Chapter 96 Exposing Everything
"Exactly! What kind of deep hatred would make someone push a person down from upstairs like that?"
"Hey, look everyone, there's a clear face shot."
"Let me see, let me see, this is..."
While Mia was still trying to explain, many people pulled out their phones to watch the surveillance video. They looked up at Mia, then back at their phones. Those examining, scrutinizing gazes gradually turned disgusted, leaving Mia at a complete loss.
Someone suddenly shouted, "The woman in this video is her!"
"It is her! Oh my god, she looks so gentle and weak, but who knew she'd be this evil? She was talking nicely to someone and then suddenly pulled them down the stairs when they weren't paying attention. Now she's here beating up and trying to drag away a little kid. She must be some kind of psycho. Call the police and have her arrested."
The voices that grew louder instead of quieter despite her explanations made Mia's face turn panicked, her brows furrowing tightly as she looked at them. "What are you talking about? What video?"
Just as Mia was confused.
Someone shoved their phone almost directly in her face. Mia grabbed the phone from them, and after seeing the video clearly, her expression changed dramatically.
"This video? Where did you get this video?"
Caught off guard, her voice became unusually shrill, and her originally gentle face instantly transformed into one of wide-eyed fury.
The person snatched their phone back and stepped several paces away from Mia, shouting loudly, "Don't you go online? This video is all over the internet right now. Your evil deeds have been exposed!"
Mia's mind went completely blank.
How could this be? How could this happen?
Impossible. She had destroyed it with her own hands. There couldn't be any surveillance video.
Someone was framing her. This video was fake. It had to be fake.
Impossible, impossible.
Mia kept shaking her head, shouting angrily, "Impossible! It's all fake! This video is fake! Don't believe it!"
Someone let out a cold laugh, their voice full of disdain and mockery. "Right, it wasn't you. How could it be you? It's always someone else's fault, always someone trying to frame you. Just now it wasn't you choking the kid either—she fell down and framed you herself, right? Sure."
The words dripped with sarcasm. Mia's face turned pale, completely drained of color.
The accusations around her grew fiercer. Everyone spoke up for the woman in the video and for Cleo. Mia instantly became the target of everyone's anger.
While no one was paying attention, Cleo had already disappeared without a trace.
After all, her mission was complete.
Facing everyone's hostile stares, Mia completely panicked. She ran back to her office in a frenzy. Everything was beyond her expectations.
"Mr. Thomas." After much deliberation, Samuel nervously handed over his phone, his face tense. The phone was playing the video of the argument between Ava and Mia at the Thomas Villa.
Joshua's expression immediately darkened, layers of coldness gathering between his brows, the chill spreading throughout his body.
Samuel lowered his head sharply, not daring to breathe.
Joshua narrowed his eyes, his hand gripping the phone tighter and tighter, his gaze fixed on the video, unwilling to look away for even a moment.
The moment Ava fell down the stairs, his heart suddenly contracted.
His ears rang, and Ava's words suddenly echoed in his mind: 'Joshua, your trust in me is always so fragile.'
He closed his eyes tightly, ice and snow filling the space between his brows.
After a long while, he tossed the phone back to Samuel, his cold eyes devoid of any warmth, speaking with extreme coldness, "Go to the hospital."
"Yes!" Samuel trembled and immediately left the office to get the car.
On the road, Samuel was completely tense. The car was silent without a single sound, and the cold intent from behind kept coming. He could only keep accelerating.
Having been by Joshua's side for so long, he had seen Joshua at his angriest when Ava left without saying goodbye.
If Joshua's anger could be rated on a scale of ten, that time was only an eight.
But right now, his anger level was at ten.
What Joshua hated most was being deceived, especially when it concerned Ava. Mia had not only harmed Ava but also deliberately covered it up and deceived Joshua. How could Joshua possibly tolerate that?
This time, Mia had definitely crossed Joshua's bottom line!
Mia paced restlessly in her office. She never imagined this video would get out, especially since she had deleted everything completely at the time. How could this happen? Who could it be?
She wandered around the office, unable to sit still. She had Katya find someone to help delete the video as quickly as possible, but there was still no news. She scratched at her hair anxiously, feeling like she was going crazy. If Joshua found out about this, she wouldn't even know how she died.
She clutched her phone, praying frantically—praying the video would be deleted quickly, praying Joshua wouldn't see it.
Her phone suddenly rang. Mia jumped, and seeing the caller ID, immediately answered, "Hello, Mom, how did it go?"
"Mia, who exactly did you offend? Your father and I have contacted everyone we know and spent money, but it's like it's been poisoned—no matter what we do, we simply cannot delete it." Katya was extremely anxious.