Donna flung a stack of photos onto the table, each one capturing Amelia and Zachary during their sweet time together.
But the real bombshell came when she played a recording. Zachary’s voice oozed through the speaker. “Amy, just hang in there for now. Once we’ve gotten enough out of this, you can divorce Landon. I don’t care if you’ve been married before. I’ll still marry you just like we planned…”
The room fell deadly silent. Even Gloria, Amelia’s biggest supporter, hesitated with doubt in her eyes. ‘Could Amy really not be as innocent as she seems? Is this all some elaborate scheme?’
“Amy… is it true?” Gloria’s voice trembled, laced with pain.
“It’s not true,” Amelia replied firmly.
Gloria let out a shaky breath, relief softening her expression. She said to Donna, “Amy said it’s not true.”
“Are you an idiot? You’re just going to take her word for it?” Donna snapped, slamming her cane against the marble floor with a loud crack.
Kenneth, who had been sitting quietly until now, decided it was his moment to chime in. “Aunt Gloria, don’t underestimate people’s desire for money. You’ve been tricked, plain and simple.”
“Listen to Donna, Gloria,” Cynthia, Henry’s wife, cooed as she sidled up to Gloria, linking arms in an overly familiar way. “We’re all just looking out for you. Don’t let your husband’s legacy fall into the wrong hands.”
Henry, meanwhile, smirked, practically radiating smug satisfaction. He scoffed inwardly, ‘Hmph, serves her right for trying to go up against me. By the end of today, she’ll be out of this house and out of the Kingsley family for good.’
“File for divorce immediately,” Donna barked. “Get her out of the Kingsley family.”
The ultimatum hung heavy in the air. With Donna backing the accusations, it seemed Amelia had only two options: walk out or be thrown out.
“Donna, there must be some misunderstanding,” Gloria said hesitantly.
After inner struggles, Gloria still chose to give Amelia another chance. She thought Amelia had a spark–romantic yet level-headed in ways that belied her age. Gloria genuinely liked her.
More importantly, she was the only person Landon had opened up to. If Amelia left, no one could be there to kill time with him.
“Misunderstanding?” Donna’s eyes blazed with contempt. “That recording is Zachary’s voice. You think he faked it? Use your brain, woman!”
“Exactly,” Henry chimed in. “Gloria, don’t be so naive.”
Cynthia nodded along, eager to fan the flames. “There are plenty of women out there better suited to be Landon’s wife. Amelia doesn’t belong in this family.”
Henry and his family waited gleefully for Amelia to break down, imagining her being kicked out of the house in tears.
Gloria was desperate to prove Amelia’s innocence, and she urged, “Amy, say something.”
Amelia calmly said, “Uncle Henry, how exactly did you get that recording?”
It was indeed Zachary’s voice, and he said that personally, but not to her. Amelia took the Stonefield project away from Zachary, and he held a grudge against Amelia. Thus, he recorded this and gave it to Henry, eager to see Amelia be kicked out of the Kingsley family.
Henry sneered, “What does it matter? Someone overheard you scheming with your ex and recorded it.”
“When and where?” Amelia pressed, her voice steady but sharp.
Henry’s confidence wavered, and he snapped, “No more questions, okay? The evidence is right there. Just pack your bags and leave.”
“Yeah, you’re not fit to be part of the Kingsley family. Leave now,” Cynthia echoed.
Amelia’s expression turned icy. “So, you’re allowed to present evidence, but I’m not allowed to defend myself? That recording only has Zachary’s voice. How can you say I was involved?”
Her words hit like a lightning bolt. Gloria’s eyes widened as realization dawned. ‘That’s right. The recording is just Zachary talking. There’s no evidence Amelia even has anything to do with it. He must’ve set this up to ruin Amy!’
Gloria shoved Cynthia aside and stepped up to Amelia, her expression firm. “Amy, I believe in you.”
Amelia’s voice was steady but sharp as she declared, “That recording is a setup. Uncle Henry and Zachary are working together to frame me.”
