Chapter 48 Concern
The corridor lights cast a dim glow over Emily's lonely silhouette.
Elodie couldn't help but curse, "Is Charles blind? He actually believes Clara instead of you!"
Emily replied nothing, only walking forward with determined steps. She knew that saying anything now would be useless.
Without concrete evidence, Charles would never believe her, but she wouldn't give up.
Since Clara dared to act, she would certainly leave traces. Emily had the patience and time to find those traces bit by bit, to show everyone Clara's true color.
However, thinking of Charles's cold gaze and warning just now, Emily's heart still felt as if something had stabbed it, aching dully.
She couldn't understand why Charles just wouldn't believe her once.
Emily walked out of the police station and saw Charles's Bentley parked outside the station as well.
The car window was lowered about four inches, and Emily knew Charles was sitting inside, watching her.
What was he waiting for?
Waiting for her to go apologize to Clara?
Dream on!
Just then, Emily suddenly heard hurried footsteps.
Looking in the direction of the sound, Clara was walking quickly toward them, her face showing a hint of concern. Seeing Emily, she sighed with relief and said softly, "Emily, I heard you were in trouble. I was worried, so I came specially to see if you were alright."
She wore an elegant dress, her hair flowing smoothly over her shoulders. That fragile, innocent appearance would inspire pity in anyone who saw her.
Emily felt nauseated seeing her hypocritical act, immediately frowning, her tone cold. "Don't bother with your fake concern. I'm fine; you're the one who will be in trouble."
Elodie rolled up her sleeves, ready to charge forward. "Clara, are you afraid Bentley will say something he shouldn't in there?"
"Elodie." Emily reached out to stop Elodie, signaling with her eyes to stay calm. Acting out now would only make things worse.
Elodie glared fiercely at Clara but reluctantly stepped behind Emily.
Clara seemed frightened, shrinking back as her eyes instantly reddened, her voice carrying grievance. "Emily, Elodie, how can you say such things about me? I'm genuinely worried about you. I heard about Bentley's situation; is it really troublesome? If there's anything I can help with, just ask."
Emily sneered, stepping closer to Clara. "Clara, do you dare say Bentley's actions had nothing to do with you? Having me followed, fabricating chat records, and bribing internet trolls to spread rumors about me. You dared to do all this, so why don't you dare admit it?"
Clara was intimidated by Emily's presence and stepped back, tears falling like broken pearls. "Emily, how can you think such things about me? How could I do those things? We're sisters; how could I possibly hurt you?"
Emily acted as if she'd heard the joke of the century. "You dare mention the word 'sisters'?"
Clara cried even harder, sobbing. "I really didn't... if you don't believe me, I can provide evidence to prove my innocence. I went to the children's home early this morning to volunteer; many people can vouch for me."
As she spoke, she took out her phone and, in front of Emily and Elodie, called Simon, her voice choked. "Dad, I'm at the police station entrance. Emily misunderstood me. Can you and Mom come over to help explain...?"
After hanging up, Clara looked pitifully at Emily. "Emily, please wait a moment. Mom and Dad will be here soon; they'll prove I'm innocent."
Elodie stood to the side, grinding her teeth in frustration.
Emily also looked at Clara with cold eyes. She knew Clara dared to be so brazen precisely because she was counting on them having no concrete evidence.
Bentley insisted it was all his own idea and refused to implicate Clara. Now, Clara had summoned Simon and Celeste as reinforcements. Today's battle would be hard for them to win.
Before long, Simon and Celeste rushed over in a panic.
Celeste immediately ran to protect Clara when she saw her crying, angrily scolding Emily, "Emily, how cruel you are! How can you treat Clara like this? What has she ever done to wrong you that you keep slandering her like this!"
Simon snorted heavily beside them, his voice carrying suppressed fury. "Emily, what have I always taught you? To be upright and honest! Look at yourself now! To suppress your sister, you'd stoop to such underhanded tactics!"
Emily forcefully shook off Celeste's hand, looking at them with icy eyes. "What tactics did I use? Anyone with eyes can see that Clara is behind Bentley's actions. Are you going to keep deceiving yourselves?"
Celeste reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, immediately raising her voice as she pulled out a stack of photos and documents from her purse. "You still dare slander her? Look for yourself! From 9 to 11 AM today, Clara was volunteering at the children's home, painting and playing games with the kids. So many eyes witnessed it; how could she possibly have instructed Bentley to do those things?"
In the photos, Clara wore a simple white t-shirt and jeans, gently braiding a little girl's hair with a gentle smile on her face. The children's home clock in the background clearly showed the time.
There was also a handwritten statement from the children's home director, certifying that Clara never left the facility all morning.
Celeste then produced a bank transfer record. " You said Clara gave Bentley five million dollars, but this money was clearly borrowed by Bentley! There's a loan contract as proof; it has nothing to do with Clara! You're just jealous that Clara is more favored than you, jealous that she can win Mr. Windsor's attention, so you target her everywhere!"
Emily looked at those "evidence" pieces, sneering inwardly.
Clara really was well-prepared, even staging the children's home scene so convincingly.
But these so-called pieces of evidence were just superficial work that couldn't withstand scrutiny.
"Loan contract? I'd like to see the specific terms of this contract and when the repayment date is. Bentley lost his director position, just an ordinary logistics employee now. How could he borrow five million dollars from someone without any collateral?"
"You're just nitpicking! Clara is innocent anyway; you're slandering her! Mr. Windsor, please judge this fairly!" Celeste didn't give Emily a chance to see the contract, only crying and complaining.
As she spoke, she walked toward Charles's Bentley, her posture extremely humble.
Charles's car slowly lowered all the windows completely. He watched this scene unfold, his brow furrowing even tighter.