. Where does your loyalty lie? With Martha or with me?"

I demanded, taking a step closer to meet him as he stood there in a white robe and black shorts. The robe was not covering his chest appropriately.

Mark scowled and asked, "What is that supposed to mean? You know that I do not like Martha."

"Then why are you against me going on a live stream too? If I do not do this, we might not get another chance to narrate our own side of the story."

"But..." Mark wanted to say something else, and I knew he would speak in favor of my stepsister, but I brushed off his remarks. "I did what's best. I will go take my bath now."

I left Mark in the room and went into the bathroom to bathe. It was best that I set the record straight. I could not sit back and watch my mother go to jail, and I did not trust Mark anymore.

What if he didn't love me? What if he was fooling me and making me believe he loves me, while he might have his own plans to take everything away from my mother and me?

My gaze darkened in the bathroom as I bathed quickly, then stepped out to put on one of the dresses Zara had given me.

After drying my wet body, I reached for a green short dress and put it on. Drying my wet long blonde hair, I exited the room and went to the dining room to join the Elliott family for dinner.