Chapter 95
“The surveillance footage caught it all!” Heidi exclaimed, tossing the tablet onto the floor near Emily.
The thick carpet softened the impact, but the tablet landed screen–up, playing back the recorded footage. On the screen was a scene of Emily sitting on the sofa.
“What do you have to say for yourself now?” Heidi demanded furiously.
Zac, growing increasingly anxious, jumped in to defend Emily. “This doesn’t prove she poisoned anyone. It just shows she sat on the sofa. There’s no footage of her actually tampering with anything.
“Besides,” he continued, “there were multiple glasses of wine. How would Emily even know which one Heidi would take?”
Emily glanced at Zac with a look of gratitude.
Heidi, however, was unmoved. “Zac, whose side are you on?” she asked, her frustration boiling over.
“I’m on your side, of course,” Zac replied, his tone firm and righteous. “We can’t let the real culprit go unpunished. But maybe the poisoning wasn’t caught on camera, or the method used was something we haven’t considered yet,” he added, casting a meaningful look at Emma.
“Maybe the act of poisoning wasn’t caught on camera, or it was done using a method we haven’t figured out yet,‘ Emma murmured softly, her tone feigning innocence.
“Miss Xander, why don’t you explain how someone poisons a drink without being caught on camera?” Emily retorted, her calm yet icy voice slicing through the air.
Emma flinched at the sharp response. “I–I was just making a suggestion, Emily. No need to get upset,” she stammered. Shrugging her shoulders, she stepped back, hiding behind Justin as though intimidated by Emily’s
assertiveness.
“Enough!” Justin’s harsh voice cut through the tension, his eyes narrowing as he focused on Emily. “Just explain yourself and stop dragging others into this.”
“Justin, don’t be so hasty,” Zac interjected, his voice laced with concern. “It’s too early to draw conclusions.”
“The footage clearly shows her by the sofa! What’s left to argue?” Justin snapped, his gaze hard and unyielding.
Emily took a deep breath, the weight of her disappointment in Justin evident.
After three years of sharing a bed and a life, shouldn’t he at least know her character by now? Even if he didn’t love her, he should understand her better than this.
“Justin, I didn’t poison anyone!” Her voice was steady, but the exhaustion behind it was hard to miss.
She stood by the door, her slender frame feeling even smaller under the room’s piercing gazes. It was as though she’d already been declared guilty.
Helplessness and frustration rose inside her, the burden of their silent accusations pressing down like a heavy weight. She hated this–fighting a battle she never asked for, being wrongfully blamed, with no one to stand by her side.
“Ha! Of course the culprit would deny it,” Stella scoffed, throwing her a disdainful look.
“Then tell me, where would I even get poison?” Emily turned to face Stella directly, her tone resolute.
“Pesticides. They’re not exactly hard to come by,” Stella replied with a mocking shrug.
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Chapter 95
“Exactly,” Zac chimed in, his tone suddenly sharper. “If we investigate recent pesticide purchases, we might uncover the truth.”
Justin shot Zac a pointed glare, causing Zac to look away awkwardly, rubbing his nose.
At that moment, Sam knocked lightly before stepping into the room. “Mr. Yates, Mr. Wilfred Walker is here to see you.”
“Not now,” Justin replied curtly. “I’m busy.‘
“The poison didn’t come from this young lady.” A deep, accented voice carried into the room through the partially open door.
Everyone turned as Wilfred entered the room, his presence calm yet commanding. “Apologies for intruding, but I was near the sofa earlier and saw this young lady. She was drinking a non–alcoholic beverage the entire time and never touched the wine glasses.”
“Hi, Mr. Walker,” Justin stood up, walked over to William, and shook his hand before letting go,
“Hi, Mr. Yates.”
“My apologies for the lack of proper hospitality today. I hope you won’t mind,” Justin said, positioning himself directly in front of Emily.
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