Chapter 108: The Misjudgment

Claire was bewildered. She had been desperate to fight back and do whatever it took to protect her life, but the trending slum incident wasn’t her doing.

“Oh, really? Still lying? Claire, you’re quite the actress,” Harrison sneered, approaching the coffee table. He picked up a stack of investigative documents and flung them toward her.

Claire froze, staring at the scattered papers on the floor, unable to utter a single word. The documents contained detailed information about her time living in the slums. There were photos of her with Nora and records of their alleged plans. At the bottom of the stack was a gruesome image of Nora’s lifeless body, bloodied and mutilated beyond recognition.

“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? The evidence is clear. You can’t talk your way out of this,” Harrison said, his tone laced with certainty. Claire’s silence only fueled his conviction.

“Claire, I really underestimated you,” Frederick said, his gaze growing colder with every word.

“I…” Claire clenched her fists tightly, biting her lip until the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. She wanted to explain but stopped herself. She thought, “Even if I explain, will Frederick or Harrison believe me? Four years ago, they didn’t believe me. They won’t believe me now, especially not with these so-called ‘proofs.’ They are more detailed and damning than before.” The tragedies of four years ago—Anna’s death and now Nora’s—blurred together in her mind. Doubt and fear crept into her heart like weeds. From Anna’s death to Nora’s, someone had been pulling the strings all along. But she couldn’t understand why. Why were they targeting her? She couldn’t understand what they could possibly gain from all of this.

“What’s wrong? Run out of excuses?” Harrison pressed, his tone relentless.

“Harrison, Frederick,” Claire said, her voice trembling but steady. “Four years ago, you accused me of killing Anna. Back then, I was still the Prescott family’s heiress. I had the influence and resources to pull off something like that. But now, I’ve lost everything. I just got out of prison after four years. I have no money, no connections. How could I orchestrate all this?”

Claire realized she couldn’t stay passive any longer. She had to turn the tide, even slightly. She challenged them to investigate further, hoping they might uncover the truth. After all, Harrison was the Prescott family’s eldest son, and Frederick was a general in the Kingstown Security Department. If they wanted to investigate, they’d have far more resources than she ever could.

“Who knows what you’ve been up to in prison? Weren’t you the one who frequented underground clubs, seducing men left and right?” Harrison retorted with a mocking grin. “With your looks, it wouldn’t take much to find someone willing to do your dirty work. You’ve still got that pretty face, don’t you?” His words stung, dripping with humiliation.

Claire let out a hollow laugh, giving up on defending herself. She had known all along that they’d already made up their minds about her guilt. She didn’t want to bother trying to change their minds.

“What are you all standing there for?” Elizabeth’s voice cut through the tension as she descended the stairs. She looked at the trio gathered by the living room entrance, her expression sharp. Elizabeth had grown impatient waiting upstairs and decided to come down to see what was happening. As soon as she walked to the stairway, she saw Frederick, Harrison, and Claire standing at the living room door.

“It’s nothing, just a little misunderstanding,” Claire said quickly, snapping back to her senses. She bent down to gather the scattered papers and stuffed them back into the folder before handing them to Harrison. She didn’t want Elizabeth to see them; the contents might upset her.

“You’re such a performer. I wasn’t wrong about you,” Harrison muttered as he grabbed the folder. He glanced at Claire, disgusted by what he saw as her feigned innocence. Still, he didn’t want to provoke Elizabeth further. “It’s nothing, Grandma. I was just heading out to take these documents to the office. You two go ahead and talk,” Harrison said, making up an excuse to leave. Without waiting for a reply, he strode out of the room. He couldn’t stand being near Claire any longer.

“Alright, you two, come sit,” Elizabeth said, moving to the sofa and motioning for Frederick and Claire to follow. Frederick shot Claire a cold glance before walking over to Elizabeth. As he approached the sofa, his phone buzzed. It was a message from Harrison: “[Eclipse Nightclub. I’ll be waiting.]” Frederick glanced at the message before slipping his phone back into his pocket. Claire hesitated for a moment but eventually followed and sat beside Elizabeth.

“Grandma, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you in the dark. I had my reasons,” she said, grabbing Elizabeth’s hand and apologizing before she could speak. Elizabeth, however, interrupted her before she could continue.

“I don’t care about your reasons. I only know one thing: you and Frederick are not meant to be together. Starting today, you’ll stay by my side,” Elizabeth said firmly, her voice leaving no room for negotiation. “I have another house in the outskirts of Kingstown. You’ll move there with me. Pack your things today.”