Lana had a bad feeling.
She did not expect Eve to run up to Niamh the next second. “Are you trying to end my life, Eveline Montgomery? You just want to see me in prison, don’t you? Why are you admitting to something you didn’t do?”
Sh*t!
Lana cursed internally at Eve’s claim.
Everyone in the banquet hall was confused. What was this woman talking about?
Niamh turned her head innocently to look at a frantic Eve. “What are you talking about? Weren’t you the one who claimed that we stole 30 million dollars from the charity funds together? Now that I’ve admitted it, so should you. It’s 30 million. That’s at least ten years of prison!”
“…” Eve did not know how Niamh could be this calm when she was petrified. “You… You really are trying to screw me up, Eveline Montgomery! It’s the things I said back then, isn’t it? That’s why you’re using this opportunity to take revenge! I won’t let you get away with this!”
Eve rushed to the police. “Don’t believe a thing Eveline Montgomery said, officer. The both of us never teamed up to steal any charity funds at all. It was a lie!”
“What?”
“A lie?”
Everyone was confused when they heard Eve’s frenzied explanation.
“Someone bribed me, officer. They made me say those things tonight, that Eveline and I teamed up to steal from the charity funds. I was used, officer! It has nothing to do with me!”
“What? She was framed?” The crowd was split into fury and suspicion.
Lana then realized that this was Niamh’s f*cking counterattack!
Eve had already taken the bait, the fear of spending ten years in jail urging her to tell everything.
The police stared at Eve with suspicion. “You were the one who claimed that Eveline Montgomery bribed you with 100,000 to transfer the funds. Yet now you’re telling me that was a lie? What’s real and what’s not?”
“Someone did indeed bribe me with 100,000 dollars, officer, but that person isn’t Eveline!” Eve rambled as she raised her hand to point at Lana who was making her escape.
“It’s her! She’s the woman who gave me 100,000 dollars, officer! She was the one who told me to say those things too. I was just a tool. I didn’t know anything else. She used me! Arrest her instead. She’s the one who should be imprisoned!”
Lana’s footsteps came to a sudden halt.
Eve quickly ran toward her and raged with a finger pointed at Lana’s nose. “It’s her, officer! She was the one who gave me money and told me to frame Eveline for stealing the charity funds!”
Feeling the suspicious gazes of those around her falling on her, Lana knew that she could not run. Instead, she put on a wronged and lost expression.
“I don’t even know you, miss. Please don’t accuse me of something I didn’t do!”
“What do you mean you don’t know me? You were the one who waited by my office last Friday and called after me! You were the one who told me to work together!” Eve accused, getting progressively frustrated. “You were just using me to deal with Eveline Montgomery, weren’t you? How could you be so sinister?”
Hearing this, Niamh turned to whisper to her secretary, Coco, who was standing by her side.
Coco nodded and quickly walked off.
Niamh looked up to stare at Lana but found her eyes landing on Kendrick who was standing behind the woman instead.
Their eyes met and Niamh coldly averted her gaze.
Lana’s composure had completely fallen apart by now as she glared at Eve to tell her to shut up. It only enraged Eve further.
“What are you glaring at me for? Are you denying that you weren’t the one who instructed me in the first place? You also told me that there’d be another woman who’d come and work with me to destroy Eveline! It’s her, isn’t it?”
Eve pointed at Naomi.
“You sinister plastic surgery btch! Don’t fcking use me just because you want to make Eveline pay!”
Slap! Lana sent a harsh slap across Eve’s face in mortification. “How dare you claim that my face is fake? Do you want to die?”
Eve cupped her face and returned to the police officer’s side. “You saw it too, right, officers? She hit me and won’t even let me tell the truth!”
Lana walked over to deny. “Don’t listen to this crazy woman, officers. I’m someone with status and power. How could I possibly do such atrocious things? She’s framing me. I don’t even know her at all. She’s lying!”
“You’re the one who’s lying, Lana,” Niamh interrupted in displeasure.
