Chapter 130
༨.50%L
“Listen to you?” Izzy paused. She stared at Amalia, the woman who had raised her for years. There had been a time when she would have done anything to avoid hurting her. But that time had passed.
Amalia’s hands were clasped together as if trying to steady herself. “Monica wasn’t at fault,” she said quickly. “She was just-”
“Just what?” Izzy asked, her expression unreadable.
Amalia swallowed hard. “She was manipulated. She’s a victim too!”
Samantha scoffed. “Oh, now she’s the victim?”
Monica’s nails dug into her palms. Shame, anger, and panic twisted inside her. She had already lost control of the situation. Now, Amalia was trying to speak for her, trying to salvage whatever was left.
Izzy remained silent. This time, she chose to listen and watch the show.
Seeing Izzy’s calm expression, Amalia took a step closer. “Izzy, you have to understand. It was Cecil. She was the one who wanted to frame you. She forced Monica into this. She threatened her!”
Izzy’s eyes flickered. She had expected them to pin this on Cecil, but hearing it firsthand struck differently.
Ethan Sparks exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. “This is ridiculous,” he muttered under his breath. “You never told me about any recording. This is such a waste of time.”
“It was really Cecil,” Amalia continued, ignoring the lawyer’s words.
“Oh, so now it’s Cecil? That’s the story?” Samantha crossed her arms, letting out a bitter laugh. “Tell me, Monica, was it Cecil who spent days going live, dragging Izzy’s name through the mud? Was it Cecil who pocketed all those donations?”
If she had known Monica didn’t have the Weiss family’s backing, she would never have gotten involved. She had pressured Izzy into paying, thinking the Weiss family would step in. After all, Monica had just lost Calen’s child. But now that Izzy had exposed the truth, it was clear–this mess wasn’t hers to deal with anymore.
Monica didn’t respond.
Samantha immediately turned to Izzy. “Do you believe this? She’s only throwing Cecil under the bus now because she’s out of options.” Obviously, Samantha’s next best option was to convince Izzy that she was innocent in all this.
Amalia shook her head. “That’s not true.” She turned back to Izzy. “Monica didn’t have a choice! Cecil had something on her, and if she didn’t do what she was told, she would have lost everything.”
Izzy remained still, listening.
Amalia’s voice became more desperate. “You think Monica wanted this? She was scared. Cecil used her. Please, Izzy, you know what that woman is capable of.”
Monica felt her breath quicken. She wanted to scream at Amalia to stop talking, to stop making her look even weaker than she already did. But she couldn’t.
Izzy finally moved. She leaned against the table. “And what exactly did Cecil have on Monica?”
Amalia hesitated.
13:51 Tue, 18 Feb
Chapter 130
Izzy tilted her head. “You don’t know, do you?”
Amalia’s lips parted, but nothing came out.
Samantha smirked. “Of course, she doesn’t. She’s just scrambling to save Monica’s ass.”
Monica snapped. “Shut
up,
Samantha!”
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Samantha didn’t flinch. “You lied to me!” And wasted her time!
Monica’s nails dug deeper into her skin. “I had no choice!”
Samantha’s expression hardened. “You always had a choice. You just picked the one that benefited you the most.”
Izzy watched the exchange, amused. Isn’t it nice to watch dogs bite each other?
“Izzy, please.” Amalia’s gaze shifted back to her. “You know what it’s like to be used by Cecil. You know how she operates. Monica never wanted to hurt you. Cecil wanted Monica to frame you so you would… so you would quit the company!”
“She didn’t want to hurt me, yet she tried to destroy my life,” Izzy said.
Amalia flinched. She hoped that a part of Izzy would just forgive Monica this time.
Izzy straightened. “You want me to believe Monica is innocent? That she was nothing more than a scared little pawn?” She gestured toward Monica. “Then tell me why she enjoyed it.”
Monica’s breath hitched as Izzy continued. “Because from where I’m standing, she didn’t look forced. She looked like she was having the time of her life.”
Monica’s fists clenched. “That’s not-”
“That’s not true?” Izzy interrupted smoothly. “I mean… who cares about the truth? If everyone sees the video of you intentionally falling to frame me, do you think they would care about anything you say?”
Monica went still just as Amalia’s expression faltered.
Hearing this, Ethan Sparks got up.
“Where are you going?” Amalia asked, panicked.
“Well… this is clearly beyond my scope. I don’t think I can handle something like this. You’ll have to find someone better than me,” Atty. Sparks said.
“But-”
Samantha let out a laugh. “Oh, this just keeps getting better.”
“You should have known that these people were frauds from the start,” Atty. Alcaraz said as she shook her head.
“You can’t leave us!” Amalia said, quickly grabbing the lawyer’s arm. “Please… you can’t leave us now!”
“I apologize, but-” Atty. Sparks forcefully removed Amalia’s hand. “I will give you a 50% refund on the down payment. You should find someone better than me.” With that, the lawyer left without waiting for anyone to say a word.
For a moment, silence filled the room. Amalia’s mouth opened, then closed.
13:51 Tue, 18 Feb MM.
Chapter 130
Monica’s entire body tensed. Her chest burned with humiliation. She had lost.
Seeing this, Izzy tilted her head. “That’s what I thought.”
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Obviously, Samantha didn’t want to stay in this place too. She grabbed her bag and stood. Then she faced Izzy. “As you can see, these people lied to me. The only reason I helped them was because I thought they were bullied. If I had known-”
Izzy smiled. “You should wait for my lawyer to file the case against you.”
“Izzy, how could you-”
“You used your platform to slander me. If that isn’t enough for a lawsuit, I don’t know what is.”
“I already told you! These people-
“Please stop making yourself look like a fool,” Izzy interrupted her. “I know why you helped them. Sadly, there is no way I am letting you off the hook.”
“Izzy, look-”
However, Izzy had already turned away and started walking toward the exit.
“Izzy, wait!” Samantha was about to run after Izzy when Amalia suddenly held her wrist.
“Where’s the rest of the money?” Amalia asked.
“What?”
“The rest of the donation! Where is it?”
“What?” Samantha’s face turned ugly. “I already gave-‘
“That wasn’t enough!” Amalia said. “You were the one who recommended that lawyer to my daughter and even said you paid the down payment. Now the lawyer refuses to refund us the full amount! You must have done something behind the scenes!”
“What?”
“Give us the money!” Amalia demanded, her eyes so wide they almost looked like they would pop out of their sockets. “Give it back! Give us the money!”
