Chapter 250 Do You Trust Me?

Chapter 251 Do You Hate Us That Much?

Ethan sent someone to check on Asher's whereabouts. The news that came back was unexpected—Asher had already been released on bail three days ago.

"Who bailed him out?" Ethan sat in his office, tapping his fingers on the desk.

Jake shook his head. "It went through proper channels, but we can't find any info."

Asher could still stir up trouble even after getting locked up. Looks like he was more capable than Ethan thought.

Ethan had someone look into the number that sent the anonymous text, but it had already been canceled with no records left.

The stuff online got stopped before it could spread. The photos and videos the reporters took never had a chance to blow up.

Aurelia's carefully planned scene didn't even make a splash.

In the rental apartment.

Aurelia had been scrolling on her phone all night and found nothing. No trending topics, not even a single discussion post.

She slammed her phone onto the bed.

"How is this possible... I planned everything so carefully. Why is there zero reaction?"

Unwilling to give up, she dug up the reporters' contacts and messaged them to ask what happened.

The reply was direct: [Someone up top gave the order. This can't be posted. Don't ask about it.]

Aurelia flipped her phone face-down on the table, her chest heaving.

She wanted Anna to lose everything and have everyone laugh at her and Ethan. But after all that effort, there wasn't even a sound.

"Ethan. Anna." She gritted her teeth and spat out the two names. "You think this is over?"

Aurelia heard that the Gray family's old man was throwing a big birthday party in a few days. She couldn't get the guest list, but she managed to get a waitress uniform.

On the day of the banquet, she skipped the cane to avoid attention. Luckily, everyone was focused on the guests, so no one noticed her.

The banquet hall was brightly lit, full of people in fancy clothes.

Hank sat at the main table, looking energetic as he drank with some old friends.

Ethan and Anna sat at a nearby table. Hopie was on Anna's lap, poking at the dessert with a small fork.

Aurelia kept her head down and carried a tray of glasses through the corner. No one gave her a second glance.

She slipped into the control room behind the hall when no one was looking.

There was only one young tech guy inside, staring at the screens.

Aurelia walked in and smiled. "Someone outside is looking for you. I think it's the manager."

The tech guy glanced back at her, didn't think much of it, and got up to leave.

Aurelia quickly shut the door, pulled a USB drive from her pocket, and plugged it into the computer.

The projector screen flickered. The old photos of Hank starting his business disappeared, replaced by a set of pictures.

The chatter in the hall went silent in an instant.

On the big screen, Anna and Henry were lying in bed, both wrapped in blankets, but their bare shoulders and panicked faces were clearly visible.

The room stayed quiet for two seconds, then exploded.

"What the hell is this?"

"Isn't that the Gray family's daughter-in-law?"

"Who's the guy next to her?"

Voices erupted all at once.

Anna's face went pale for a moment, but she didn't lower her head or avoid anyone's eyes. She handed Hopie to the nanny behind her, who quickly carried the child out.

Ethan stood up, his expression cold as ice, then pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Lock down the hotel. No one leaves."

Hank sat at the main table, setting down his glass. The smile on his face was gone. He didn't look at the screen, just glanced at Anna.

Anna stood up and walked over to the old man. "Grandpa, someone set this up to frame me. I can explain."

The old man looked at her for two seconds. "I know. Let's catch the person first."

Ethan's bodyguards had already blocked every exit. The security system kicked in, and all the floor monitors were pulled up.

In the control room, Aurelia saw movement in the hallway and her heart raced. She yanked out the USB drive, pushed open the door, grabbed a random stick, and hurried toward the back exit.

But the back door was blocked.

Two bodyguards in black suits stood there. They paused when they saw her.

Aurelia turned and walked the other way, her makeshift cane tapping quickly on the floor tiles. She cut through the kitchen, pushed open a fire door, and found herself at the hotel's outdoor pool.

On the other side of the pool was a garden, and at the end of the garden was a low wall. Climbing over it would lead to the street outside.

Aurelia dropped the stick and jumped straight into the pool without hesitation.

The splash caught the attention of the bodyguards chasing her.

She swam hard toward the other side, her soaked clothes dragging her down, her left leg burning like it was about to break.

Just as her hand touched the edge, a big hand grabbed her wrist.

She was yanked out of the water and thrown onto the tiles. She gasped for air.

Several bodyguards surrounded her, and Aurelia was taken to a small conference room next to the hall.

She was dripping wet, water running down her hair and pooling on the floor.

When Ethan walked in, she looked up at him with a faint smile. "Long time no see."

Ethan didn't look at her. He told the bodyguards, "Search her."

They pulled a waterproof bag from her pocket containing a USB drive and a phone.

Aurelia's smile froze.

Ethan picked up the USB drive. "You really hate us that much?"

"Yes." Aurelia sat in the chair, soaked and miserable, but her eyes were frighteningly bright. "I hate you so much. My leg is broken, everyone laughs at me, and I live like a rat. But you two? You're fine. Nothing happened to you. Why? I can't accept it!"

Ethan stared at her, no emotion in his eyes. "You broke your leg because you chose to. People laugh at you because of what you did."

"You forced me!" Aurelia shouted, cutting him off. "If you hadn't made me take the blame, my life wouldn't be ruined!"

Ethan's voice turned cold. "Everything you did was enough to put you away for years. She let you off easy, and now you hate her for it?"

Aurelia's lips trembled, but she didn't argue.

The old man walked in with his cane and looked Aurelia over. "What's your name?"

Aurelia kept her head down and didn't answer.

Someone else replied, "Aurelia Blake. She's a student at Summit Academy."

The old man stopped in front of her. "Young lady, you did all this just to get even?"