CHAPTER 97

He Is Holding The Winning Card

The dining hall got tense with everyone glaring daggers as Benedicta was racking her brain on how to lie, and get out of the situation unscathed.

"What are you saying, Penelope? What did you tell them?" Benedicta asked facing Penelope so that the lady would not say a thing and also changed her mind about talking.

"You know what I am talking about, Benedicta stop acting like you don't," Penelope yelled, and seeing Maurice's cold face she was determined to drag Benedicta with her.

'There is no longer way I am going to be the only one that gets burnt by this' Penelope promised herself as she faced Maurice ready to finish Benedicta.

"As you all know I am here as the girl that was kidnapped with Maurice…I mean Mr. Heather," Penelope said, seeing that Maurice's face wasn't friendly when she used the informal tone with him.

Benedicta panicked seeing that Penelope was bringing up words like that and she panicked.

"What are you saying? Are you not her?" Benedicta says trying to do damage control since she saw that Penelope was out to ruin her.

She wanted Penelope to get involved in the conspiracy even though she was going to expose them. Benedicta decided to deny any involvement.

"Don't panic, Benedicta, the real highlights haven't been said yet," Alexa says, glaring at Benedicta warning her not to interrupt the girl's words again.

"I am not the girl that Maurice had been looking for..I am sorry that I lied," Penelope said, bowing her head in shame, and Benedicta gasping seeing that everything was over.

She was really correct after all…Penelope was ratting her out.

"What! You are not the girl? Then what are you doing here?" Benedicta asked, and Alexa scoffed knowing what she was trying to do.

She was trying to act clueless and escape the brunt of the situation.

"Don't act clueless Benedicta you know better than anyone what I am saying at the moment," Penelope says, facing Benedicta and the lady's expression was ghastly.

"What? What are you saying?" Benedicta asked, but Penelope did not entertain her anymore.

"I work as an escort in a popular bar in the city, but my boss called me one day that someone has a job for me…and that person was Benedicta," Penelope says, and Benedicta gasped like she was just getting to know about what was going on.

Alexa looked at Benedicta and she was tempted to give her accolades because her way of acting clueless was really leaving her dumbfounded.

Penelope went on to how Benedicta proposed the plan about fooling Maurice and pretending as the girl that he has been looking for.

She also tells them about how Benedicta created a situation where she was going to meet Maurice's man and posed as the lost girl making their plans more believable.

Penelope finished her words by mentioning the prize that Benedicta promised her if she could get rid of Alexa.

"Wow! So you did all that?" Alexa asked surprised even though she was aware of all the girl had been saying.

She just decided to ask the girl to say it again, because she thought that Benedicta was going to deny the allegations if they did not recall all that she had been up to.

"That's not possible…that can't be me," Benedicta says, with an unbelievable voice like all that Penelope says was done by another person.

"What did you mean it can't be you? Is she not talking about your Benedicta? Or did you hear her mention another?" Alexa asked, irritated by the girl's ways of avoiding things.

"What are you saying?' Benedicta asked with a shaky voice looking at the scene in front of her and she was tempted to bolt out without looking back, but she knew that was going to be a wrong move because that would be like she was admitting to whatever wrong she had done.

She could not let Penelope ruin her like that. She has worked so hard to plant her in the house, but she did not just get caught, but she was also trying to implicate her which isn't sitting right with her.

"You heard her, Benedicta, what did you have to say for yourself?" Maurice asked, facing Benedicta after Penelope's accusations and Benedicta looked shaken like she was going to faint.

She could never imagine that her plan was going to backfire like that.

She racked her brain knowing that if she agreed to whatever Penelope was saying that meant she was going to be shooting herself in the leg.

"Yes it is true that I know about all that she has just said but..I never knew one thing for sure," Benedicta says, and Alexa wondered what she was saying and she also wondered what she was rambling all about.

"What are you saying? What did you mean by saying you don't know about anything? Are you trying to wean yourself off the guilt?" Alexa asked, and Benedicta did not bother with her as she faced Maurice with a pitiful gaze.

"I did everything for you cousin..everything is for you," Benedicta exclaimed looking at Maurice and they all waited to see what the girl was up to.

"So what did you do for my sake? Say it…I want to hear it," Maurice says, and Benedicta gulped her saliva in fear hoping and praying that nothing was going to be wrong.

"It was true that I was an acquaintance, but that's not the true story.. there is more to it," Benedicta says, and Maurice chuckles hearing her words but he knew that was more like a way for Benedicta to save herself.

"Really? Maurice asked and she nodded her head thinking that the man must have understood her, but Maurice shocked her by placing his phone on the dining table.

"I would implore you to watch that video first before you start shooting yourself in the leg," Maurice implores and Benedicta picks up the phone with a shaky hand.

She feared that whatever was in the video might be something that implicated her and she might not be able to refute and it was just like she thought.

She clicked on the video and gasped in shock seeing the content and she raised her head to look at Maurice who was looking down at her with a condescending smirk.

"I am sorry to disappoint you cousin…but in this game, I hold the winning card and I just give you a checkmate"....