Chapter 399 Deliberately Slandering the Bridges Family?
Ayla's face hardened, her eyes turning icy. "What? Are you feeling sorry for her now?"
Leo's brow furrowed. "Why would I feel sorry?"
"Don't act like I don't know. Sharon used to be your stepsister. You had a thing for her back then, didn't you?"
Ayla's eyes blazed with anger. If Grace hadn't spilled the beans, she'd still be clueless.
The thought of Leo having a crush on Sharon made Ayla sick to her stomach.
The sky was getting darker, and in the rock garden, the light was even dimmer. Leo's face was half-hidden in the shadows, looking kind of eerie. "How did you find out?"
Ayla snorted. "How I found out doesn't matter. What matters is, do you still have feelings for her?"
Leo chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "I didn't know my Ayla could be so cute when she's jealous."
He reached out to pull Ayla into his arms, but she shoved him away.
"Don't touch me. You haven't answered my question! If your answer doesn't cut it, don't even think about getting into my bed tonight!" Ayla snapped.
Leo reassured her, "Ever since I met you, my heart's been all about you. There's no room for anyone else. And if I'd known I'd meet you, I wouldn't have had feelings for anyone else. Having you and our son is all I need in this lifetime."
Looking into Leo's gentle eyes, Ayla felt like her heart was melting, sweet and warm, and she couldn't help but smile a little.
"That's more like it. I thought you were going to defend Sharon!" Ayla said.
"How could I? However, she's a guest and came with Seb. If Seb finds out it was you, who knows what he'll do. I don't want to mess up Grandpa's birthday party," Leo explained.
"Don't worry, Briana won't snitch on me."
Briana was still waiting for Ayla to give her money for her mother-in-law's treatment. She wouldn't betray Ayla even if it killed her.
"That's good." Leo held Ayla, gently stroking her long hair, his eyes slightly downcast, lost in thought.
After a moment of tenderness, Ayla pushed him away. "I have things to do. You go back to the hall."
Leo nodded. "Okay."
After Ayla turned and left, Leo walked out of the rock garden.
The dim garden lights cast shadows on his face, making him look particularly stern.
The party didn't wrap up until after eleven at night.
Guests left one by one. Seb and Sharon waited in the Bridges Villa living room, clearly expecting an explanation from the Bridges family.
If it weren't for Garry, the Bridges family wouldn't have been able to keep the party going after Sharon almost got disfigured by Briana.
After getting the lowdown, Garry personally apologized to Seb and Sharon. "Mr. Smith, Ms. Roach, this whole mess is on us. I apologize on behalf of the Bridges family."
Seb raised his hand to stop him, his face cold as ice. "No need for apologies. I just want to know who put the servant up to this. Outsiders shouldn't be able to order the Bridges family's servants to harm guests."
His tone was firm, like he was sure someone from the Bridges family was out to get Sharon.
Garry's expression shifted, and he said sternly, "Bring Briana here, and get everyone in the house to the living room!"
Seeing Garry's anger, the servant quickly went to gather everyone.
In less than ten minutes, all the Bridges family members were present, and Briana was brought in.
Feeling the heavy atmosphere in the living room, Briana was so scared her face turned pale, not daring to lift her head.
Garry sat in the center of the room, his cold gaze sweeping over everyone, finally landing on Ayla.
Ayla was top-notch in both social graces and business, and Garry doted on her the most. That's why he trusted her to organize this birthday party.
"Ayla, you organized this party. It's your job to handle this. Make sure to find out the truth and give Mr. Smith and Ms. Roach an explanation!" Garry said.
Ayla stepped forward, glanced at the trembling Briana on the floor, and said, "Grandpa, Briana said she accidentally bumped into Ms. Roach and no one told her to do it. Plus, there were a lot of people around today..."
Before Ayla could finish, Seb cut in coldly, "Ms. Bridges, are you saying Sharon is making this up to slander the Bridges family?"
Ayla looked at Seb, her expression calm. "Mr. Smith, that's not what I mean. This might really be an accident. But to show our sincerity, whether you and Ms. Roach want to settle this privately or call the cops, the Bridges family will back you."
At this point, Ayla glanced at Briana with some pity. "Briana has worked for the Bridges family for over twenty years. If you decide to settle this privately, the Bridges family will cover all the compensation."
Ayla spoke with conviction. If Sharon didn't know Ayla was behind this, she might have thought Ayla was a kind person.
Before Sharon could speak, a mocking laugh suddenly came from the crowd. The living room was already quiet, and everyone immediately turned to the person who laughed.
