Chapter 98
Realizing he couldnโt hide it any longer, Ethan handed his phone to Zinnia. She wasnโt much of a phone person and rarely browsed the online forum.
Ethan reassured her, โZinnia, donโt worry. We donโt believe whatโs in those forum posts. Weโve already stood up for you. If we have surveillance footage, this whole mess will be cleared up quickly.โ
Ethan studied her expression carefully. He thought, โClearing her name wouldnโt be hard as long as there was surveillance footage. The truth would come out, just like last time. If we can get the surveillance footage from the Shaw family this time, this can all be cleared up quickly. But given the strained relationship, and since this involves both Zinnia and Betty, they probably wonโt hand it over.โ
If Ethan could think of it, Zinnia certainly could.
Zinnia calmly handed the phone back to him and said, after reading the negative comments about herself on the forum, she pressed her lips tightly together. โItโs fine. Donโt mind it.โ
Lydia scrolled through the online comments, labeling Zinnia as having an arrogant and domineering personality and being scheming. Her pale lips curled into a razor-sharp smile, frost glinting in her eyes.
Lydia looked at Zinnia with concern and asked, โZinnia, can you walk me through what happened between you and Betty? When and where exactly did it all happen?โ She didnโt believe Zinnia could have done such things.
Zinnia met Lydiaโs gaze. Lydiaโs eyes brimmed with tender concern.
Zinnia wasnโt bothered by the online drama. What truly surprised her was how much they cared about her, despite barely knowing her. They were already so protective.
Zinnia felt a strange mix of emotions. Facing Lydiaโs question, she clenched her fists and slowly exhaled, trying to calm down.
Zinnia continued, โJuly 2nd, 1:30 PM, end of the second-floor hallway. Betty broke the vase. I had stepped out when she deliberately threw it to the floor and accused me of breaking it. She picked that spot on purpose. The cameras probably didnโt catch anything.
โOn July 5th, at 9 a.m., Betty went downstairs to pick up the jewelry the store had delivered to Maelis. She knocked on my door and asked me to send it with her. But when we opened the box, the necklace inside was already broken.
โThe necklace was intact when it was delivered from the jewelry store. Betty must have broken it when she came to find me, maybe between 9:00 and 9:05 AM.
โOn July 15th at 9:23 PM, Timothy returned from the law firm. I had the maid prepare soup. I supervised the brewing and then let the maid bring it to him. But within twenty minutes, Timothy started having diarrhea.
โBetty accused me of drugging Timothy. Somehow, there was white powder at my room door, and the doctor confirmed it matched what was found in Timothyโs soup. It must have happened between 9:38 and 9:41 PM.
โOn August 1st at 7 a.m., I was heading out to take the trash when Betty insisted on doing it for me. I refused and took it downstairs myself. But Yosefโs shredded bid documents later turned up in the trash bag in my room.
โOn August 5th, after Howard returned home from his race at noon, he told the Shaw family that someone had tampered with the screws on his car. Betty immediately said she saw me near Howardโs car earlier.
โI went to the garden to help Alfred tidy up the flowerbeds. I did pass by Howardโs parking spot, but never actually went near his car. I have no idea when the screws on his car got tampered with. Betty never really guarded against me, so some of her schemes werenโt that well-hidden. But after what happened last time, she must have deleted the surveillance footage.โ
They fell silent.
Zinnia recounted incident after incident. With each incident, her disappointment in the Shaw family deepened.
As Zinnia began to speak, they fell silent. After laying everything out, Zinnia felt a weight lift off her chest. Thinking back on all that had happened with the Shaw family, she felt relieved.
โZinnia,โ Maisie said, her heart aching at Zinniaโs calm words. She strode over and added, โDonโt worry, Iโve already called in some favors. I must make Betty pay this time.โ
Brian said thoughtfully, โThis whole thing was probably deliberately stirred up by Bettyโs trick. Someone with an agenda. And if we dig a little deeper, it might even beโฆโ
โDoes anyone have a laptop?โ Lydiaโs expression was gloomy. She took her seat and scanned the classroom with a piercing gaze.
โHere, Lydia. Take mine,โ a guy in the back row offered, handing her his laptop.
Lydia took her seat and removed her glasses, revealing a pair of intensely cold, piercing eyes. She typed quickly on the keyboard.
A tech-savvy guy in the class immediately recognized what Lydia was up to and exclaimed, โWhoa, Lydia, you know how to code?โ
โJust a bit,โ Lydia said coolly, removing her glasses. Instantly, her presence turned razor-sharp, her whole aura suddenly commanding.
โYouโre not only doing ace your studies, but youโre slaying at coding too!โ
Some students couldnโt take their eyes off Lydiaโs flying fingers; it was almost impossible to follow.
Lydia said coolly, โDuane from Class 3. Heโs the one who posted on Facebook. Ethan, Brian, go deal with him. Infoโs on your phones.โ
Lydiaโs fingers froze mid-typing as a photo and profile materialized on her laptop screen. With a quick pivot, she angled the screen toward Ethan and the others.
โGot it. Weโre on it right away! That bastard is bold, coming after Zinnia again!โ Ethan and the others barely had time to marvel at Lydiaโs skills. After glancing at the file and memorizing Duaneโs details, they grabbed their phones and stormed out.
โLydia, I had no idea you could have such skills!โ a classmate exclaimed.
Lydia was too preoccupied to answer them; her fingers flew across the keyboard.
โWait, are you hacking into the Shaw familyโs surveillance system?โ Zak, whoโd lent Lydia his laptop, adjusted his glasses as he watched lines of code scroll rapidly across the screen in disbelief.
The whole class crowded around. Some students got a look at Lydiaโs laptop, while others watched her fingers fly across the keyboard.
Those baffled by the code stared at her hands in awe, while the tech-savvy ones were glued to the screen, completely absorbed. Even Zinnia couldnโt help but look over, unable to tear her eyes away.
After a moment, Lydiaโs fingers finally slowed and stilled as multiple surveillance feeds split across the laptop screen. Zinnia stared, frozen in shock at what she saw.