Chapter 313: Incredibly Tricky

Aiden frantically searched his memory. "Have I met her before? Or did she make it all up?"

Alexander finally spoke. "I had someone investigate. Yvonne attended the same high school as you and even studied abroad at the same school."

Aiden didn't dwell on Alexander's sudden investigation of Yvonne. He frowned, struggling to remember, but couldn't recall anything.

The first part of the recording caused Aiden and Ines's expressions to change. They both remembered a painful memory.

Aiden anxiously looked at Ines. He realized why she was upset; she'd been reminded of a disturbing incident, making her vulnerable to Yvonne's lies.

"That damned Yvonne! What is she blabbering about? How many times will she tarnish my reputation? She's sick! A lunatic!" Aiden's frustration mounted. He swore, "I've never touched her, and I don't even remember her. Ines, you're the only one for me. You don't need to believe me; I'll prove it with evidence from my classmates abroad. I refuse to believe no one can vouch for me!"

Witnessing this, everyone sided with Aiden.

Ines broke down, throwing herself into his arms, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, Aiden, I'm so sorry. It was my lack of confidence"

Aiden didn't want Ines to say those words or recall the events. He wanted her to remain pure and lovely. He held her, his eyes filled with steely resolve. Yvonne, that psychopath! She's upset Ines. I won't let her get away with it!

Hearing Yvonne's declaration to protect Aiden in the latter part of the recording, everyone mocked her. Even Aiden chuckled derisively.

Elaine commented, "She thinks highly of herself. Can't people fall in love at first sight or within their social circle? Does she think true love only exists between people from completely different worlds, like hers?"

"This seems like a rash, irrational impulse," Deborah said coldly.

Alexander abruptly stopped the recording. The others looked at him curiously. "That's it?" Roland asked.

Alexander nodded.

Damien scoffed, "I thought they were going to conspire."

Roland looked at Aiden. "If he'd investigated that night, he might've discovered the truth. He's probably hiding everything, letting Aiden take the blame. This is complicated. How will you handle it?"

Aiden snapped, "I'll expose her affair with Elijah! How dare they scheme against me?"

Deborah asked, "Will she use the child to make a fuss?"

Elaine said, "Are you crazy? There's a recording. The child isn't Mr. Ralph's. How can she use it?"

Damien remarked, "But only the recording proves the child isn't his. Even then, it's hard for Aiden to prove himself."

Elaine, piqued by curiosity, asked, "What's going on with the child, Ines?"

Ines, having stopped crying, remembered the photo. She realized it was probably from the exchange students' farewell party. Someone took a photo of them amidst the drunken revelry. Aiden was preoccupied and oblivious to who sat beside him.

However, others might interpret it differently. Combined with the recording, the photo could backfire on Aiden. The situation was incredibly tricky.

Elaine said, "He must've done it on purpose. She probably pretended you caused her downfall, like in those historical dramas."

This version corrects grammatical errors, improves punctuation, and removes inconsistencies in formatting and capitalization. The use of italics is reserved for Aiden's internal thoughts to better distinguish them from dialogue. The excessive use of exclamation points has been reduced for better flow. The final sentence with the numerical value (1.8k) is removed as it's out of context.