The Nash family members lashed out at Marissa with these accusations, their anger mounting with each statement, seemingly on the verge of physically attacking her. Marissa’s head buzzed with the onslaught of their anger
Finally, the head of the family, Rex, sighed deeply. “Dad, this is all my fault. I didn’t guide Tiffany properly. I’ve let down my brother. If you are angry, punish me instead.”
Ayla said to Rex, dissatisfied, “Dad, why do you always defend her? It was tolerable before, but now that she has upset Mr. Connor Daniels, you still want to protect her? She ruined Grandpa’s treasured soup, and you want to bear her punishment?”
Sansa chimed in, seemingly trying to reason with him, “Rex, we may have spoiled Tiffany rotten in the past. Now she truly needs discipline. Otherwise, who knows what further troubles she might cause? Our family could be destroyed because of her.”
“That’s right, Rex, stop protecting this wretched girl. We know you miss your brother and aim to properly educate his daughter, but Tiffany is not making any effort. You’ve done what you could, and nobody will fault you for her failures.”
“Sansa has a point. Unless we control this troublesome girl, she could bring down our whole family!” The Nash family members agreed with Sansa, and Rex felt he had no choice but to accept their judgment. He sighed deeply and turned to Marissa. “Tiffany, I’ve failed in teaching you properly. Let your grandfather discipline you today. Think about your actions and make amends. Your father is watching us from above.”
Marissa sneered and addressed Balthasar. “Grandpa, they accuse me of ruining your Longevity Soup. Shouldn’t they show some proof?”
Balthasar gestured towards Nia, Stacy, and Zoe. “Aren’t these three witnesses?”
Marissa quickly retorted, “Everyone knows they are loyal to Sansa. They only repeat what she says. Can their testimony really be trusted?”
“What do you mean, Tiffany?” Sansa’s expression darkened as she questioned. “I have raised you as if you were my own daughter since you were a child. You never went without anything that Ayla had. Now you’re accusing me of slandering you? Where is your sense of gratitude?”
Marissa responded with a sarcastic smile. She had never been one for plotting, but when pushed, she preferred straightforward tactics to underhanded ones. The insincere expressions of those around her showed that Tiffany had often been mistreated, always bearing it in silence. Today, Marissa would defend Tiffany and expose their true natures!
“Let’s drop the pretense and speak plainly. Sansa, you never really treated me as your daughter. It might have looked like I received the same food, clothes, and necessities as Ayla, but all along, you were sabotaging my future. When I was young, you deliberately prevented me from studying properly, causing me to drop out of high school and gain a reputation as a useless fool. You repeatedly set me up, causing my engagements to be annulled, making me a complete laughing stock, while your daughter shone in every way. You thought you had everything under control, but you didn’t anticipate that I’d earn Mrs. Arabella Daniels’ trust and marry the most influential man in Blebert. This shattered your plans, so you plotted to bring me down again. Today, as soon as I arrived, your servants attempted to ruin my face. When that failed, you turned to using Grandfather’s Longevity Soup as a weapon against me. Am I right, Sansa?”
Some scenes appeared calm until the truth was spoken aloud. Once revealed, however, the truth could be quite embarrassing
Sansa had never imagined that the usually cowardly and accommodating Tiffany would bring their private conflict into the public eye. She was completely unprepared for such a confrontation. Her face flushed, then paled, and finally turned livid with anger
With a stern expression, she retorted, “How can you say that, Tiffany? It really hurt me. You know I’ve always treated you well.”
Marissa sneered. “Sansa, God isn’t blind. If you’re lying, watch out for repercussions.”
“You…” Sansa was so infuriated she couldn’t find the words. Ever since she became the hostess of the Nash family, nobody had dared to confront her this way. Even Balthasar showed her a measure of respect. Why had Tiffany, who used to be submissive, suddenly turned so defiant? As Sansa struggled to respond, Ayla interjected angrily, “Let’s look at the surveillance footage!”
“That’s a good idea. Check the surveillance footage!” Nia shouted
Although the footage might show that she and the servants had started the argument, it could also reveal Tiffany was the one who had spilled the Longevity Soup. The Nash family members all disliked Tiffany, so her and the servants’ behaviors wouldn’t be a concern for them. But getting caught sabotaging the soup would definitely land Tiffany in trouble!
Everyone awaited the surveillance footage. However, the butler arrived empty-handed. Wiping sweat from his brow, he said, “Mr. Nash, the house’s surveillance system has been hacked, and all footage has been deleted.”
“What?” The room erupted in surprise
The Nash family’s security system wasn’t easy prey for just any hacker-it would take a top-tier professional to destroy it. But why would a top-tier hacker target the surveillance system of the Nash family’s house instead of their company?
