Chapter 21
“Ms. Dalton,” Angeline interrupted. “I’m not your boyfriend, so I can’t provide you a sense of security. But once I’ve decided to give up on something, I won’t ever turn back. That’s something you can trust.”
“I’m sorry, Angie. I’m just … I just don’t know who else I can speak to about these things.” Ingrid bit her lip. “I’ll talk to Ned about dropping the case against your adoptive mother. Don’t worry about it.”
“Well… will I still need to head to Regalia Hotel this evening?” Angeline asked.
“What?” Ingrid was lost.
“Ned told me to meet him at Regalia Hotel at 7:00 pm to explain everything to him in person. Otherwise, he’d have Anne spend the rest of her life in prison.”
Angeline had to admit that she had a hidden agenda by telling Ingrid about this. Now, she no longer dared to place her faith in anyone’s scruples and conscience. She hoped Ingrid could stop her and Ned from meeting again.
After all, no one would want their significant other to meet their ex. And Ned couldn’t say no to Ingrid.
“I understand. I’ll call Ned about this.” Ingrid added, “His bark has always been worse than his bite; I’m sure you understand that. Don’t take it to heart.”
“Thanks,” Angeline said earnestly. “I’ll pay for all your hospital bills. I know you don’t need it, but it’s something I want to do. I hope you won’t turn me down.”
Ingrid knew what Angeline was like. She didn’t turn her down. “Alright. I’ll have my assistant send you the bill when I’m discharged.”
After hanging up, Angeline felt like the weight on her shoulders had lifted slightly. She got out of bed and freshened up. The unknown number that had woken her up called her again. When she answered it, it turned out to be a member of The Family Search’s crew.
They had come to Angeline for the same reason they’d approached Anne–they hoped Angeline, who shared the same parents as Benjamin, could provide some information on her birth mother. They also invited her to join the TV program.
Angeline rubbed her fingers together. She wasn’t in a rush to agree to anything. Judging from The Family Search’s viewership, she would cause yet another wave of chaos if she were to appear on TV. It was the opposite of the quiet, nondescript life that she wanted.
1/2
But now, the matter with Ingrid being pushed down the stairs by an anti–fan and Ned protecting her was going viral. Anne was being insulted, mocked, and
cyberbullied..
If anyone were to find out about Angeline and Anne being connected, they would immediately assume Anne had harmed Ingrid for her sake, just like what Ned and Tommy thought.
If that happened, Anne’s life would still be affected even if she were to be released by the police.
That was why Angeline had to use the TV program as an avenue to clear the air. She had to do it before the netizens found out about her and Anne’s relationship and linked them to Ingrid and Ned.
She also had to release the complete video of what had happened at the airport. It would prove that Anne running into Ingrid at the airport and pushing her was nothing but an accident.
Angeline was only one person; she couldn’t achieve much on her own. If she could use the TV program’s reach to spread the truth, it would have a much better effect with so many people watching.
More importantly, if she refused to participate… who knew what the Emmersons would say about her birth mother? And how would they extort her grandfather?
When the young woman from The Family Search didn’t receive a response, she urged, “Ms. Emmerson?”
Angeline slowly said, “I can agree to join your program, but I have two conditions.”
The young woman hadn’t expected Angeline to agree. She was overjoyed. ” Please, do let me know what they are!”
“Firstly, I want your crew to publish a tweet about Anne coming to Oceanford because of the TV program. Your crew’s the one who arranged her flight, so you can prove she wasn’t at the airport for Ingrid’s sake.
“I also hope you can contact the airport to get the complete surveillance footage. You guys will get something out of this, of course. Now that this matter has gone viral, clearing the air will only make more people pay attention to your TV program.”
