Chapter 227 The Stolen Angle is Very Tricky
Janet didn't dare explain anything about the bracelet in front of Cordelia.
If she admitted that the bracelet was made from a design she'd stolen from Alaric, she'd lose all dignity in Cordelia's eyes for the rest of her life.
Janet took a deep breath, enduring the sharp pain as she bent over to check her knee. She didn't dare stand up quickly, nor did she dare look in Alaric's direction.
She was afraid that once her eyes met his disgusted gaze, she wouldn't know what to do next.
Bruce was the first to walk to his car and open the door.
Evelyn deliberately slowed down, waiting for Cordelia.
As Cordelia walked past Alaric, he reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Get in my car."
Cordelia calmly and naturally removed his hand from her arm.
"No thanks."
"Mr. Hughes, you should give Ms. Martin a ride instead."
As the warmth left his palm, a thin layer of sadness appeared in Alaric's deep eyes.
He frowned in pain and was about to speak.
Evelyn seized the moment and pulled Cordelia to her side, glancing meaningfully toward Janet.
"Ms. Martin seems to have hurt her knee. Looks pretty painful."
After speaking softly, Evelyn let Cordelia get in the car first.
Cordelia bent down and got in, sitting on the far side.
Alaric watched her figure and stepped forward.
Eric walked out from The Butler Estate gates, holding Cordelia's phone. When he saw Evelyn and the others, he called out.
"Evelyn, where's Cordelia?"
Evelyn looked toward Eric, her lips curving slightly. She glanced at Alaric leisurely, her expression seeming to say that Cordelia never lacked admirers.
"In the car."
Hearing Eric call her name, Cordelia poked her head out from inside the car.
Alaric immediately stopped in his tracks.
"Mr. Butler, you're looking for me?"
As Cordelia bent down to get out, Eric walked up to her and handed over her phone.
"You left something behind."
"No need to get out."
A flash of delight crossed Cordelia's eyes as she quickly thanked him.
"Thank you."
Her phone contained lots of important files. Sometimes when she had free time, she'd browse through them. If she'd lost it, she would have had to reorganize everything.
When she was happy, her eyes curved into crescents, her whole demeanor elegant yet playfully charming.
Seeing her expression, Alaric opened the back door with a cold face and slammed it shut forcefully.
Robert stood beside Alaric waiting. Seeing him suddenly get in the car and slam the door hard, it was obvious his mood was terrible.
More than terrible—it was absolutely awful.
Robert didn't dare linger. He quickly opened the driver's door and got in.
The moment he got in, Alaric's cold voice rang out.
"To the branch office."
Robert didn't dare delay. He immediately started the car and left The Butler Estate.
Evelyn's lips curved slightly, a smile on her face. She was quite satisfied with Alaric's loss of composure.
"How thoughtful of Mr. Butler to personally bring Cordelia's phone out."
Eric replied, "Ms. Stone is too kind."
Cordelia's phone was actually found by Nicole, who wanted to set him up with Cordelia.
He happened to have a slight interest in Cordelia himself, so he didn't mind making the trip.
Bruce had heard the sound of Alaric slamming the car door earlier and knew he must be fuming right now.
He quickly changed the subject between Eric and Cordelia.
"I have some business to handle back at the hotel. Let's get together with Mr. Butler another day."
"Alright, take care on the road," Eric readily agreed.
Bruce nodded, bent down to get in the car, and started it.
Evelyn also got in, sitting beside Cordelia.
As soon as she closed the door, Bruce hit the gas pedal, eager to leave The Butler Estate.
As their car passed Janet, Evelyn glanced out the window. Janet happened to look up at that moment, and their eyes met.
Janet clearly saw the disdain on Evelyn's face.
Cordelia's gaze also swept over Janet. Her expression was indifferent, her eyes cool as she looked at Janet, as if Janet was nothing more than a complete stranger to her.
There was no mockery in her eyes, no contempt, not even the slightest ripple.
If Evelyn's gaze made Janet feel resentful, then Cordelia's indifferent attitude made her feel powerless.
It was like facing an opponent and using every ounce of strength, only to find that the enemy seemed completely unaffected—as if all her punches had landed on cotton.
This sense of powerlessness lingered in Janet's heart. Compared to Evelyn's contemptuous look, it dealt her an even heavier blow.
She took several deep breaths to steady her emotions before calling her assistant to leave The Butler Estate.
In the car, her assistant showed her a video.
"Someone posted a video from the wedding ceremony, and now all the media outlets are sharing it."
At these words, Janet took the phone and looked. The video showed her being lifted up by Micah's groomsmen.
The two men had used too much force and didn't know when to stop. When they lifted her, they actually flipped up her skirt, and she was wearing flesh-colored safety shorts that day.
The filming angle captured right under her skirt. Because of the distance, it was a bit blurry, creating the impression that she wasn't wearing underwear.
Janet bit her lip hard and opened her short video account. Sure enough, many suggestive comments had appeared under her videos.
"Saw it. The shape looks pretty good."
"I always said there's no such thing as pure and innocent people in this world, only fake images."
"Who would've thought? She plays it pretty wild."
Janet gripped her phone tightly and clenched her teeth.
Right now, the short video platform was her only source of stable income. If her image collapsed, her income would definitely drop significantly.
Her income this year had already fallen by half compared to last year. If she faced another setback, things would definitely get very difficult.
After all, in the internet age, all types of influencers rise quickly and fade just as fast.
Seeing her anxiety, her assistant quickly said, "Janet, you really don't need to be so worried. This is the information age—maybe you can use this incident for publicity."
Janet immediately understood what her assistant meant.
"I'll organize my thoughts tonight and post a short video tomorrow."
Although she didn't want to break with Marlowe, things had reached this point. If she stayed silent, she might not be able to make a living from short videos anymore.
As her assistant suggested, this time she could use this video to create some attention for herself.
It would be best if she could make the social news, even though it was embarrassing—it would bring more attention.
Grand Vista Hotel.
As soon as Cordelia got out of the car, she received a call from Deborah. Deborah was in a cheerful mood, sharing updates about Molly's condition.
Thanks to the treatment plan Cordelia had proposed, Molly's condition had made substantial progress.
On the phone, Deborah kept praising Cordelia. Cordelia's face immediately lit up with a smile as she responded politely.
On the other side of the garage, Robert sat in the driver's seat, carefully observing Alaric in the back seat, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Alaric, who had said at The Butler Estate that he wanted to go to the branch office, had suddenly changed his mind and said to return to the hotel.
Robert could only follow orders.
From their angle, Cordelia's smile looked reserved yet subtle, as if she were in love.
Alaric, sitting in the back seat holding some documents, saw her smile and nearly lost control, almost tearing the papers in his hands.