Chapter 386

Mia and Paul heard the noise and quickly rushed over, finding Nora unconscious on the floor.

Paul looked at Mia and asked, “Honey, do you think we’re being too tough on our daughter?”

Mia shook her head, tears streaming down her face. She whispered, “Tough? If we don’t lay down the law with her this time, she’ll never grow up. It’s obvious, even to someone who’s not very smart, that Jennifer was taking advantage of her. Jennifer walked away untouched, leaving our family in a worse situation. What’s happening now is about as good as it gets. The company might be stable, but it’s as if we’ve gone bankrupt to Nora. No matter what, she’s my daughter, the one I carried for ten months. No matter how she turns out, she’s still my daughter. It’s my fault for not raising her properly. You handle the company, and I’ll guide her and make sure she grows up well this time.”

Paul, with tears streaming down his face, agreed with Mia. He said, “I get it. Let’s move to another city, away from these so-called friends who only know how to party. Nora will become better.”

No amount of money was more important than Nora’s life. Paul made a decision right then and there: leaving this place might lead them to a better life.

Mia was very worried about Maris. With tears in her eyes, she said, “Maris is my good friend. She even called me last night to warn me about Jennifer. But before I could prepare, everything went wrong today. Honey, Maris exposed the situation between Nick, Camellia, and Colin. Who would’ve thought things would go wrong so quickly?”

Paul asked, “Wasn’t Natalie already caught as the culprit?” He was shocked to find that someone really dared to commit a crime so openly.

Mia shook her head and said, “Between Jennifer and Natalie, it’s like fire and water. Natalie was most likely framed. Jennifer wants to clear her name, while Camellia and Colin want revenge, so they frame Natalie using that excuse. Regardless of whether Natalie killed Maris or not, this kind of public opinion helps Jennifer clear her name. That’s their goal. They want Jennifer to appear completely innocent from start to finish, so they shift the blame onto Natalie. Behind Natalie is the Spencer family. They’re a powerful family in Shagrity, and we can’t get involved in this any further. Let’s take Nora to the hospital.”

Paul carried Nora on his back and called his son to drive over and take Nora to the hospital.

The Lewis family fell apart in just a few hours. Easton didn’t take over the Lewis family. Mia went to talk to Easton and managed to calm the situation with him. But over on Murray’s side, it was already too late. The Lewis family was severely affected, but they learned a lesson. Their company was already struggling. Murray’s actions surprisingly helped them by buying their company, filling their economic gap.

Sometimes a crisis could also be a turning point.

Mia recorded a video to apologize to Natalie personally. She said, “Ms. Shawn, I’m sorry. My daughter acted foolishly and said unpleasant things about you under Jennifer’s influence. I feel deeply sorry for this. The conflict between you and Jennifer was entirely told to Nora by Jennifer.”

The apology was straightforward, but it put Jennifer in the hot seat. Mia wouldn’t let Jennifer, who schemed against Nora, get away with it. Just a few words hinting at manipulation were enough to tarnish Jennifer’s name beyond repair. Jennifer thought she had stabilized the situation and that she could clear her name. But with Mia’s involvement, public opinion shifted, and netizens began to criticize her.

When Jennifer tried calling Nora again, Nora’s phone number was disconnected. She shouted, throwing her phone in frustration. Her eyes were filled with anger. She thought, “That fool had even gotten her mom to go online to clarify the situation and then disappeared.”

She gritted her teeth, her facial muscles twitching slightly in anger. She cursed inside, “Mia is such a jerk!” Her hands unknowingly formed fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, yet she felt no pain.

At that moment, chaotic thoughts rushed through her mind, with anger burning inside her as if it would completely consume her sanity. She thought, “Now that Mia has meddled, things will only worsen. I barely managed to clear my name, but now my effort is ruined.” Her gaze became even colder, like a bottomless pool on a winter night.

She had played the victim, acted all weak and vulnerable, and tugged at heartstrings to get Easton to dote on her, but now everything changed. She stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the snow–covered city. This winter seemed particularly long. She reached out, trying to catch a bit of the winter wind, but she couldn’t grasp it, just like she could never capture that man’s heart.

Tears filled Jennifer’s eyes as she caressed her belly. Octavian kept avoiding, unwilling to admit to the baby. However, she couldn’t completely sever their relationship now. Jennifer looked at her tired reflection in the window. She had ruined what could have been a winning hand.

Then, she let out a cold laugh. She thought, “Natalie and Easton are never going to be together. Whether Easton has been intimate with me or not, in Natalie’s view, Easton could never be blameless. If I can’t have Easton, there is no way Natalie could either.”

At that moment, Oliver hurried in and said, “Ms. Simpson, Natalie has been released.”

Jennifer frowned, thinking, “How could it be so quick?”

Oliver was really upset. With a dark expression, he said, “Ms. Simpson, it was Murray and Emma who testified for Natalie. Murray wasn’t feeling well last night, so Natalie went to the Spencer residence to care for him all night. They provided video proof, giving Natalie an alibi. As for Maris’ fate, no one knows. By the time I arrived, the Spencer family had already provided evidence faster than we did.”

Jennifer was trembling with anger, tears at the corners of her eyes. She choked as she asked, “Oliver, how did it come to this? We had succeeded, but now it feels like we’ve lost everything.”

Jennifer felt an unbearable emptiness inside. At this moment, she was as cold as ice, with no hint of warmth in her eyes. Camellia didn’t love Jennifer at all; her only love was money. Jennifer wanted to uphold Camellia’s dignity by helping her live openly with Nick. But nothing turned out as Jennifer imagined; she wasn’t happy at all.

Oliver said, “Ms. Simpson, wait a moment. Maybe there’s still a chance. Colin and Mr. Garcia won’t leave you behind.”

Jennifer painfully closed her eyes and whispered, “Get the trending topics suppressed. I got played by Mia, that low-down woman.”

Seeing Jennifer’s pained silhouette, Oliver felt heartache. He thought, “Ms. Simpson is so smart, yet her impatience is counterproductive. Now, all we could do is wait. The path to stardom seems to be at a dead end.”

He gave a cold smile and said, “It’s already handled. The rest is up to Davian. He’ll take action soon.”