Clementine

Andy, who was now seated and was getting medical attention on her twisted ankle, felt triumphant. Just a few minutes to come, the police would come to take Esther away. She had everything thought out, with the camera location it wouldn't capture a thing from their side—and Esther would miraculously be painted as a Murderer and criminal.

"Sister Esther is okay—I believe you. You didn't do it deliberately," Andy said, her voice low and pitiful. This made the guests' hearts soften, and they began to murmur in agreement. Many of them looked at Esther with suspicion and anger, their faces twisted in disgust.

"How could she do such a thing?" one of the guests whispered, her eyes wide with shock.

"I'm so sorry, Andy," another guest said, placing a comforting hand on Andy's shoulder. "You poor thing, you must be traumatized."

The guests' reactions were exactly what Andy had hoped for. She smiled inwardly, feeling a sense of satisfaction. She had manipulated the situation perfectly, and now Esther would pay for her supposed crime.

Meanwhile Clementine Ibarra's face was twisted in anguish as she gazed at her wounded daughter, her eyes brimming with tears. The sight of Andy's battered face and twisted ankle only fueled her anger towards Esther. Clementine's hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms as she stared at Esther.

"You would pay for this, you uncivilized country bumpkin," Clementine retorted, her voice trembling with rage. "Who do you think you are, coming to my home and causing such a scene?" Her face was red with anger, and her lips were pursed in disgust.

Clementine's husband placed a restraining hand on her arm, his fingers wrapping around her wrist like a vice. His face was set in a firm expression, his jaw clenched in tension. He gave her a subtle nod, and Clementine's anger seemed to simmer down, though her face still twisted in rage.

Esther's gaze didn't waver, her expression calm and unreadable. She didn't spare Clementine a glance, her eyes refusing to acknowledge the woman's anger. In her mind, Clementine's outburst was nothing more than a pathetic display of emotion, driven by her own biases and assumptions.

"She's just like the others," Esther thought to herself. "Jumping to conclusions without knowing the facts. She doesn't even deserve my attention." Esther's thoughts turned to the swift reaction of Clementine, and she wondered if it was all an act. Why had Clementine appeared so quickly, especially when she was supposed to be on the third floor welcoming the prominent guests?

A suspicion began to form in Esther's mind. Could it be that Andy and her mother orchestrated this whole thing? The thought sent a spark of intrigue through her. If that were the case, then Clementine's anger was nothing more than a carefully crafted performance, designed to manipulate public opinion and sway the narrative in their favor.

Esther's eyes narrowed slightly as she pondered this possibility. She would need to dig deeper to uncover the truth, but for now, she remained calm and composed, her expression unreadable. Her mind was already racing with possibilities, and she was determined to get to the bottom of things.

As she stood there, Esther's gaze swept across the room, taking in the tense expressions on the faces of the Ibarra family and their guests. She noted the calculating look in Clementine's eyes, the anger and hurt etched on Andy's face. Esther's expression remained impassive, but her mind was working overtime to piece together the puzzle.

Meanwhile, many bloggers pulled out their phones, their fingers flying across the screens as they started recording the scene live. Their faces were set in determined expressions, their eyes fixed intently on the drama unfolding before them. One blogger's tongue darted out to moisten her lips, her eyes shining with excitement.

As the bloggers recorded the scene, Esther's eyes took in the subtle details: the tension in Clementine's body, the firm grip of her husband on her arm, and the calculating look in his eyes. Esther's expression remained calm and unreadable, but her eyes seemed to gleam with a hint of calculation and strategy.

The guests around them watched with rapt attention, their faces filled with curiosity and speculation. One guest's eyebrows were raised in surprise, while another's lips were pursed in disapproval. The tension in the room was palpable, and it seemed like the situation was about to escalate further.

Clementine's husband's face was set in a stern expression, his eyes fixed on Esther with a mixture of anger and calculation. Andy's face was pale and pinched, her eyes welling up with tears as she gazed at her mother. The bloggers' faces were set in intense expressions, their eyes fixed on the drama unfolding before them.

As if on cue, the police banged into the halls.The police commander's eyes felt heavy with responsibility as he gazed at Mr. Ibarra, Andy Ibarra father, his expression a mask of professionalism. His fingers drummed a slow rhythm on the handle of his gun, betraying a hint of tension beneath his calm exterior. "Who did we come to arrest?" he asked, his voice firm but laced with a hint of trepidation.

Clementine immediately pointed finger seemed to bore into Esther's skin, her gaze lingering on the younger woman with a mixture of malice and triumph. "Her?!" Clementine pointed, her voice shrill with accusation.

The police commander's eyes followed Clementine's finger, and he felt a sharp pain in his heart. Her?! He raised his brow, feeling an ache coming on. How was he going to arrest the young heir's girlfriend of the Strokes family—without asking for death?

He remembered the day when he escorted the young heir home—and he had clearly seen how Lachlan was attached and cuddling in her arms. The memory made his gut twist with unease. He instantly felt unlucky—noting that he would visit a fortune teller one of the weeks. He needed to clear his questions.

"Are you sure, ma'am?" he asked, his voice laced with doubt. Clementine's face twisted in indignation, her lips pursed in disapproval. "Yes, she is the one. Don't you know how to do your work anymore?" The police commander's face grew warm with frustration, but he swallowed his words and sighed before adding, "Ma'am, there must be a mistake here—why would the young heir's girlfriend of the Strokes family suddenly commit a crime."

The room fell silent, with all eyes on Esther and the police commander. Esther's expression remained calm and unreadable, while the police commander's face was a picture of confusion and concern.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Lucian was laughing nonstop when he heard the police exclamation. The taste of his expensive wine seemed to linger on his lips as he raised the glass to his mouth, but he stopped when Lachlan gazed on him, grew colder.

"Girlfriend?! Wow, Lachlan, you are really taking things step by step with your sister," Lucian jokingly remarked, his gaze then fell on Esther downstairs. "What if she proves herself? Would you let her go so easily?" Lucian asked, his words constructed well. He was implying that Lachlan wouldn't let everything go easily without a battle.

Lachlan's gaze was fixed intently on Esther, his expression unreadable. From the beginning, Lachlan's gaze was on Esther since she arrived. He had guessed that she had come prepared, and the fact that she was confident was that she was loaded.

But what he hadn't anticipated was that she would use this as an opportunity to cut ties with the Strokes—and if they refuse to after she proved her innocence, the Strokes family would be known as uncivilized and this could cause trouble for him. She had really played well. She was cunning and devious as well, knowing very well that he Lachlan would not let go so easily—so using his stubbornness, she would paint Lachlan as a conceited man in public.

"Let's see what happens first?" Lachlan's voice was low and measured, his eyes never leaving Esther's face. The tension between them was palpable, the weight of unspoken words hanging heavy in the atmosphere.

Lachlan thought to himself, "She is really...cunning." On one side, if he agrees, his ego would be hurt, and he would watch all his years planning to keep her fail, but on the other hand, if he doesn't, the Strokes family would crumple into nothingness.