Jim shot Yvette a cold glance. “Did you see it with your own eyes? How can you be so sure your sister fell by accident?”

“Well…”

Yvette had never seen Jim this angry before. The way he stared at her made her heart tremble with unease. She stepped forward and tugged at the hem of William’s shirt.

“William, hurry up and explain to my dad. I know you didn’t push my sister. I believe you.”

William kept his head down and said nothing.

Cassandra arrived at that moment. Someone had apparently informed her.

As soon as Cassandra saw the Lloyd family crowding around William, she rushed over and protectively pulled him behind her like a hen shielding her chick.

“What are you Lloyds trying to do, huh? Ganging up on my son?”

Jim pointed at William. His usual mild, easy-going demeanor was gone. Now all that remained was a furious father demanding justice for his daughter.

“Who’s ganging up on your son? What I want to know is what your son did to my daughter. She’s still in the operating room right now. If something happens to her, William, how are you going to face her mother in the afterlife?”

Everyone present knew how much Melanie had favored William back in the day. If she could see now the kind of man her daughter had married, she’d be rolling in her grave with regret.

Cassandra didn’t even bother getting the full story before jumping in to defend William.

“You all keep saying my son is the one who hurt your daughter. Do you have any proof? And even if they had a little argument, that’s normal between a couple. No one wanted her to fall and hit her head.

“I think no one should be blaming anyone. My son was probably just confronting her about her and Tyler. You can’t even keep your own daughter in check. She’s a married woman, and still out there seducing other men.

“My son already told her clearly. The Lewis family has a complicated history with Tyler. He warned her to stay away from that man, but she refused to listen. Your daughter has no shame doing God knows what behind everyone’s back, and now we can’t even speak up about it?”

Cassandra might have been dressed like a wealthy socialite, but the words that came out of her mouth were harsh.

Jim was trembling with rage. He clenched his teeth. “How could you say something like that? Rachel is your daughter-in-law. She married into your family and has been with you for years. Do you all really see her as nothing more than an outsider?”

Jim couldn’t believe it. If Cassandra had truly treated Rachel like her own daughter, she’d never say something so cruel in front of everyone.

But Cassandra didn’t feel even a shred of guilt. On the contrary, she raised her voice arrogantly. “She’s been married to our family for years and still hasn’t given us a child. How am I supposed to treat her like a daughter?”

Jim’s face darkened with fury, but as a man, he couldn’t stoop to arguing with a woman in public. It would only make him a laughingstock.

So he turned his head toward Sasha and snapped, “Are you mute or something?”

Sasha snapped out of her daze and immediately stepped up to Cassandra with a forced smile.

“Oh come on now, Cassandra. We didn’t mean it like that. Like I said earlier, it was probably just a little misunderstanding between the couple that caused the accident. William must be feeling terrible right now too.”

Cassandra’s tone finally softened a little, though her posture was still proud and overbearing.

“That’s what I’m saying. It was just a little accident. Why is your husband acting like my son intentionally hurt your daughter? Isn’t it possible she just slipped and fell?”

Sasha kept nodding and smiling. “Yes, yes, of course. Young couples, you know, sometimes…”

“Sasha, are you out of your mind?” Jim shouted. “Do you even hear what you’re saying? How could you just throw Rachel under the bus like that?”