Chapter 267: What If They Believe

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“Caleb!”

Casey stared at him, baffled. What kind of threat was that? Blinking, she shook her head and smacked her forehead, shoving her phone at him. “Forget that! Just look at this! Someone’s actually speaking up for you!”

Still frowning, Caleb took the phone and scanned the post. His expression remained unreadable. “Who’s this? And why would they bother defending me?”

Years of experience had taught him to be cautious. He didn’t trust easily, especially not strangers on the internet. The idea that someone would voluntarily go out of their way to defend him, gather evidence, and clarify the truth was unthinkable. That kind of effort gets you nothing but headaches and hate online. Maybe it’s just another trap; some new way to mess with people.

Casey never expected that to be his first reaction.

“Why are you like this?” she snapped. “Someone steps up to help you, and instead of being grateful, you start doubting their intentions!”

She was fuming. If someone had defended her like that, she’d be overjoyed. But Caleb was always suspicious, spinning conspiracy theories like it was his full-time job.

Caleb shot her a lazy glance, still pessimistic. “Just wait. Even with proof, they won’t believe it.”

People only believed what they wanted to believe. The moment something challenged their view, they’d twist reality just to make themselves feel right.

Casey pressed her lips together, her initial excitement slowly fading. As much as she hated to admit it, Caleb had a point.

Evidence doesn’t always work in your favor. Who knows when another twist might show up?

Why would a stranger go out of their way to help him? All it would do was drag them into the chaos and subject them to the same public backlash. Their true motive remained a mystery.

Still, a small part of her wanted to believe.

“But what if… just maybe, they might actually… believe it…” Her voice trailed off, growing softer until it disappeared entirely.

Once again, Caleb wore that familiar, unreadable expression—somewhere between a smirk and a shrug, as if to say, “Told you so.”

A sudden surge of frustration flared in Casey. “So what?” she shot back. “Just because it might not work out doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try! You still have the tenancy agreement from when you rented the apartment, right? Post that online! Once people see it, they’ll believe you!”

But Caleb’s expression didn’t waver; his eyes remained calm, almost detached. “That won’t work. They’ll just say I forged it, that I was so desperate to clear my name, I went as far as faking a contract. And even if that weren’t the case, do you really think the Quixall family would let me tell the truth? The real culprit is Yelena. George would never allow anyone to jeopardize the family’s reputation, no matter who they are.”

So the moment he posted the tenancy agreement, it would be taken down. All their efforts would amount to nothing more than a futile struggle.

For an ordinary person to go up against influence and power—it was nothing short of a fool’s dream.

Casey grew increasingly anxious. “So what, you’re just going to roll over and accept it? Sit back and watch them drag your name through the mud until there’s nothing left?”

Caleb let out a quiet breath, almost a scoff. “And what about you? Can you prove you didn’t scare Jesse on purpose?”

Rumors could shape a person’s image. Once people were convinced of something, changing their minds was next to impossible.