Chapter 282 So what if I'm biased? Any objections?
She couldn't refute this reason. However, if they really searched, her room would inevitably be included. All her poisons were stored there. If they were found, suspicion would fall on her.
Eliza's fingers tightened in her pocket, clutching the small bottle of poison. She felt uncertain.
Cecily had no objections to this proposal; she had nothing to hide.
Darian was delayed by Owen's call.
Larkin quickly approached Darian. Seeing his unsettled state, he said, "Boss, something happened to Mrs.Watson in the garden. Someone poisoned her."
Darian's handsome face darkened. IgnoringOwen on the other end of the line, he asked, "How is she?"
"Mrs.Watson is fine. It was Miss Elysia who drank the poisoned coffee. She's been taken to the hospital. Mrs.Watson is now being falsely accused of poisoning Miss Elysia during their conflict."
Larkin quickly explained the situation to Darian.
Darian was relieved that Cecily was unharmed, but his expression remained grim. "I'll go there immediately."
He quickly spoke to the person on the phone, "I understand what you're saying, but you can't stop me. I have something to attend to. Goodbye."
Without waiting for any further threats from Owen, Darian strode towards the garden.
When Darian arrived, they were about to search Cecily. Eliza deliberately made things difficult, demanding that Cecily undress for the search. With so many people around, it was undoubtedly an insult.
"If you want to prove her innocence, everyone should witness the search. How else can her innocence be proven? Since Miss Impostor is unwilling, why are you all standing there? Hold her down." Eliza crossed her arms, coldly staring at Cecily.
"I dare any of you to try." A low, angry voice resounded, and everyone turned to see a man approaching quickly.
The man's handsome face was unusually gloomy, and his tall figure swiftly reached the woman who stood alone and defenseless. An icy aura surrounded him.
Eliza's heart sank as she realized it was Darian. With him around, it would be difficult to harm Cecily.
Eliza gritted her teeth, but she couldn't let this opportunity slip by.
Darian's deep, dark eyes gazed at Cecily. Seeing her standing there alone, he felt a pang of discomfort.
He extended his strong arm, pulling her protectively towards him. "Trust me," he said.
Cecily looked up, meeting his gaze. Suddenly, a warmth replaced the coldness in her heart. She smiled faintly and nodded. "Okay."
Cecily glanced at Eliza. Even if Darian hadn't come, she wouldn't let Eliza near her. Eliza might have poison on her, and if she got close and planted it on Cecily, she would have a hard time defending herself.
Eliza didn't want to miss this opportunity and approached Darian, saying, "Darian, please understand that we are doing this to clear her name. My sister is in critical condition at the hospital, and she was the only one who had contact with her and had a conflict. We have reason to believe that she poisoned my sister. The search is to prove her innocence."
As Cecily listened, she coldly furrowed her delicate eyebrows.
Darian looked at Cecily's expression, then at the repulsive face in front of him. His gaze grew even colder.
Eliza continued, "We hope you can understand that we want to search her on the spot to prevent any tampering. It's for her own good."
"Larkin," Darian interrupted, his voice stern.
Without a word, Larkin immediately stepped forward and delivered a heavy slap to Eliza's face.
"Ah!" Eliza screamed. The force of Larkin's hand was strong enough to make her dizzy, and she fell to the ground.
Everyone watched in disbelief. No one expected the man to act so suddenly.
No one was prepared, especially Eliza, who was left dazed after the slap.
She felt a sharp pain spreading across her left cheek, and a taste of blood filled her mouth.
Desmond and the other elders snapped out of their shock and hurried forward. "Miss?"
Eliza covered her face tightly, then looked up at Cecily and Darian. Uncontrollable malice erupted in her eyes, startling the three elders.
"Cecily!" Matilda also exclaimed, which reminded Eliza of her current role.
She was not Eliza at this moment, but Cecily, the perfect daughter of Vivienne, the future heiress of the Bennett family. She couldn't reveal such an expression, or the elders would suspect something.
She quickly suppressed the malicious look and replaced it with an expression of extreme grievance.
She held her face, tears streaming down. "Darian, I am the young lady of the Bennett family. You openly laid hands on me. Is it a challenge to the Bennett family?"
"You demanded my wife to undress for a search. Who provoked whom first? Consider yourself lucky with just a slap." Darian's voice was devoid of any warmth.
"I did it for the sake of fairness. Otherwise, how can we be sure that she didn't tamper with anything while being searched alone?"
"Fairness?" Darian sneered, his eyes cold as he looked at the pitiful woman on the ground. Though it was the same face, he felt nothing but disgust seeing it on a different person.
"If you want fairness, then you, the self-proclaimed heiress of the Bennett family, should undress for the search first. We'll consider it fair if you can strip completely and accept the search." His voice was icy, making Eliza's brows twitch in anger. The humiliation of being forced to strip was something no one could bear.
"You are deliberately protecting her," Eliza retorted.
"I am favoring my wife. Do you have a problem with that?" Darian's voice was calm but filled with coldness.
His attitude was clear. If they wanted to touch Cecily, Eliza would have to strip for a search in front of everyone.
Since it was impossible for Eliza to comply, Cecily would not have to undergo the search either.
Seeing the deadlock, Evan finally spoke up, "Why don't we just check the surveillance? It would be the same, and there's no need for this embarrassing search."
"No, let's go ahead with the search." Cecily, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. "It's not just about proving innocence. If we both undergo the search, is that fair enough?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
