CH 24
James’s voice thundered, cutting through the moment. His face was a mask of barely contained fury. “Despite all this clever talk, it doesn’t change the fact that Ethan pushed Smith into the pool!”
The sharp sound of a slap shattered the tense atmosphere. Sophia’s palm had struck James’s cheek with surprising force, leaving him stunned. His face twisted in disbelief as he stared at her, unable to reconcile what had just happened. Around them, the servants froze, their shock mirrored in wide, unblinking eyes.
“Sophia, what the hell are you doing?” James demanded, his voice rising in a mix of anger and bewilderment.
“Exactly what needed to be done,” Sophia retorted, her tone sharp and unyielding. Her glare bore into him. “Olivia was absolutely right—you’re an utter fool.”
James opened his mouth to respond, but Sophia cut him off, her voice cold enough to freeze the room. “Can’t you see? Both Olivia and Ethan were being sarcastic. They weren’t confessing to anything.”
His silence spoke volumes, and Sophia seized the moment.
“To claim that Ethan, in his condition, could push Smith into the pool? It’s absurd. Any rational person could see that Smith simply slipped. Or is your bias so deeply ingrained that you instinctively blame Ethan every time Smith gets into trouble?”
For a brief moment, Sophia’s fiery exterior wavered. A shadow of guilt crossed her face as she reflected on her actions. She had hoped that Smith’s return would uplift Ethan’s spirits, yet the opposite seemed to have happened. Worse still, she realized that if Olivia hadn’t intervened, she might have wrongfully accused Ethan herself.
“Please, let’s not fight over this,” Smith interEmily Grantcted weakly. His damp hair clung to his forehead, and his voice trembled with distress. The vulnerability in his expression was almost theatrical, a subtle attempt to garner sympathy.
Olivia, watching intently, felt a peculiar déjà vu. The way Smith carried himself—the calculated vulnerability—reminded her of Sophia.
“I’ve already admitted it was my own clumsiness that caused the fall,” Smith added, his voice steady despite the shaky undertone. “Ethan isn’t to blame.”
The words hung in the air, seemingly benign. Yet Sophia’s sharp instincts detected something else. Beneath Smith’s conciliatory tone lay a deliberate effort to cast himself as a pitiable victim, drawing attention and sympathy while subtly shifting the focus away from his motives.
The garden was secluded, rarely visited, and conveniently beyond the reach of surveillance. The pieces began falling into place, and Sophia felt a shiver run through her. Could Smith have orchestrated the entire incident, intending to cast doubt on Ethan?
James sighed heavily, his frustration palpable. “If this is just a misunderstanding, we should let it rest,” he grumbled, tossing the stick he’d demanded onto the ground. “Have someone escort them back to their rooms.”
Sophia opened her mouth to argue, but the words refused to come.
“Ethan, let’s go,” Olivia said softly, stepping behind his wheelchair and guiding him away.
________________________________________
Back in Ethan’s room, the tension dissolved into unexpected laughter. Ethan’s chuckles started softly, then grew into a deep, hearty laugh that echoed through the walls.
“What’s so funny?” Olivia asked, perching on the edge of the bed. Her head tilted slightly, her chin resting in her palm as she watched him curiously. Tears of laughter gleamed in his eyes. “Have you suddenly found something amusing about yourself?”
Ethan paused, a smile lingering at the corners of his mouth. “Olivia, I have to say, you’re quite the asset. Since the accident, Smith has been circling me like a vulture, constantly scheming. And here you are, cutting through his nonsense like a blade.”
Olivia’s lips curled into a small smile. “I understand the feeling. It seems fate decided to bind us together, two people ensnared by similar schemers. In my case, it was a woman. For you, a man.”
“Schemers,” Ethan echoed thoughtfully, nodding in agreement. “That’s the perfect word for them.”
She leaned back, her hands propping her up as her curiosity deepened. “But knowing your nature, Ethan, I doubt you’d be easily outwitted. From what I’ve seen, someone like Smith wouldn’t stand a chance against you.”
Ethan’s eyes dropped to the beads in his hand, which he toyed with absentmindedly. “Smith alone isn’t enough to provoke me into revealing my full potential.