“Ridiculous! Why would we waste time framing you?” Cynthia sneered, her voice dripping with disdain. “You’re not even worth a second glance, let alone the effort of framing you.”
Amelia’s face remained calm, her tone icy. “Then why not make it clear? Tell me when and where this recording was made. Shouldn’t be too hard if the evidence is so solid, huh?”
Henry stroked his chin as if he’d already won. “It was recorded the day before you married Landon.”
He’d rehearsed this well. Zachary told him that he hadn’t had a chance to speak to Amelia privately recently, so the time of the recording would have to be moved up.
“I’m calling the police,” Amelia said while taking out her phone and dialing.
Henry’s confidence cracked, and he snapped, “What for?”
“You don’t know?” Amelia raised her eyebrows, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Digital recordings carry timestamps. It’s easy to verify when they were made.”
Henry’s face paled. He was too outdated to know the latest technologies, so he turned to Kenneth. “Is that true? Can they check?”
Kenneth was utterly clueless in these matters and shook his head. Amelia’s calm composure and air of certainty made him hesitate.
“Madam, there’s no need to involve the police. I can verify the recording myself.” Brooke’s voice cut through the tension. Amelia looked at Brooke in surprise. “You can do that?”
Donna chimed in, nodding at Brooke. “Your family has had military heroes. I believe you’re skilled in this area. Well, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Mom, you really believe her?” Henry erupted in protest.
“She’s Landon’s bodyguard. Of course, she’s going to side with Amelia,” Kenneth echoed.
“Exactly, there’s no point checking anything. Just throw her out,” Cynthia said.
Their frantic objections only made Gloria angrier. She growled, “We must get to the bottom of it. Either Brooke does it, or we call the police. If someone’s framing Amy, I’ll make sure they pay.”
Donna weighed her options and finally nodded. “Let Brooke handle it.”
“Donna!”
“Grandma!”
Henry’s family protested, but Donna silenced them with a glare, “We need to make Gloria see everything clearly.”
Henry fell quiet, but inside, he fumed.
Meanwhile, Amelia’s curiosity grew. She wondered, ‘Who exactly is Brooke? Even Donna trusts her, and Henry’s terrified of her. What’s her story?’
Brooke didn’t waste time and started to work. Plugging the recording’s USB drive into a laptop, she quickly retrieved the timestamp.
She declared, “This recording was made today, at 3:31 p.m.”
The room went dead silent. The smug look on Henry’s face melted into panic. The recording had been made today, not the day before Amelia’s wedding. And Amelia had been at the company all day, nowhere near Zachary. Henry’s lie was unraveled.
Gloria’s face lit up with relief. She gripped Amelia’s hands tightly and turned to Donna. “Now do you see? Amy’s innocent.”
“Even if the recording’s fake, her intentions are still questionable. What kind of girl would be willing to marry a man in a coma?” Donna scowled, feeling relieved that she didn’t choose to call the police.
But anyway, Donna’s distaste for Amelia was obvious. She thought, ‘A girl from a broken family, previously engaged to another man, will never be good enough for the Kingsleys.’
“I totally agree,” Cynthia chimed in, seizing the opportunity. “What kind of decent woman marries a vegetable? Amelia must have ulterior motives.”
“Exactly,” Henry added, his tone venomous. “Who knows how much company information she leaked to her family today? Kingsley Group will go under at this rate.”
Henry and Cynthia’s words made Donna’s expression turn grim. She then said, “Henry has a point. Amelia can stay in the family for now, but she’s banned from stepping foot in the company again. And starting tomorrow, Henry will oversee the board.”
Amelia’s lips curled into a cold smile as she spoke, “Interesting. I didn’t touch a single document today. What information could I have leaked?”
It was clear that this mess wasn’t about protecting the company. Henry wanted control of the board, and Amelia’s presence at the company was the obstacle in his way. But as luck would have it, her decision not to sign anything today did her a great favor.