Chapter 267
Cynthia was also very worried. The allergic reaction was caused by incense she had made; no one knew its ingredients better than she did. Perhaps she could help with the diagnosis.
Cynthia nodded. "Let's go." Naomi and Cynthia followed closely behind Hector.
On their way to Hector's house, they noticed a crowd gathered, filled with excited screams.
People exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! It's Harvey Xenus! No way, he's really Harvey!" "Wow, I just saw a Starlight Cinema rock star! Am I daydreaming?" "Harvey, I'm your biggest fan! I can't breathe! Tell me I'm not dreaming! How did Mr. Sullivan get Harvey here?"
Passing by, Naomi peeked at the crowd. She thought, Harvey? The twin?
Harvey was pushing through the crowd, shielding his head. He bumped into Naomi, nearly knocking her down.
Naomi, initially annoyed, saw his face and shouted excitedly, "The twin! It's really you!"
Harvey looked puzzled. "Who are you?"
"I'm Naomi!"
Before Naomi could say more, Cynthia pulled her away. Harvey was a little surprised that the "king of children" had grown up to be so petite.
He didn't have time to think; he simply followed them. Unbeknownst to him, everyone from Naomi's yard tagged along.
Therefore, when they arrived at the Xenos family's dining room, it was packed. People crowded the hallway, peering around the door, chattering excitedly.
At that moment, Justin had just slapped Shirley. She looked angry and frustrated. She turned to Justin, "Dad, how could you hit me?"
Shirley was furious. Being slapped in front of the Xenos family—and so many others—was humiliating. Many recognized her. Naomi had invited the Roncrity elite, people Shirley often encountered.
They began to gossip. "Isn't she Shirley? Why is she here?" "Shirley, why were you slapped? What kind of trouble are you in this time?" "Shirley, you look so bad. Is something bothering you? Tell us what it is so we can have a good laugh."
Despite her attempts to mingle, everyone knew her history: plagiarizing Miss Y's work at an international competition in Pillere; framing Cynthia at her birthday party; and the most recent scandal—her shameless attempt to seduce her sister's husband right in front of Cynthia (videos of which had gone viral).
The wealthy children in this circle no longer associated with her. Everyone looked down on her. Seeing so many familiar faces in the dining room, Shirley's face darkened.
She thought, Why is there always a huge crowd around me when I'm embarrassed? She spotted Cynthia. It clicked.
She thought, Cynthia. It's always Cynthia. I end up in these horrible situations because of Cynthia. The incense, and the pendant… Cynthia must be involved.
Shirley hurriedly pointed at Cynthia. "It's her, Dad, Cynthia! She made the allergenic incense. She's framing me! And I got that pendant from her too! It's her! It has to be her!"
Shirley was convinced it was Cynthia's doing. She felt she'd fallen into Cynthia's trap.
Like a whirlwind, Shirley pulled Cynthia from the crowd. "It's Cynthia! She framed me! She can't stand me being happy and making friends with the Xenos family. She just wants to ruin my life!"
Shirley was agitated. The others were confused. Cynthia pushed Shirley's arm away.
"Shirley, the truth is actually the other way around, isn't it?"
Justin was at a loss. He didn't know why Cynthia was there but decided not to worry about it then.
He quickly asked, "Cynthia, what exactly is that incense made from? Shirley said you made it. Why did it cause allergic reactions and rashes? What's going on?"
"Yes, I made the Laron Floral Essence," Cynthia said, glancing at a box on the dining table. "The one Shirley has is from three years ago. It's expired."
Shirley screamed, "Why didn't you tell me it was expired? You're trying to set me up!"
Cynthia, angry, chuckled. "I've been away from the Jones residence for years. I haven't been in that room for three years. I never expected you'd sneak into my studio and steal the incense I made three years ago to give it to someone!"
Shirley turned pale. "What do you mean? Watch your mouth, Cynthia! That's my house! Everything there belongs to me!"
"So you knew it would expire. Why didn't you take it when you left? Did you leave it there on purpose, thinking I might give it to someone else? You wanted to set me up! Cynthia, you're evil!"
Everyone was shocked. Anyone with common sense saw Shirley's unreasonableness.
Criticism followed. "Shirley, you're being completely unreasonable! How could Cynthia have predicted three years ago that you'd take her things to please someone else?" "Yeah, it's just incense, not a treasure. She didn't need to do this." "I've seen shameless people, but you win, Shirley. You're so cheeky and shameless!" "Shirley, you're just jealous of your sister, so you try to ruin her reputation. It's not the first time, anyway."
Seeing everyone side with Cynthia, Shirley, furious and with her reputation destroyed, decided to make Cynthia suffer.
"You're all Cynthia's stooges! Cynthia, this isn't over between us!"
She picked up the pink pendant and threw it at Cynthia, who easily caught it.
Shirley shouted, "Cynthia, you gave me a fake on purpose, right? Did you sell the real one and make a fake? You made this counterfeit, didn't you?"
Cynthia laughed. "So, you stole the pendant! I was wondering where it was."
Shirley, unconcerned about her reputation and unable to secure the Xenos family's favor, decided to ensure Cynthia couldn't either. With both Cynthia and the Xenos family present, she revealed her true nature.