Chapter 71 Proving Innocence
Everyone turned toward the voice, me included. The crowd automatically parted to let him through.
He walked forward with complete composure, his gaze direct and unflinching as he looked straight at me. I frowned, meeting his eyes while casually sizing him up. My gaze finally settled on his face, which bore some resemblance to Edward's. My frown deepened.
I was certain I didn't know him. Why would he stand up for me?
I quickly glanced at Nicholas beside me. Dark clouds shadowed his handsome features, his eyes full of confusion and doubt. So not a friend of Nicholas's, then. I was completely baffled.
Sophia Johnson, Edward's mother, had a complicated expression as she snapped in a low voice, "Liam, stop making trouble!"
The surrounding murmurs reached my ears. "Who is that? Oh, it's Liam, the Johnson family's younger son they just found."
"I thought the Johnson family only had one son?"
"Apparently he went missing as a child and they couldn't find him. But now that the eldest, Edward, isn't working out, the family searched again and brought him back."
"So today's gala is... exactly. It was supposed to be a reunion party, but I just heard Edward didn't give them face and left early."
"That makes sense now. Edward doesn't want anything to do with his little brother, and now this mess happened. Mrs. Johnson wants to sweep things under the rug quickly—makes sense she wouldn't care about the truth. Just didn't expect her younger son would wade into this mess."
The gossip continued, but I pressed my lips downward, losing interest. So I'd inadvertently become collateral damage?
As I considered my next move, Sophia stepped forward and pulled Liam to her side, suppressing her voice. "Don't meddle. Let me handle this."
Liam looked reluctant. He gave me one long look. Why refuse help that walked right up to me?
I allowed the tiniest curve of my lips and stepped forward. "Mr. Johnson, what exactly did you see? Did you see that I was trying to leave but Ms. Stone forcibly stopped me? Did you see that I was clearly away from the pool's edge, and only approached it because she was dragging me—yet I'm still being accused of pushing her?"
I rattled off several specific details. Liam nodded in agreement, adding that Penny had been the instigator from the start.
Penny stood there dripping wet, her carefully styled hair plastered to her scalp. Hearing us go back and forth, panic flickered across her pretty face. She quickly sidled up to Sophia, playing the victim. "Mrs. Johnson, even if Ms. Rosewood and I had a conflict, I would never hurt myself like this!"
Sophia's expression was equally unpleasant. I let out a soft laugh, looking at Penny with derision. "And you think I'd be stupid enough to push you into a pool in front of everyone?"
Penny choked on her words. Sophia's gaze turned scrutinizing. I continued unhurriedly, "This banquet hall must have security cameras. Why don't we check the footage?"
Penny's pale face went even more transparent. She clenched her teeth, glaring daggers at me. I looked away unconcerned. I'd seen that look plenty of times from Sabrina. Besides, when Penny decided to come after me, she should've anticipated this outcome.
Sophia rubbed her temples irritably. "Enough." She looked at Penny. "Ms. Stone, think carefully—are you sure you didn't slip and fall in accidentally?"
Sophia's voice carried authority and a hint of pressure. Liam stood calmly behind her, as if he'd never interfered at all. When he caught me looking at him, he smiled and raised his eyebrows.
Suddenly, I swayed slightly. Someone wrapped an arm around my waist, deliberately blocking my line of sight. Nicholas.
I was both exasperated and amused, trying to signal him with my eyes to let go. Nicholas pressed his lips into a thin line but ultimately didn't do anything else. I thought to myself: Is he seriously jealous?
Over there, Penny hemmed and hawed but wouldn't admit anything. The surrounding speculation gave me ideas. "I wouldn't admit it either. Once you do, what happens to future business collaborations?"
"Right? This kind of underhanded tactic is shameful."
"Don't they say you have to consider the owner before beating the dog? How did this blow up without anyone from the Summers family stepping in?"
I turned my head slightly, scanning the room. Sabrina had vanished. Instead, I spotted Clara in an inconspicuous corner, looking distressed and conflicted. Since I was feeling so helpful, I might as well give her a hand.
I turned to Penny. "Ms. Stone, you claimed you came to confront me on behalf of your best friend Clara. So let me ask you—what exactly did I do to Clara that was so terrible? If I really did something wrong, why didn't she come confront me herself?"
My words effectively roasted both Clara and Penny. Sophia shot me an unfriendly glare, clearly displeased that I wasn't letting this go. I completely ignored her expression. She'd just tried to use me as a scapegoat—did she really expect me to be pleasant now?
The guests buzzed with renewed discussion. I kept my attention on where Clara was standing. Finally, she seemed to make some kind of decision.
"I'm sorry. This is all my fault." Her clear voice instantly silenced the entire hall.
Clara, in a white dress with reddened eyes, gracefully approached. She looked like an innocent little white flower, utterly pitiable. Clara walked right up to me and bowed in apology.
I remained unmoved, watching her coldly. "What did you do wrong?"
"I'm sorry. I was in the restroom earlier and didn't know Penny had come to trouble you. We grew up together—we're very close. She heard some outside rumors and misunderstood you. That's on me. Catherine, could you please let this go?"
In just a few words, she'd chalked everything up to a misunderstanding and given herself an alibi. Every mistake was Penny's alone—she had nothing to do with it.
I sneered inwardly. Whether or not she was present, I didn't know, but Sabrina was definitely involved. However... the last time Clara saw me, she'd been all high and mighty. How had she changed so much in such a short time?
When I didn't respond, Clara didn't give up. She turned her focus to Nicholas beside me. "Nick, are you still angry with me about that misunderstanding between Catherine and me last time?"
My heart jumped. Was she talking about when she kicked me out of Nicholas's place? What else had happened that I didn't know about?
Clara continued, her voice choking with emotion. "We've known each other for years. Don't you know what kind of person I am? Nick, do you really think I told Penny to cause trouble?"