Chapter 121

Manuel could barely speak, the words tumbling out in a rush. "Selina, I'm so sorry. But Ashley shouldn't pay for my mistakes—that's not fair." His heart ached. Had he known Selina was Angel, the world-renowned jewelry designer, he never would have suspected her of theft. It baffled him how, since Selina's return to the Harvey family, suspicion had fallen on her after several thefts. It made no sense. Selina wasn't the uneducated, sloppy country girl everyone believed. Her alias, Angel alone, made her a global legend, with an income most in the Harvey family could only dream of. She wouldn't even look twice at the petty jewelry in question.

A chilling thought struck him: could someone be framing Selina?

Before he could fully process this, Selina landed a hard punch to his stomach. "Until you meet my demands, don't bother showing up… otherwise…" Her words trailed off as the blow sent Manuel doubling over, coughing. Caleb, who had arrived to check on Manuel, witnessed the scene. He rushed to push Selina away. "What the heck are you doing?"

"Don't lay a hand on Selina, Caleb!" Manuel roared, stopping Caleb in his tracks. "She just punched you, and you're still defending her? Have you lost your mind?"

With a great effort, Manuel stood, chuckling bitterly through the pain. "Maybe I am crazy, but I owe this to Selina. Just go, Selina."

"Why would I go? The Starlight Club is my husband's place. Don't pretend you didn't know," Selina replied nonchalantly, too weary to argue. She turned and left, leaving a fuming Caleb staring after her. Grinding his teeth, Caleb turned to Manuel, who winced. He steadied Manuel. "Manuel, why would you do this to yourself?"

Manuel's eyes remained downcast. "This isn't about why—this is what I deserve." He couldn't undo the past. How could he follow Selina's implied suggestion to hurt Ashley to regain her favor? That would only inflict the same cruelty he'd shown Selina. Observing Manuel's regret, Caleb shook his head. "Man, I don't even know what to say."

Caleb couldn't believe the turn of events. It wasn't Manuel's life that was fantastical—it was Selina's! The girl he thought hadn't finished middle school, the simple country girl… now a world-famous designer? No wonder her racing skills surpassed his. Selina had been playing the long game, hiding her true abilities.

Manuel's gaze sharpened. There was something else… The repeated frame-ups, the accusations of theft, the biased judgments… a traitor among the Harveys. He had to root out this danger, clear Selina's name, and bring her justice.

"And the other thing is, I need to get you to a hospital, stat. You might have internal injuries. Selina doesn't know her own strength. You're practically keeling over!"

By the time Manuel returned to the Harvey residence, he'd called Quinton and Sara, instructing them to wait in the study. There was an important matter to discuss.

"Manuel," Ashley said with concern, "why are you back so late? Even Mom and Dad seem upset."

"It's nothing. Get some rest, Ashley." He offered no further explanation and headed for the study, leaving Ashley with a feeling that something significant was happening. Manuel wouldn't usually leave her wondering.

The urgency in Manuel's phone calls had alerted Quinton and Sara—a conversation too delicate for the phone, needing a face-to-face discussion. Ashley inferred that Manuel's erratic behavior was linked to Selina's revealed identity—her idol, Angel. Tonight's visit to the Starlight Club confirmed it. She couldn't be left in the dark. She followed quietly, determined to uncover the truth.

Just as Manuel reached the study, he heard Ashley's footsteps. "Ashley, why are you here? Didn't I tell you to rest?"

"I can't sleep, Manuel. I feel something's happened, something related to Selina, right?"

Seeing Manuel's silence as agreement, Ashley grabbed his hand. "If that's the case, I can't ignore it! Selina is my sister too! Do you think that now that Selina is Angel, I'm not qualified to be a Harvey?"

"I… I wanted to handle this quietly. Ashley, you're so kind-hearted. It would have been better if you didn't know."

"Manuel, I'm a Harvey, and I have a right to know! If this involves Selina, I can't stand by! If you don't tell me, I'll go to Selina and find out myself!"

Ashley turned to leave. Manuel, defeated, stopped her. "Alright, Ashley, let's go into the study and clear things up with Mom and Dad."

"Okay!"

Once Manuel and Ashley entered the study and Manuel shared his suspicions about someone framing Selina, Ashley's face paled. Fortunately, she'd insisted on coming. It would be terrible if the Harveys found any evidence implicating her. No one suspected Ashley. In their eyes, she was kind and innocent.

"Quinton, we really misunderstood Selina," Sara said, defeated. She recalled slandering Selina for shoplifting and refusing to apologize. "We can't just say we wronged her because she's Angel. Maybe Selina has some weird shoplifting quirk. Faces can be deceptive, and who in this house would dare to harm my daughter?"