Chapter 80
"Just now in the river, she kept grabbing onto me and wouldn't let go. She deliberately pushed me underwater, trying to make you think I pushed her in," Ophelia said softly after taking a sip of hot lemon water. She told William what happened in the river, her tone emotionless, as if talking about someone else's business.
William's face instantly darkened again. His grip on the cup tightened, his eyes full of disgust and anger. "I know. I saw everything."
He had clearly seen Scarlett gripping Ophelia's hand tightly and deliberately pushing her toward deeper water. Scarlett's ugly behavior made him want to throw her right back into the river.
"That vicious woman—I'm forbidding you from seeing her alone ever again, understand?" William turned to look at her, his tone serious with a hint of lingering fear. "If I'd been even a little bit later today, the consequences would've been unthinkable. Do you understand?"
Ophelia looked at his worried expression, feeling warmth in her heart. She nodded obediently. "I understand. It won't happen again."
She was scared, too. She never wanted to experience nearly drowning in a river again, and she definitely didn't want any more involvement with someone like Scarlett.
Seeing her agree, William's expression softened slightly. He reached out and ruffled her hair, his touch gentle. "That's my good girl."
William and Ophelia sat in the corridor chatting for a bit. Before long, the emergency room door opened, and the doctor came out, removing his mask. "Ms. Lewis is fine—just caught a chill and suffered from shock, with a bit of low blood sugar. She's awake now, though her emotions are a bit unstable. Family can go in to see her."
William nodded and helped Ophelia to her feet. "Come on, let's go see her and get everything straight so she won't cause trouble again."
Ophelia nodded and followed William into the emergency room.
Scarlett lay on the hospital bed with a towel wrapped around her head and an IV tube in her hand. The moment she saw William come in, her eyes instantly reddened. Tears fell like broken beads, making her look like she'd suffered the greatest injustice.
"William, you're finally here. I almost didn't make it to see you again." Scarlett's voice was tearful as she weakly pointed at Ophelia. "It was Ophelia—she pushed me into the river! She's jealous that we grew up together, jealous that you treat me well, so she wanted to drown me!"
She cried as she spoke, tears falling even harder. She looked especially pitiful—anyone who didn't know better would really think she'd suffered terribly.
William walked to the bedside, looking at Scarlett with cold eyes and zero warmth in his voice. "Scarlett, stop twisting the truth."
"I saw everything clearly. You grabbed onto Ophelia's hand and wouldn't let go, and you pushed her underwater, trying to frame her. Do you think I'm blind?"
Scarlett's crying paused. A flash of panic crossed her face, and her eyes darted away, but she still insisted stubbornly, "That's not true! William, how can you believe her? We've known each other for so many years—don't you know what kind of person I am? How could I do such a thing?"
"It's precisely because we've known each other for so many years that I know exactly what kind of person you are." William's tone grew even colder, each word like an ice pick stabbing into Scarlett's heart. "From when you went to the Smith Group to cause trouble for Ophelia, to today when you deliberately asked her to meet you by the river to frame her—do you think I'd believe a single word you say?"
"I'm warning you—I can let this incident go since you got hurt too, but if you dare cause trouble for Ophelia again, if you dare try to frame her again, I'll not only ruin your reputation completely, I'll make the Lewis family disappear from Emerald City entirely. Try me if you don't believe it."
William's words carried a heavy warning. The coldness in his eyes made Scarlett shiver involuntarily, the panic in her heart growing worse.
She hadn't expected William to have seen everything or that he'd speak so absolutely, leaving no room for sentiment.
Ophelia stood beside William, watching Scarlett's panicked expression. She couldn't help but speak up, her tone carrying a hint of mockery. "Ms. Lewis, if you're going to act, at least make it convincing. The way you looked in the river just now didn't look like a victim at all."
"Also, William and I have already gotten our marriage certificate. We're legally husband and wife. Your so-called childhood friendship is just your own wishful thinking. Stop pestering us—it's pointless."
These words struck Scarlett like a thunderbolt. She looked at William in disbelief, eyes wide, her voice trembling. "William, is what she's saying true? You two got married? When did this happen? How come I didn't know?"
William put his arm around Ophelia's shoulder, holding her protectively. His eyes were firm, his tone serious, speaking each word clearly: "Yes, we already got our marriage certificate, just a few days ago. So from now on, please show some respect and stay away from my wife."
His words were like a knife, completely severing Scarlett's last hope. Her face instantly turned deathly pale, drained of all color. Tears fell even harder, but she couldn't say a word.
Just then, the hospital room door was suddenly pushed open. A middle-aged couple rushed in—Scarlett's parents.
Scarlett's mother, Mabel Simpson, immediately rushed to the bedside, grabbing Scarlett's hand and crying heartbrokenly, "My daughter, how did you end up like this? Who did this to you?"
Scarlett's father, Soren Lewis, stood to the side with a dark expression, scanning Ophelia and William in the room, his eyes full of fury.
Seeing Mabel and Soren, Scarlett cried even harder, as if she'd found her protectors. She pointed at Ophelia and said, "Mom, Dad, it was Ophelia—she pushed me into the river! She wanted to drown me!"
Hearing this, Soren exploded with anger, pointing at Ophelia's nose and cursing, "You woman, how can you be so vicious? What did ourScarlett ever do to you that you'd hurt her like this?"
"Scarlett has no grudge against you, yet you dared to try to kill her. Today I'm going to teach you a good lesson!"
As Soren spoke, he moved forward to strike. William immediately stepped forward, shielding Ophelia behind him, looking at Soren with icy eyes and a firm tone. "Mr. Lewis, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want, and you definitely can't get physical."
"Why Scarlett fell into the river—she knows very well in her heart. Ophelia didn't push her. She tried to frame Ophelia and ended up getting hurt herself. Let me remind you—before you speak, you'd better have evidence, or I can sue you for defamation."
Mabel chimed in, pointing at William. "William, what do you mean by that? Scarlett grew up with you—you were childhood friends. If you won't help her, fine, but you're actually helping this woman bully her? Can your conscience handle that?"
"Don't forget—if the Lewis family hadn't helped you back then, would the Brown Group be as big as it is today? Is this how you repay the Lewis family? You're truly ungrateful and don't know what's good for you!"