Chapter 23: Ophelia’s Proof
This time, Ophelia was not lying. After Bessie took her notebook and Madeline secretly replaced her flowers, she felt insecure without a camera in her room. Immediately, she took out her phone, operated it briefly, and then played a surveillance video. The video clearly showed she had only touched the box once—when she first picked it up.
Madeline’s face turned pale, and her legs felt weak. Seeing her reaction, everyone understood she had shattered the jade pendant.
Glenda furiously snapped, “How dare you frame Ophelia like that?”
Madeline fell to the floor, crying out, “Madam Pruitt, Mr. Winford, please forgive me!” She instinctively looked to Elva for help, but Elva looked shocked and angry. “Madeline, I thought of you as a good friend and spoke up for you! How could you do such a thing?”
Madeline felt a surge of desperation and wanted to confess that Elva had pushed her to do it. But the second she locked eyes with Elva’s intimidating stare, she couldn’t bring herself to spill the truth. She knew she couldn’t say Elva made her do it; after all, Elva was Bertha’s daughter. If Bertha begged Glenda for leniency, Elva would be in the clear. In the end, she would gain nothing and only face Elva’s revenge. She had to bite her tongue and hold back the truth, crying out instead, “Madam Pruitt, Mr. Winford, I know I was wrong…”
Glenda furrowed her brows tightly and angrily demanded, “Why are you framing Ophelia?”
“I didn’t want this. It’s Mrs. Pruitt who pushed me to the point where I had to do this!”
Ophelia raised her eyebrows. “What did I do?”
Madeline cried at the top of her lungs, “I only touched a few of Mrs. Pruitt’s flowers, and she made a big issue of it, wanting to kick me out. In the end, Bertha pleaded for me, and I was allowed to stay, but Mrs. Pruitt still deducted my bonus for several months… Madam Pruitt, please have mercy on me. My father is disabled, my mother is seriously ill, and my brother needs tuition for school soon. My whole family relies on my salary and bonus to survive! It was just a few wilting flowers. Even if I didn’t touch them, Mrs. Pruitt would have thrown them away in a few days. For this, Mrs. Pruitt takes away the money that could save my family…”
The surrounding servants couldn’t help but feel pity, and Glenda’s attitude wavered. She looked at Ophelia with displeasure. As Winford’s wife, Ophelia needed to establish authority in Sunset Vista, but was it necessary to make such a big deal out of this and be so harsh? The servants also thought Ophelia lacked compassion.
Seeing everyone’s reaction, Madeline covered her face and subtly smirked. However, Ophelia remained calm. She was about to speak when Winford’s voice sounded beside her.
“Did she steal the flowers I gave you?”
Ophelia was surprised and looked at him. Winford’s eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his gaze was a bit dark. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She was a bit taken aback, not expecting him to care about such a trivial matter. Ophelia felt a touch of warmth in her heart and shook her head. “She took half of them, but I handled it myself and didn’t tell you. You’re so busy every day, and there’s no need to waste time on such a small thing.”
Her voice was soft, and her words were touching. Winford’s long fingers, casually placed on the armrest, gently curled. Then, with a cold gaze, he looked at Madeline.
“For what you’ve done, Ophelia only deducting your bonus for a few months is already lenient.”
Madeline, in panic, turned her head and cried for help, “Madam Pruitt…”
Since her grandson was diagnosed with a terminal illness, Glenda had started praying every day. Thinking of Madeline’s earlier confession, she couldn’t help but frown and sigh, “Winford, it’s just a few flowers. Let it go. We can get another jade pendant…”
“Madeline, you stole the roses I gave to Ophelia, broke the pendant my grandmother gave me, and deliberately framed Ophelia. I will not tolerate someone as cunning and manipulative as you staying at Sunset Vista any longer,” Winford said calmly. “If you did it, you must take responsibility and face the consequences. What does it have to do with your family?”
The tactic of playing the victim to gain sympathy didn’t work with Winford. He was known for his cold-heartedness.
Seeing that he was on her side, Ophelia felt a sweet sensation in her heart. However, at the same time, she didn’t want him to have an argument with Glenda over Madeline. So, Ophelia subtly pulled at his sleeve, signaling him to stop talking, and then spoke to Glenda.
“Grandma, Madeline is a liar. None of her words can be believed.”
Glenda frowned. Madeline tried to retort, but Ophelia’s cold gaze fixed on her first.
“You claimed your father is disabled, your mother is seriously ill, and your brother needs money for school. But how come the information I have differs from what you said? I heard that your parents are both healthy and spend every day gambling. And your brother, if I remember correctly, took the college entrance exam two years ago and didn’t get into any university. So, what school is he attending?”
Madeline’s face suddenly changed, and she looked at Ophelia in disbelief. How could Ophelia know so much about her family’s situation? Ophelia knew this, of course, from her memories of her previous life.
“Is it true?” Glenda was shocked, not expecting a servant to dare lie to her.
Ophelia nodded, her expression serious. “Of course, it’s true. If you don’t believe me, you can have someone verify it.”
Madeline’s face turned pale, panic and guilt evident in her eyes. “No, Madam Pruitt, I didn’t lie…”
Clearly, everything Ophelia said was true. Glenda was extremely angry and felt embarrassed in front of Ophelia, so she decided to drop it, sighing. “Winford, you handle it yourself.”
Seeing that Glenda was willing to trust her, Ophelia felt relieved. Coming to her senses, she noticed a burning sensation on the back of her hand. Looking down, she realized she was still holding Winford’s sleeve, and he was looking at her hand with slightly lowered eyebrows, his mood unclear. Ophelia quickly pulled her hand back. He raised his eyes, his deep, cold gaze fixed on her.
Ophelia put her hand behind her back and blinked her beautiful eyes at him, looking completely innocent. “Honey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but Ophelia thought she heard a hint of regret in the simple word. She didn’t notice Glenda’s surprised look beside her.
Honey? Had Ophelia always addressed Winford like that? And he actually accepted it! It seemed that Winford really had feelings for Ophelia.
While secretly watching Ophelia, Glenda was forming opinions about her. Seeing the slight closeness between Ophelia and Winford, she felt even more delighted.
Chapter 23: Ophelia’s Proof
However, Glenda, thinking of Ophelia’s style in handling matters, felt somewhat hesitant. Thinking about Elva’s comments on Ophelia’s arrogant behavior since coming to Sunset Vista, Glenda slightly frowned.