Chapter 123
Hearing this, everyone immediately broke into an uproar.
Kids don't lie. And Owen was Charlotte's own son.
No matter what, he couldn't possibly help Sabrina frame Charlotte!
As a result, the tide of opinion began to shift. Even Amanda hesitated. Had she been too hasty in supporting Charlotte?
Quentin became smug again: "Charlotte, even your own son won't help you. Looks like you've lost this one."
Facing everyone's questioning looks, Charlotte showed no panic at all. Instead, she gave Quentin a cold glance before turning to Maurice: "Mr. Walker, does this collection room have security cameras?"
Maurice suddenly realized: "Yes! My son just checked them a few days ago. They're definitely working."
“Good. Have someone pull up the footage,” Charlotte said evenly.
"Then we'll know who's telling the truth."
No one objected.
Only Charlotte noticed Owen subtly clutching his clothes, his unease barely concealed.
However, at this moment, she felt unusually calm.
If Owen had chosen Sabrina, then so be it. The truth would speak for itself.
"Charlotte!"
Sabrina’s voice cut through the room, carrying a wounded, reproachful tone. “Why are you still being so stubborn? Why waste everyone’s time?”
“You’ve turned a pleasant gathering into a disaster. Don’t you feel even a shred of guilt?”
Then she suddenly made up her mind: "Fine, if we must get to the bottom of this, I'll just say I broke the brooch."
"Mr. Forbes, I really don't want this to make everyone unhappy anymore. How about you pay Mr. Walker first, then slowly deduct it from my salary?"
Her words, delivered with apparent humility, immediately deepened the crowd’s favorable impression of her.
"I always thought Sabrina was ungrateful, but she's actually quite sensible."
"Exactly. Compared to Charlotte who refuses to admit it, she's much more reliable."
"No wonder Mr. Forbes would rather bring her than Charlotte. I'd do the same."
Amanda’s expression wavered. Had she misjudged Charlotte? Was Charlotte truly someone reckless and unreasonable?
If so, then perhaps the Forbes family’s treatment of her wasn’t entirely unjustified.
Hearing everyone question Charlotte, Owen's panicked heart suddenly felt a strange sense of revenge.
Charlotte deserved it!
Who told her to always favor Philip and help him steal Owen's first place honor in the parent-child competition?
This time Owen would definitely help Sabrina win it back!
"Mom, stop bullying Sabrina!"
Owen shouted at Charlotte: "Didn't you say if you do something wrong, you should admit it? Then why won't you admit it?"
Charlotte had been observing Sabrina quietly, but she hadn’t expected Owen to still be siding with her.
Looking at Owen, she suddenly smiled.
Very well. If that was his choice, he would have to face the consequences.
Maurice exhaled impatiently. “Forget it. That brooch originally belonged to Lynn anyway. Consider it returned to her daughter.”
Amanda understood Maurice's thinking and quickly helped smooth things over: "It's almost dinner time. Let's all go back."
As the group began to disperse, Charlotte stepped into the doorway, blocking their exit.
"Sabrina, pulling up the surveillance won't take long, yet you keep trying to stop it. Are you feeling guilty?"
Alexander finally lost patience. He grabbed Charlotte’s wrist. “How long are you going to keep this up? Come with me.”
With that, he pulled Charlotte toward the exit.
Not as strong as Alexander, Charlotte stumbled and nearly fell.
"Let go!"
Almost simultaneously, two voices rang out.
Charlotte looked up in surprise to see Landon standing in front of her, grabbing Alexander's collar: "I'll say it again - let go."
A flash of helplessness crossed Alexander's face: "Landon, Charlotte is in the wrong this time."
“Everything will be clear once the footage is shown."
Landon released his grip and held up his phone: "Just give everyone two minutes."
"This is the surveillance footage I just got from security."
Maurice had always appreciated Landon, so he immediately said: "Since Landon brought the surveillance, let's take a few minutes to watch it."
No one objected.
Even Alexander had no objection. Because in his mind, the person who broke the brooch could only be Charlotte. Landon bringing the surveillance would only further prove Charlotte's character.
Only Sabrina and Owen turned pale.
Sabrina stared at the phone in Landon’s hand, her heart sinking.
Landon… why do you always protect Charlotte? Am I really so unworthy of your attention?
The footage appeared.
Sabrina lowered her gaze, her breath tightening.
It was all over!
If they saw her deliberately forcing Charlotte to kneel, everything she had built—her reputation, Alexander’s trust—would collapse.
For a moment, she felt as though she were drowning.
Then Alexander’s voice suddenly rang out, sharp and commanding.
"Owen! Get over here."
Why wasn't he calling Sabrina's name?
A tug on her skirt snapped her back.
"Sabrina, save me!"
It was Owen's voice.
Sabrina's eyes flew open and she stared at the video still playing on loop.
On the screen, she was seen opening her arms toward Owen, unaware of the brooch lying directly in his path.
Owen ran past Charlotte and into Sabrina’s arms.
Nearby, Charlotte suddenly called out: "Owen!"
But before she could finish, Owen had already rushed past Charlotte and into Sabrina's arms.
At the same time, everyone clearly saw Owen step heavily on the brooch.
When he lifted his foot, the brooch was shattered.
Sabrina let out a long breath and came back to life.
The truth was unmistakable.
The person who stepped on the brooch was actually Owen!
Murmurs broke out immediately as the crowd processed what they had just seen.
Meanwhile, Quentin, seeing things going badly, quietly slipped away.
At this moment, seeing Owen still daring to ask Sabrina for help, Alexander felt even more humiliated: "Owen, get over here!"
Sabrina quickly recovered her composure and bent down beside the boy. “Owen, don’t be afraid. I’ll go with you.”
Then she slowly walked with Owen to Alexander: "Mr. Forbes, this is all my fault. I didn't see clearly what was on the ground and didn't warn Owen in time."
Alexander looked at her coldly. “It’s precisely because you keep covering for him that he lies and shifts the blame onto Charlotte.”
Sabrina lowered her head, nervously wringing her fingers: "Mr. Forbes, I wanted to criticize Owen too, but Charlotte kept insisting on calling the police. I was worried it would scare Owen, so I foolishly helped him lie."
Her voice softened further. “But we both acknowledge our mistake. Please don’t blame Owen. He didn’t do it on purpose.”