Startled, Lana turned to find Niamh easily releasing her wrists from the handcuffs that had never been locked in the first place!
It was Niamh’s plan all along!
Lana was enraged.
She was the one who wanted to set Niamh up, yet now Niamh was the one setting her up instead.
“You claim that you don’t recognize Eve, Lana, but I just had my secretary copy the surveillance footage from the company’s entrance when you two met last Friday.”
“…”
“I must say that you have quite the eye-catching short hair that you can even be recognized from inside the car.”
“…”
Lana ground her teeth harshly as she watched Niamh take the phone and reveal the scene of her sitting in the car as she talked to Eve.
The footage was not of high quality, but her silhouette was clearly identifiable.
Eve got excited as she saw the image. “You see, officers? I didn’t lie about this. She’s the one lying here! It’s her, she’s the one who created this entire set-up tonight. I was just being used, I’m innocent!”
“The most innocent one here is Eveline.” Anger fell on Ryan’s otherwise gentle features. “Please bring this woman in for investigation immediately, Officer Flo.”
Lana glared at Ryan. “How dare you ask someone to arrest me, Ryan?!”
“What? Am I supposed to be afraid of you?” Ryan was calm. “Let me remind you, Lana Johnson. This isn’t F Country.”
“You…” Lana was about to protest when metal handcuffs were wrapped around her wrists.
“Lana Johnson, you’re under arrest for a serious case of abetting crime. As the amount involved is of a substantial amount, please follow us back to the police station for questioning.”
“…”
Lana had never had handcuffs placed around her hands before, let alone experienced life in prison. She turned to look at Kendrick for help.
Kendrick glanced at her calmly. “There’s nothing to be afraid of if you’re innocent.”
“Of course I am!” Lana exclaimed, then turned to glare at Eve.
She merely rolled her eyes when another pair of handcuffs were brought to her wrists.
She was dazed. “Why are you arresting me, officers? I already told you everything I know. Why are you still arresting me?”
“Who else would they arrest, then? Me?” Niamh smiled and fired back. “You say you’re innocent, Eve, and that you’ve been used. But none of this would’ve happened tonight if you didn’t have the heart to harm me in the first place.”
“…”
Speechless, Eve stared at Niamh’s tranquil expression. Not only was she feeling like an idiot for being used, but she had also completely lost to Niamh.
With Lana and Eve brought away, Naomi was left to stomp her feet in infuriation.
She watched with eyes reddened by envy as Ryan defended Niamh.
Everyone who spoke ill of and suspected Niamh went up to give their sincere apologies.
The person in charge who had given Niamh the biggest earful flushed in embarrassment. “I’m really sorry, Ms. Montgomery. I should’ve investigated everything clearly before I accused you of anything. I’m really sorry.”
Niamh merely curled her lips into a shadow of a smile. “It’s alright, I’m used to being framed anyway.”
She smiled and looked down for a while. When she raised her gaze, it was much brighter than before.
“My parents may have left me and I may not have people who’ll defend me with everything they have in this world anymore, but that doesn’t mean I’m free game for those who want to hurt and bully me.”
Kendrick’s heart bled as he heard Niamh speak in the crowd, but he took the feeling in a stride.
He watched Ryan walk up to Niamh and hold her hand gently in his. “You’ll have me from now on, Eveline. Let me wholly protect and love you in place of your parents.”
Kendrick felt his heart aching. Forcing his reluctant gaze away from Niamh, he left without a trace.
Faced with Ryan’s blatant confession in front of everyone, Niamh did not know how to reject him.
She did not want Ryan to lose his dignity in front of so many people.
Thinking back to her past, she could not imagine being worthy of such a perfect man.
Seeing Niamh’s conflicted gaze, Ryan smiled and changed the subject. He turned everyone’s focus back on the charity gala.
Niamh took the opportunity to walk outside to take a breather.
The early autumn wind had grown cold without her realizing, and Niamh could not help the sneeze that came up as she stared dazedly at the starry sky.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.