Sansa stood abruptly and asked, “What’s going on here?” She had planned to use the video to ruin Tiffany’s life completely. But now that the evidence was gone, her frustration and disbelief were obvious
Before the butler could respond, Marissa sighed heavily. “Why are you still acting, Sansa? It’s clear to everyone what happened.”
“What do you mean?” Sansa was furious and, for a moment, felt like lunging forward and destroying Marissa’s face. However, Marissa just smiled casually and added, “Whoever erased the footage did so because it was damaging to them. Everyone knows I lack the means to hack into the surveillance system. So, who would be worried about the footage harming them and also have the capability to delete it? Just think about it. The answer is pretty obvious.”
She was clearly suggesting that Sansa was responsible. It was hard to dispute Marissa’s point, as it was exactly what any reasonable person might think
“You…” Sansa was left speechless, her anger making her tremble. Yet Marissa didn’t stop there. “You’ve really gone to great lengths to destroy me.”
“Tiffany, don’t slander my mother. She didn’t have the surveillance video deleted!” Ayla interjected furiously. She hadn’t anticipated her mother being accused and had hoped that Tiffany would be punished by her grandfather. Ayla struggled to control her emotions. Yet, Marissa remained composed. “Ayla, getting angry won’t help. It’s unbecoming for a girl as talented as you.”
Ayla inhaled deeply, suppressing the harsh words bubbling up inside her. She tried her best to hold back her anger and pretend to be calm. “Tiffany, you did it. Denying it won’t change anything. We can’t review the surveillance footage, but we have a witness. Stacy, tell us what you saw!”
Stacy, suddenly the center of attention, trembled and looked around instinctively. Her anxiety deepened when she locked eyes with Sansa’s intense gaze. Since she started working in the Nash family’s house, she had been constantly by Sansa’s side. Having benefited from her position as Sansa’s personal servant, she had also learned firsthand how ruthless Sansa could be and had never dared to oppose her. Regarding Tiffany, Stacy doubted that she could have accessed any serious poison. The Nash family was renowned for their medical expertise, and Sansa would surely find a way to neutralize any toxin in her body
After a moment of contemplation, Stacy lifted her head boldly and began to speak…
Stacy had already chosen to align herself with Sansa. After all, how could Tiffany, who was seen as worthless and universally disliked, possibly defeat Sansa? Anyone with a bit of sense would choose Sansa’s side
However, before she could speak up, Marissa interjected, “Who says I haven’t brought honor to the family? I’ve made significant strides in my medical practice. Just the other day, Mrs. Arabella Daniels was in a critical situation, and the doctors had given up on her. Yet, I managed to save her. My medical skills are improving rapidly.”
Ayla scoffed immediately. “We’re discussing how you ruined Grandpa’s soup, not your supposed medical achievements! Even if you became as skilled as the renowned healer Riss, you’d still be punished for ruining Grandpa’s soup!” Marissa simply smiled and chose to remain silent
Stacy hesitated, holding back her intended remarks. She had heard about Tiffany’s miraculous save of Arabella. Though some said it was just luck, who was to say Tiffany couldn’t pull off another miracle today, potentially against her?
If she crossed Sansa, the worst she faced was losing her job and the Nash family’s hefty salary. But angering Tiffany today, particularly with the surveillance footage gone, might be life-threatening. If Tiffany decided to retaliate, Stacy might die without any proof of being poisoned
After wrestling with her thoughts, Stacy completely reversed her stance. Drawing a deep breath, she said, “I was with Zoe and Nia when we were taking the Longevity Soup to Mr. Nash. But on the way, Zoe made a mistake, and when Nia scolded her, Zoe lost her temper and threw the soup in Nia’s face.”
Everyone turned to look at Stacy, surprised by her explanation. Initially, they believed Tiffany was being ignorant and arrogant, taking advantage of her marriage into the Daniels family to behave recklessly. Following a heated argument between both sides, they began to suspect Sansa of setting Tiffany up. But now, a third narrative emerged-a mere conflict between the housekeeper and a maid had escalated
As Ayla didn’t receive the confirmation she wanted, her patience snapped, and she slapped Stacy hard. “You liar, how dare you make up such stories!”
Stacy fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she pleaded, “Miss Nash, I swear I’m telling the truth. That’s exactly how it happened. Even if you kill me, I won’t change my story. I’m not lying.”
Ayla, unable to press further without seeming tyrannical, had to back down. Coercing a confession would only reinforce the notion that they were trying to frame Tiffany. Nearby, Nia and Zoe glared at Stacy, stunned by her unexpected defiance of Sansa’s implicit directive
Zoe, being lowly and unable to speak, could only seethe with anger. However, Nia, used to wielding power within the Nash family, lost her composure immediately. She grabbed Stacy by the hair and slapped her hard, yelling, “You little bitch, how dare you slander me? I’ll beat you to death!”
“Ah! Help!” Stacy’s cries of pain echoed through the hall
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.
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