Chapter 31 The Compensation

Riley was suddenly challenged and momentarily stunned, unable to react immediately.

It was Lillian's prompt that brought a flicker of realization to her eyes. She feigned fear, hiding behind the woman and saying, "I have evidence in my hands. The reason you laid hands on me is that you wanted to frame me!"

"If it weren't for your friend discovering it, I wouldn't be in this state right now!"

'Friend?' Clara furrowed her brows, instinctively feeling that Riley's mention of a friend was likely referring to Mia.

Matthew, not easily deceived, scrutinized Riley with a probing gaze. "Evidence."

"Of course, we have evidence!" Lillian glanced at Clara, who remained unfazed in her hospital bed, then promptly projected the phone screen onto the room's large display.

"Ms. Edwards, we wouldn't unjustly accuse you!"

Clara didn't miss the hint of satisfaction in Lillian's eyes. She casually remarked, "I hope the evidence Ms. Baker mentioned is genuine."

The two standing there were suddenly taken aback by her words.

Riley, feeling somewhat anxious, tugged at Lillian's sleeve, clearly fearing further mishaps.

"Since I can produce it, this evidence is naturally genuine!"

Lillian's confident words fell on Clara's ears, prompting a slight smile to tug at her lips. "Perfect. I happen to have some interesting things myself. We can wait until Ms. Baker finishes to take a look."

Clara never liked beating around the bush.

She had originally intended to leave some room for negotiation and handle the matter discreetly through back channels.

But they had gone too far, insisting on humiliating themselves.

Lillian tightened her hand at her side, realizing she had left no room for leverage in this matter, silently taking a deep breath.

As Lillian's video started playing on the screen, Mia's figure was vaguely discernible within.

The surveillance footage seemed distant, capturing only snippets of the woman hurling insults and gesturing for the bodyguards behind her to approach and strike.

Watching this unfold, Riley became visibly agitated, grabbing Matthew's sleeve urgently.

"Matthew, you saw that, right? You have to protect me! I don't know who else to turn to."

Seeing her distressed state, Matthew felt a pang of discomfort.

However, he still didn't pull away from Riley grabbing his sleeve.

Matthew kept his gaze fixed on the frozen frame on the large screen. Slowly, he turned to face her. "Mia was wearing the exact same clothes."

"So what?" Clara sneered, her eyes narrowing at him with a mocking glance. "So, Mr. Garcia, you deduce that the figure in the video, which doesn't even show a face, is my friend?"

Clara's sharp gaze left Matthew nowhere to hide.

Suddenly, he found himself reminiscing about the Clara who used to look at him with such gentleness.

"Why can't you be sure! I have a recording!" Riley shouted, playing the audio from her phone.

Mia's voice clearly warned Riley to watch out, or else she would get someone to beat her up.

Everything seemed to fall into place.

Seeing Clara remain silent, Lillian assumed she had no rebuttal. With a sigh, she stepped forward. "Ms. Edwards, now that your friend has done this, and we can't find her, shouldn't you apologize on her behalf?"

Clara raised her eyes, meeting Lillian's meaningful gaze. "How do you want me to apologize?"

Before Lillian could respond, Riley interjected fiercely, "She did this to me. Naturally, you should bow and apologize to me for ten minutes in her place!"

Matthew's eyes darkened.

'Ten minutes?' he wondered.

Considering Clara's injured knee, if she really had to stand and apologize for ten minutes, she might end up needing to lie in bed for a while.

Clara was well aware of Riley's motive behind proposing such a condition.

If she couldn't get out of bed completely, she wouldn't be able to undergo surgery.

Delaying Andrew's treatment and facing criticism from all sides would fall squarely on her shoulders.

"No rush."

She picked up a tablet and tapped on the screen twice.

The TV screen instantly switched to a new display.

"Let's finish watching these first, then we can discuss how to apologize..."

Clara gave a slight smile to the two, but there was no happiness, giving the impression of standing in the depths of the Hell.

As the screen displayed more footage, Lillian and Riley's faces darkened even more.

Matthew now understood why Clara had asked him that question earlier.

"Riley!"

His voice echoed coldly in the hospital room, causing Riley's legs to give way, and she fell to the ground in fear.

"No, I... I just... I just didn't want Clara bothering you again, Matthew. I did it for the good of the Garcia family. You two are divorced. Why should Clara still be around you, bullying Lillian like that? I just lost my temper and acted impulsively!"

"I... I just wanted her to lose the competition. I never thought all this would happen."

Ignoring her injuries, Riley grabbed Matthew's trouser leg, crying and explaining herself.

"Enough!"

Matthew kicked her away angrily, his face flushed with anger.

Even Clara was taken aback, witnessing this side of him for the first time.

However, she was more interested in Lillian's reaction.

"Ms. Baker spends all her time with Ms. Scott. Are you truly unaware of this matter?" Clara casually opened up, pulling Lillian, who tried to distance herself, back into the fray.

Not only did Clara understand Riley's ability, but Matthew also understood it very well.

Catching Matthew's scrutinizing and suspicious glance toward Lillian, Clara couldn't help but curl a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

"Matthew, I... I really didn't know about this, and I never expected Riley to make such a big sacrifice for me!"

Lillian's expression turned complex as she looked at Riley, who had fallen to the ground, her eyes suddenly welling with tears.

"Ms. Edwards, Riley was in the wrong here. Feel free to make any demands you have. After all, Riley did this for me, and I'm willing to help her bear the consequences!" Lillian said with a sincere demeanor.

Seeing Lillian like this, Clara raised an eyebrow. "Well then, Ms. Baker, how about compensating me for my Purple Angel?"

"60 million dollars."

Lillian's smile froze on her face, and she involuntarily loosened her grip on Riley's hand.

"60 million dollars?"

Lillian awkwardly smiled and glanced toward Matthew for support.

Seeing Matthew's gaze not shifting toward her, she reluctantly looked back at Clara. "Ms. Edwards, I also like racing and know the market value of race cars. But your Purple Angel, as precious as it is, isn't worth 60 million dollars, is it?"

Clara yawned slightly, propping her head with one hand, looking composed as she leaned back. "Ms. Baker, if you aren't willing to compensate, then I'll have to call the police and let them pay a visit to the Scott family and the Garcia family."

It was just playing tactics, and she could play that game too.

With Clara's statement, Lillian had no choice but to agree.

Otherwise, the Scott family and the Garcia family would end up in a scandal, hitting the headlines.

They would only blame Lillian for not agreeing earlier. Therefore, these 60 million dollars would easily end up in Clara's hands.