Chapter 275

A whisper rippled through the crowd: "It's Mr. Bennett! The silhouette and outline are unmistakable."

"So Mr. Bennett and Ms. Jones met three years ago?"

"A male model? They were just having fun. What's the big deal?"

"Shirley, you're disgusting! You not only took secret photos but also made false accusations!"

"Luckily, Mr. Bennett arrived in time; otherwise, Ms. Cynthia Jones wouldn't have been able to clear her name."

"How could she be so malicious, inventing stories to defame someone?"

Shirley was stunned. That was my best plan to destroy Cynthia! she thought. I've kept that video for years. How could it become "fun" between them? How could that male model be Jonathan?

Jonathan's face was somber, yet a smile played on his lips. "The Dark Horse Club is a legitimate dining and entertainment establishment, not what you're imagining. Plus, I'm the main shareholder. Shirley, let me tell you, that night was the first time Cynthia and I met. You were actually our matchmaker." Not the first time, he thought. It was a reunion.

Shirley's eyes widened. I was their matchmaker? Jonathan's words were subtle, but Shirley understood. Shirley drugged Cynthia, and I became her cure. That's how we got together. she thought. I pushed Cynthia into Jonathan's arms? I made it happen?

"No, no way! It can't be! Why does Cynthia have such good luck? Why?!" Shirley exclaimed, disbelief etched on her face.

Jonathan's face turned cold. "Even if you were our matchmaker, we wouldn't thank you for it. Shirley, you drugged my wife three years ago. It's time you paid for it."

"No, I didn't do it! It wasn't me!" Shirley protested.

"Then how do you have these photos?" Jonathan countered.

"Someone else gave them to me. Cynthia offended someone else, not me!"

Jonathan moved closer, step by step. "You were at the Dark Horse Club that night, by the bar. I saw you spike Cynthia's drink with my own eyes."

"You're lying!"

"I saw it with my own eyes. Shirley, my wife and I are suing you for poisoning!"

"You're slandering me! What evidence do you have?"

"I saw it myself; I am the evidence." His cold, sharp gaze pierced her.

"You're slandering me, Jonathan! How dare you?"

He cut her off, stepping closer. "I saw it all. You spiked Cynthia's drink at the bar counter. After she drank it, she became unconscious. Shirley, it was you!"

Shirley's mind raced, frustration mounting. "Cynthia wasn't drugged at the bar…"

Jonathan said, "Then where?"

"She was drugged at home…" Shirley froze, realizing her mistake.

Everyone realized it too. Jonathan had played a mind game. He hadn't actually seen Shirley spike the drink, but he'd provoked her into confessing. Having obtained his answer, he straightened up.

He walked to Cynthia and gently put an arm around her shoulder. "Are you alright?" he asked, speaking to her for the first time.

Cynthia nodded. "I'm fine." She knew Shirley had drugged her. Even after Cynthia had broken two of Shirley's arms, Shirley hadn't confessed. Yet Jonathan had elicited the confession with a few carefully chosen words, employing psychological tricks and leading questions like "the bar counter." He'd waited for Shirley to slip up in her self-justification, his commanding presence making it seem nothing could be hidden from him.

The onlookers erupted in condemnation. "Shirley, how could you be so malicious? You drugged your own sister and took photos and videos to ruin her three years ago?"

"How scheming! She kept that video for so long."

"Everyone in Roncrity knows that after the real Jones daughter returned, Cynthia was practically kicked out. Why would anyone slander and frame her?"

"She's done so much to frame Cynthia! Such a vicious person!"

"The Jones family is one of Roncrity's wealthiest families. How could they have such a daughter?"

Shirley couldn't bear it anymore. "Shut up! You know nothing! You only see Cynthia's good side, but hasn't everything she has been taken from me?!"

Selena strode forward and slapped Shirley. "Shirley, from now on, you're no longer my daughter." Selena hadn't known about the drugging. For three years, she'd endured Shirley's treatment of Cynthia, hoping to alleviate her obsession. She never expected this.

Shirley covered her face. "Mom, you want Cynthia back, don't you?" she laughed hysterically. "I knew it! Ever since I returned, you've been pretending. You still think about Cynthia. You snuck into the hospital every night when she tried to kill herself. You cry over her photos! You're biased, but only on the outside. You care more about Cynthia, and so does Dad. You both look down on me. I wanted to destroy her, to drag her down from her high position. Everything she had was supposed to be mine! She stole my parents, my spotlight, my life, and I hate her for it!"

Shirley seemed to have lost her mind. Selena wept, speechless. She knew of the rivalry but hadn't imagined Shirley's twisted mind.

Justin staggered over, pointing a trembling finger. "You're insane! A lunatic! I'm cutting all ties with you, you ungrateful bastard! Get out!"

Jonathan remained calm. "I'm afraid that's not possible. I've already reported this to the police."

SEND GIFT