Chapter 116 Fearful Revelations
Tears had been streaming down Xena's face, but upon hearing Paige's ominous words about the truth surfacing, her body instinctively recoiled.Yasmin, who had been comforting her, assumed that Paige had brought another tormentor to further intimidate Xena. She was on the verge of voicing her protest when she recognized the figure trailing behind Paige. It was the youngest daughter of the esteemed Wren family.A spark of recognition lit Yasmin's eyes. Wasn't this girl a friend of Xena's? She was a familiar face in their circle of friends and had been spotted at several of the Sackler family's gatherings.Relief washed over Yasmin, and her tone grew more assertive. "Paige, why are you dragging Miss Su into this? What game are you playing? Miss Su, don't be frightened. Come stand by my side. Whatever the issue, you can confide in me."Having encountered the young girl on several occasions, Yasmin naturally assumed that she and Xena shared a close bond. However, Isadora, the girl in question, didn't entirely share that sentiment.Upon entering the room, Isadora took in the chaotic scene and the peculiar, lingering odors. It was immediately apparent that Xena had suffered a significant setback.Although Isadora hadn't seen the man involved, the composed demeanor of the Carnegie family's young men made it clear that Xena had miscalculated.Isadora approached the group and began politely, "I see Yasmin is here too."Margaret was about to rise from her seat, but a tug from Xena kept her anchored to the couch. Nonetheless, she softened her voice towards Isadora. "Miss Su, you and Xena have always been close. I don't consider you an outsider in today's incident. Our Xena has suffered greatly today. If you know anything, you must help her."Margaret's intention was clear; she wanted to sway Isadora to their side from the outset. However, Isadora merely responded with a bitter smile. "Yasmin, do you know why Xena faced this setback?"Margaret was about to cast blame on Paige when Isadora produced her phone. "I have video evidence of everything Xena has done. She hasn't been falsely accused, and she is far from innocent.There were drugs in Mr. Carnegie's drink that day, and Xena was involved. But I ended up shouldering the blame.Yasmin, even though the Wren family doesn't have as long a history as the Sackler family, I too was cherished by my family. Since childhood, my brothers taught me never to instigate conflict, but also not to tolerate being wronged.I've already borne the blame and even endured the slap Xena gave me. But when we reviewed the surveillance, it was clear that Xena had a hand in drugging Mr. Carnegie's drink."Margaret, upon hearing this, was left in a state of confusion. "Drugged?" she interrupted Isadora, incredulous. "What do you mean by 'drugged'? Drugged with what?" Margaret glanced at Louis and then around the room, piecing together the recent events. She had a fairly good idea of what had transpired.But how could Xena have possibly done such a thing? Throughout their friendship, Xena had always consulted with her before taking any action. How could she have acted behind her back now?Isadora stifled her frustration with a laugh. "I admit, my methods were underhanded. But let's not pretend Xena is a saint. She didn't just keep quiet afterward; she tried to trample all over me at every opportunity."Upon hearing this, Xena sprang up like a bolt of lightning, seething with fury. "Isadora, you snake! After all the kindness I've shown you, how could you stoop to being her lapdog? Sucking up to Paige, are you trying to wag your tail so she helps you become the matriarch of the Carnegie family?"Isadora saw Xena lunging at her and quickly sidestepped to avoid her claws. She was dressed to the nines tonight, having chosen her evening gown and makeup with great care. She had no intention of letting Xena ruin her efforts."What do you mean by 'treating me well'? Spreading rumors about me behind my back to our friends is not my idea of kindness, and it wasn't just once or twice, Xena. You know it in your heart.And as for evidence, I have it. Not only did you try to pin your mistakes on me, but today, I personally witnessed you slipping a drug into a drink and handing the waiter a check to deliver it to Miss Yue."Isadora had seen everything, and as she laid out the facts, Paige couldn't help but smirk at the unfolding drama.Margaret, who had missed today's anniversary celebration, was unaware of Paige's other identity.
"Miss Yue? And who might that be?" she inquired, her voice laced with curiosity.Stepping forward, Paige responded, "It seems I've neglected to introduce myself to you, Yasmin. I am Miss Yue, Xanthe. It appears our paths will intersect quite frequently in the future, Yasmin. However, for today, let's concentrate on unraveling this assassination attempt on my life by Mr. Sackler."Upon the conclusion of Paige's words, she subtly signaled Isadora with a fleeting glance. Swiftly, Isadora activated the television and connected her phone for screen mirroring.As the realization of the unfolding events dawned on Xena, she lunged toward them in desperation. Her dress, already in disarray, had its hem caught under Margaret's foot, a detail she overlooked in her frantic state.With a sudden tearing sound, Xena found herself exposed. The men in the room instantly averted their gaze, and a terrified Xena recoiled back onto the sofa.Margaret, acting promptly, snatched a dress from the floor to cover Xena. Meanwhile, Isadora had everything prepared to cast the video onto the screen and initiated playback."Please direct your attention to this video," Isadora invited the guests. "The footage I'm about to play was recorded earlier today. There, you can observe Mr. Sackler himself tampering with a drink. Pay close attention, he's also bribing the waiter."At that moment, everyone in the room, save for Isadora, recognized the waiter as the same individual who had interacted with Xena earlier. They exchanged knowing glances.Margaret, however, was taken aback. After viewing the clandestinely recorded video, she realized that the drink Xena had spiked had mistakenly ended up in front of her. The drugged drink was consumed by Xena herself, while the untainted one was handed to Paige.Isadora, upon discovering that Xena's intended target had been Xanthe, seized the opportunity to ingratiate herself with Xanthe. She had shown Paige the video during a restroom break, leading to the subsequent revelations.Margaret abruptly rose from the couch after viewing the video.Isadora chuckled, "Yasmin, don't be hasty—there's more. I also possess the security footage from the club, and it seems Mr. Sackler is quite adept at drugging drinks..."Margaret, fiercely wiping away her tears, spun around to glare at Xena. "How could you do such a thing?" she scolded vehemently. "And to get caught?"Without completing her sentence, she delivered a hard slap across Xena's face, berating, "Foolish, utterly foolish! Why couldn't you cover your tracks?"Although Margaret left her sentence unfinished, Paige grasped the underlying implication.Positioned behind Margaret, Paige voiced, "Even though I wasn't the one who suffered in the end, Mr. Sackler attempted to kill me. Dear, I'm so scared. What should I do?"Subsequently, Paige squatted down, gently placing her hand inside Raymond's, resting her head against his knee. She exuded the timid tenderness of a startled rabbit, appearing pitifully vulnerable…