Garry's face darkened, and he snapped, "Damon, we're discussing serious matters. Stop fooling around!"
Damon Bridges, Garry's eldest grandson and Ayla's cousin, had always been compared to Ayla because his business skills weren't as sharp as hers. This had long fueled his resentment towards her.
"Grandpa, I want to, but I can't help it," Damon said with a smirk.
Seeing Damon's flippant demeanor, Garry became furious and stomped his cane on the ground. "If you can't help it, then get out! Stop embarrassing us!"
If it were any other time, it wouldn't matter, but on a day like today, Damon's behavior was a disgrace to the Bridges family!
Damon raised an eyebrow and suddenly pointed at Ayla. "Grandpa, it's not me who's disgraced the Bridges family, it's Ayla!"
Ayla's eyes narrowed sharply, and she gritted her teeth. "Damon, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Ayla's face showed anger, and Damon didn't miss the way her hand clenched tightly at her side.
Damon had long had enough of everyone in the Bridges family comparing him to Ayla, calling him useless and saying he couldn't measure up to her.
Damon wanted to take the company from Ayla and make Garry lose faith in her.
"Ayla, you're the one who instructed Briana to push Sharon. Stop pretending to be a good person!" Damon shouted.
As his words fell, the living room fell into silence once again.
Garry was furious and raised his cane to hit Damon. "I think you've really gone mad! What nonsense are you talking about!"
Damon didn't dodge and took the hit head-on.
Garry's strike was strong, and Damon grunted, his face turning pale.
Camille Darden quickly stepped forward to support Damon, glaring at Garry. "Dad, no matter how biased you are, you shouldn't hit Damon so casually. Isn't Damon your grandson?"
Garry was very angry and shouted, "Take him away! Stop his nonsense!"
Whether Ayla did it or not, the most important thing was to resolve the matter properly. If it weren't for Damon, the issue might have already been resolved.
The more Garry thought about it, the angrier he became. Once Seb and Sharon were gone, he would give Damon a good lesson, teaching him when to speak and when to keep quiet!
Ayla's body trembled slightly as she tried to calm herself down.
Only Ayla, Briana, and Leo knew about her involvement, and none of them would betray her.
'Damon must be making things up. He couldn't possibly know!' Ayla thought.
Damon pushed Camille away. "Mom, I'm fine."
He took out his phone and sneered at Ayla. "Ayla, I recorded everything you said to Leo in the rock garden. Let's play it for everyone."
With that, he pressed play.
Ayla's and Leo's voices came from the phone, and the room fell silent.
Garry looked at Ayla, his eyes filled with disappointment. "Ayla, did you really do this?"
Now Ayla was scared. She should have expected this when she had Briana deal with Sharon.
Ayla's face turned pale, and her clenched hand suddenly relaxed. Under Garry's cold gaze, she slowly lowered her head. "Grandpa, I'm sorry."
"You fool! Why did you do this to Ms. Roach? Are you out of your mind?" Garry asked.
Ayla bit her lip tightly, refusing to say anything.
Garry looked at Seb, his expression full of guilt. "Mr. Smith, it was my poor discipline that led to what happened tonight. I apologize to Ms. Roach on Ayla's behalf and hope she can forgive her."
Seeing Garry apologize to Sharon, Ayla felt a surge of guilt and regret. She quickly rushed to Garry, trying to help him up.
"Grandpa, this is my fault. If anyone should apologize, it should be me!"
Garry pushed her away coldly. "Shut up!"
Ayla's eyes filled with tears, her heart aching. Garry was such a proud man. Since she could remember, he had never apologized to anyone.
Today was his seventieth birthday, and for her sake, he had to apologize to someone in their twenties.
Ayla felt a wave of regret. She wiped her tears and turned to Sharon, choking up. "Ms. Roach, it's my fault. I was jealous of your beauty and acted impulsively. Blame me alone. Whether you want to call the police or anything else, I will accept it."
Sharon looked at Ayla expressionlessly. They had no personal grudge, and it was their first meeting. Yet, out of jealousy, Ayla had instructed Briana to harm her, almost disfiguring her. This showed how malicious Ayla was.
In the past, Sharon would have definitely chosen to call the police.
But the Bridges family was a prominent family in Metropolis, and since she wasn't injured, calling the police would only embarrass Ayla without any real benefit.
It would be better to use the Bridges family's guilt to gain some tangible benefits for Seb's company.
As Sharon was contemplating, Garry's voice rang out. "Ms. Roach, as long as you are willing to forgive Ayla, whatever compensation you want, the Bridges family will agree to it!"
If this matter really went to the police, the Bridges family would be greatly embarrassed.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
