Chapter 177 The Unveiling of That Night
"Nothing happened?" Layla lookedtranspired?" Layla's voice echoed with disbelief as she gazed up at him in shock. "What do you mean?"
by that?"With a gentle stroke of his thumb, Samuel wiped away her tears with his thumb and explained, "Right after. "Immediately following the incident, ," he began, "I calledcontacted a friend who studied is well-versed in criminal investigation. I hadrequested him fly backto return from the U.S. to lookdelve into it."
the matter."A buzzing filled Layla's head buzzed, and she gripped , her fingers tightening around his hand tightly, her . Her eyes shining.sparkled with a newfound hope. "So, you still believehave faith in me, right?"
correct?"He nodded. "I'll admitresponded with a nod. "I confess that jealousy clouded my judgment, and I did some regrettable things. Butleading me to actions I now regret. However, there was always a voice inside tellingwithin me towhispering that I should trust you—that you'dyou would never betray me, that I should believe in our bond."
was worth believing in."Layla nodded fervently. in agreement. "Yes, justeven a little bitsliver of trust from you is enough!"
Back thensufficient!" At that time, the evidence against her had seemed irrefutable, yet he had hisharbored doubts. Most importantly, a shred of trust washad been enough to turn the situation around and allowtide, allowing them to move forwardforge ahead together.
And with thatWith this revelation, Layla knewwas reassured that she hadn't givenmisplaced her heart to the wrong person.
."The trap was meticulously setintricately laid, but there's always a trace, always a flaw. Remember whenDo you toldrecall telling me about someone had been inentering your room? My buddy reviewedfriend scrutinized the surveillance footage overrepeatedly and over; there wasnoticed a split second whenbrief flicker on the screen flickered."
.""What does that mean?" Layla asked, puzzled.
imply?" Layla queried, her brows furrowed in confusion."It meanssuggests that someone tampered with the footage, trimming outexcising a partsegment they didn't want to be seen. A hacker friend of mine got intoaccessed the system from before the incident. Turns out,It appears that two maids entered your room, came outexited five minutes later – but those specific moments onwere edited out of the tape were cut."
"Those.""The two women were apprehended in France. They confessed to being bribed to stripundress you and Nathan, creating an illusion. In reality, you both of you were already unconscious when they entered; nothing happened."
transpired.""He played his cards well, anticipating I'd checkpredicting that I would review the cameras and showedpresented me justwith the edited version to mislead me into doubting you," Samuel explained.
elucidated.Suddenly, it all made sense toeverything fell into place for Layla.
Nothing happenedhad happened between her and Nathan.
What a relief.
The feelingsensation of an avertednarrowly averting a crisis must bewas perhaps the bestmost gratifying in the world.
"So, Nathan was set up too?framed as well? Who would do this to us? Could it be that Mr. Lee we met that day?" Layla saidquestioned indignantly.
"It wasn't him."
"Then who?"
"Figure it out yourself," Samuel insisted, his gaze intense.
Layla frowned in confusion, shookshaking her head after a moment, "I can't think of anyone."
Samuel sighed in exasperation. "You're too naive for your own good, oblivious to your own victimization."
"Just tell me, who is it?"
"Nora Eilish."
Ms. Eilish? Layla was shocked, thentaken aback, vehemently shookshaking her head, "Impossible, it's not her. You've got it wrong. Ms. Nora Eilish is a good person; she couldn't have done it."
Samuel was even more exasperated.Samuel's exasperation intensified. How couldhad he have ended up with someone so blissfully ignorant? Sold down the riverBetrayed, yet still making excuses fordefending the traitor.
"Do you have proof? Have you verified it's her?" Layla demanded.
"There's no need to check, I'm certain," Samuel replied confidently.
"How can you be so sure without evidence? What if you're wronging her?"
"It's about intuition and understanding human nature."
He was so sure of himself...
Layla had always trusted him implicitly, but Nora Eilish... she couldn't reconcile the woman with deceit and conspiracies.
But then something occurred to Layla.
"I remembered that day, Nathan mentioned it was Nora Eilish who orchestrated the confession. Could it really be..." Layla's mind was a whirlwind of disbelief. How could human nature be so dark? Among those snobbish heiresses, Nora Eilish seemed different.
But now... she felt thrown off balance.
"I don't know either," she admitted.
"We'll find out soon enough," Samuel's voice barely faded when...
"Anthony," came the stern command as Nora Eilish was escorted in by her bodyguard.
The composed, gentle smile on her face froze at the sight of Layla on the bed.
She had been the one to invite Samuel to the hotel., Nora Eilish was dressed in her favorite outfit. She was, filled with anticipation for something exciting, only to be blindsided by the presence of Layla, hand in Samuel's grasp.
Had the truth come out?
Panic flickered in Nora Eilish's heart, and her body tensed involuntarily, but she mustered all her strength to remain calm.
Even if she had orchestrated dubious schemes, she was merely teaching Layla a lesson—it was a rightful act. She saw herself as the one Samuel should marry., eEliminating Layla was simply a move to guide guiding him back on track.
With this thought, Nora Eilish stood tall, emanating the arrogance of a rightful partner.
"Miss Adkins, you shouldn't be here," Nora Eilish proclaimed, head held high with undiminished pride.
Layla's heartbeat stabilized as she glanced at Samuel. With his nod of approval, she rose from the bed and faced Nora Eilish, "Are you the one who framed Mr. Marley and me?"
"Frame? I'm not sure what you're talking about," Nora's voice dripped with feigned ignorance.
"You orchestrated everything at the hotel to look like Nathan and I were intimate."
"I can't seem to follow you. Are you creating your own drama?" Nora Eilish countered, her laugh filled with mockery.
"That night I was out with Mr. Marley, we had drinks, I took him back to his room, and you had set up that confession. I know it was you. Stop pretending."
Nora Eilish offered a faint smile, too indifferent to bother denying it further. In her eyes, her actions were justified, and nothing to be ashamed of.
Standing upright, her heels giving her a height advantage over Layla., h Her presence was even more domineering. "Even so, it was not I who forced you to drink, nor did I force you to take Nathan back to his room, and I certainly did not force you to seduce him."
"I did not seduce Mr. Marley!"
"Really? Or could it be that stringing men along while playing the innocent is the new playbook for attention-seekers?" Nora Eilish laughed.
"Watch your words," Samuel warned. He wanted his woman to become strong, to learn how to tackle foes, but he wouldn't tolerate Nora Eilish belittling her.
"Did I say something wrong, Mr. Holland? Would a player like Nathan have fallen for her if it weren't for Layla’s hints and maneuvers? Could she, with her status, even come close to you without a cunning plan?"
"Women understand other women best. I've seen enough of these tricks—wolves in sheep's clothing, deep with schemes, manipulative liars, stopping at nothing to marry into wealth. Yet to men, she appears innocent and pure, kind and harmless, like someone in need of protection," Nora Eilish said with a laugh, shaking her head, "Does even the wisest man fall for such women? It's sad, really."
"I’m not like you describethat at all. Samuel and I share mutual feelings, and my relationship with Mr. Marley is purely professional."
Nora Eilish smirked incessantly, "Innocent? You, Layla, have never been innocent. If you were as naive as you claim, could you steal my man and then act as if nothing’s amiss in front of me?" She grit her teeth in anger. That was the thing about Layla she despised most.
"I want to explain, but..."
"Save it. Mr. Holland might buy your sob story, but I don't. The one thing I can't stand is a homewrecker! They're like rats in the street, deserving to be beaten."
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