Chapter 46: A Public Humiliation
Hayley’s POV:
“Since you’ve said that, I’ll make sure to give you justice,” George said calmly, addressing Madeline. “But before we make any judgments, we need to find out the truth.”
“Grandpa, Madeline already told you—” Christopher started, but George shot him a look that made him stop mid-sentence.
“My apologies, everyone,” George said to the crowd. “You’ve witnessed a bit of childish drama tonight. But I would ask you to bear witness to what comes next. If my granddaughter Hayley truly did something wrong, I promise I’ll handle it fairly and see that justice is served.”
Notably, George no longer referred to Madeline by name, simply calling her “the victim.” Madeline seemed to sense something was wrong and tried to speak, but George didn’t give her the chance.
“There are several security cameras in the garden,” George continued. “So I invite everyone to move to the main hall where we can review the footage and get to the bottom of this. That way, we can ensure a fair resolution for these young people.”
The moment George mentioned cameras, Madeline’s face turned pale. She clung to Christopher, her voice shaking as she stammered, “There’s no need… I know Hayley didn’t mean it. I don’t blame her.”
Christopher frowned, clearly confused by her sudden change of heart.
“Madeline, don’t worry,” he reassured her. “Grandpa said he’d make sure justice is served. Let the facts speak for themselves.”
“But…” Madeline tried to protest again, but no one was listening anymore. She had no choice but to follow us to the main hall.
Watching her panic, I couldn’t help but think she deserved what was coming.
Once we were in the hall, all eyes turned to the large screen where the security footage would play. Benjamin had just arrived and glanced at me curiously before asking, “What’s going on?”
Before I could answer, a servant leaned in and quietly explained, “It’s said that Ms. Carson pushed Ms. Kilmer into the pool. Old Mr. Southwell is about to check the security footage.”
Benjamin raised an eyebrow and shot me a quick look. Would he believe, like Christopher, that I did it?
As I wondered, my Beta, Thomas, suddenly appeared beside me and whispered, “Alpha, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I whispered to Thomas, shaking my head.
Suddenly, I remembered that the two of us had been in the garden earlier. What if the footage showed us together? My heart sank. I quickly leaned in and gave Thomas a quiet command.
Thomas immediately understood and slipped out of the crowd to handle the situation.
I turned my attention back to the screen, like everyone else, waiting for the truth to come out. But after two minutes, the screen suddenly went black.
“What’s going on?” People gasped in confusion.
I noticed Madeline breathe a sigh of relief, and Christopher, catching her reaction, narrowed his eyes at her, clearly deep in thought. Is he only now starting to suspect her? I was amused by how slow he was. Honestly, he wasn’t even qualified to be my Beta.
After about 30 seconds, the screen flickered back to life. The footage resumed, showing the garden—except it skipped over the part with Thomas and me. Instead, it went straight to the scene between Madeline and me.
Good job, Thomas.
The speakers crackled to life, and Madeline’s voice echoed through the room. “I understand you, Hayley. You may be from the ruling family of the Shadow Pack, but you’re just an Omega. You only got favor by luck. But someone like you isn’t fit to marry our Midnight Pack’s Alpha, let alone be Luna.” Madeline’s face went pale as her voice played back for everyone to hear. She swayed slightly, her expression panicked.
“And if I were you, I wouldn’t waste my time on useless things like this. Instead of trying to get attention with tennis, you should look for a decent plastic surgeon.”
“Hayley, just because Grandpa dotes on you doesn’t mean you can look down on everyone. Believe me, I can ruin your reputation in a heartbeat.”
The room fell silent, and all eyes turned to Madeline in shock and disbelief. A high-ranking wolf, bullying an Omega—especially one who was a guest from the ruling family of the Shadow Pack—was unimaginable. Her words had crossed every line of respect and decency expected in these elite circles.
I stood there with my arms crossed, watching with cold satisfaction as Madeline was publicly humiliated. She had her hands clamped over her ears, trembling as the footage continued. The screen clearly showed her grabbing my arm and then intentionally throwing herself into the pool.
The truth was out!