Chapter 168
Brielle paused mid–stride, her lips curling into a cold sneer, “Oh, Lillian, you’ve got some nerve bringing up the orphanage. Who landed the poor director in the hospital, huh? You think I don’t know? The old man’s still recovering, and here you are dragging him into your little schemes, all to bring up the donation issue, right? Beating around the bush is second nature to you, isn’t it?” Lillian’s face turned ashen, shrinking under Brielle’s piercing gaze.
Standing on the floor, Brielle should have been the one looking up to Lillian on the stage, but inexplicably, Lillian felt as though it was Brielle who occupied the moral high ground, because Brielle’s gaze was filled with undisguised contempt.
“Bri, I wasn’t trying to bring up the donations,” Lillian said, playing the victim as she clutched. Miranda for support, her voice quivering. “You’re just being overly sensitive.”
Now that the crowd had witnessed the forms, Lillian’s act seemed too contrived. But one thing. didn’t cancel out the other. Even if the Haywoods had been cruel to Brielle, skimping on charity was her fault alone. Miranda was stingy, and that was a fact, as was Brielle’s ingratitude.
Before the murmurs could even start, Brielle’s voice cut through. “Lillian, since you’re so eloquent, why don’t you save it for the police?”
Lillian thought she was hearing things. The police? What police?
As confusion spread through the room, timely chatter came from outside the door, and several officers entered, their uniforms standing out starkly amongst the sea of elegant gowns and suits.
The officers showed their badges and made a beeline for Lillian. “Miss Lillian, we need you to come with us, please.”
Lillian’s pupils dilated in disbelief, her mind roaring with panic. Why would the police be here for her?
She quickly composed herself and forced a smile, “Officer, there must be some misunderstanding.”
“There’s no misunderstanding. We have all the evidence we need. The charity has filed a report in cooperation with Miss Brielle regarding the Sunflower Children’s Home donations. You’ve been making donations in Miss Brielle’s name, and now you need to come with us.”
The charity had joined forces with Brielle to report Lillian? As the words sank in, those who had scorned Brielle’s miserliness fell silent. The evidence must have been overwhelming for the police to act.
Faces in the crowd reflected shock and anger. Those who had sided with Lillian against Brielle were now utterly speechless. It turned out that Brielle, not Lillian, had been the benefactor all along. And Lillian, attempting to bask in this stolen glory, had just tried to publicly shame
Chapter 168
Brielle for not donating.
Lillian felt her world spinning. She wished for the ground to swallow her up. How could this happen? She had deliberately brought up the donations to clear her name, and now Brielle had preempted her with hard evidence and perfect timing.
That bitch! She must have planned to ruin her.
Lillian’s lips trembled, and she dared not meet anyone’s eyes, feeling their stares like knives on her skin. She was in complete disarray, her eyes reddening with humiliation, especially with Max witnessing her downfall.
Her lips clenched tight, tasting the bitterness of her blood. Her pride was in shreds. Tonight. she was the epitome of disgrace.
And there stood Robert, looking as if he had swallowed a bitter pill, wishing he could magically dismiss all the guests.
“Miss Lillian, please come with us,” the officer said, snapping a pair of silver handcuffs around her wrists.
In that moment, Lillian shuddered and turned to Robert, her voice a desperate whisper, “Dad.” Robert felt the sting of ultimate embarrassment. But what could he say with everyone watching? Use the Haywood clout to intimidate the police? With Max standing right there, any further outburst would only worsen the impression they’d made.
The Haywood family had lost all pretense of dignity that evening.
Lillian felt like she couldn’t breathe, wishing she could disappear. This was supposed to be her night of triumph, her grand return to the Haywood fold, and now it was all ruined. From now on, whenever people thought of Lillian, they would remember her humiliation at this banquet.
She heard the sneers around her, and the tears flowed freely. She hated Brielle. Brielle had destroyed everything!
