Chapter 64

As Joshua spoke, he staggered backward, spitting blood into the wastebasket. A small shard of glass was visible in the blood. Tilting the bowl in his hand, he revealed more shards at the bottom. His expression darkened.

“What the hell is this?” His voice was firm, laced with anger.

The room erupted into chaos. Shelia rushed to his side, her voice worried. “You’re bleeding! How is that possible? Let me see.”

Joshua’s face contorted in fury as his gaze fell on Georgia, who looked distinctly guilty. “Would you mind explaining why there are shards of glass in the soup?”

Georgia, ever cunning, feigned innocence. “Glass shards? How is that possible?”

Alicia, seizing the moment, played along. She stepped back, trembling dramatically. “If Joshua had swallowed that… his throat would have been torn out!” she gasped, grabbing his arm. “Did you swallow something? Are you okay?”

Joshua’s tense expression softened slightly. “No.” Shelia breathed a sigh of relief, but her eyes remained fixed on Georgia.

Useless, Shelia thought. Georgia can’t do anything right.

Stepping forward, Shelia attempted to smooth things over. “Georgia probably wasn’t paying attention. Maybe she broke something and it fell in without realizing it.”

Georgia eagerly seized upon the excuse. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Yates. I didn’t mean to. Ms. Bennett pushed me earlier, and I felt dizzy…”

Joshua slammed the bowl down. “You’ve been working here for years! How could you make such a stupid mistake?” he snapped.

Georgia, a master manipulator, knelt, her eyes brimming with tears. “Mr. Yates, I really didn’t mean to.”

Her kneeling, pitiful for an older woman, made refusing forgiveness seem heartless. But Joshua wasn’t easily swayed. With Shelia present, he turned coldly to his mother. “Mom, she is your responsibility.”

Turning to Alicia, Joshua pulled her closer, his expression full of concern as he checked her mouth. “Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?”

Alicia shook her head. “I only had a small sip.” She played the role of a kind, serene woman effortlessly.

Shelia’s expression darkened, but she couldn’t intervene.

Still kneeling, Georgia broke the silence. “Mrs. Bennett, did you do this on purpose?”

The room fell silent, the tension thick. Alicia, genuinely surprised, asked, “Georgia, why do you say that?”

Tears streamed down Georgia’s face. “You don’t like me. You pushed me into the pond today, and you still weren’t satisfied. So you secretly added glass shards to the soup to frame me.”

Alicia was speechless. What a talented actress! she thought.

Georgia wiped her face dramatically. “I know you don’t like me, but if you have a problem with me, why don’t you just take it up with me? Why does Mr. Yates get the soup? What if something had happened to him?”

Shelia seized the opportunity. “That’s why you refused to drink it, Alicia! You were waiting for Joshua to come back so you could hurt him.”

Alicia, her eyes now red, replied calmly, “But it was Georgia who brought the soup.”

“Maybe you hid the pieces of glass beforehand and threw them away when no one was looking!” Georgia quickly added.

Alicia pressed her lips together, her gaze fixed on Joshua. Tears welled in her eyes. “Do you think it was me, too?” She tried to cry convincingly, but her emotions wouldn't fully break through.

Desperate, she pinched her arm hard. The pain worked; real tears flowed, accompanied by a soft sob.

Joshua, seeing her cry like that for the first time, immediately softened. He pulled her into his arms. “I believe you. I’ll take care of this.”

Alicia leaned into him, continuing her act, sobbing silently. “No one here likes me. I should go. We can go our separate ways, but please don’t let me be the reason your relationship with your mother is ruined.”

Shelia stood frozen. Georgia, equally stunned, couldn’t react. They had never seen Alicia give such a convincing performance.

Jerald, fed up, slammed his hand on the table. “Enough! You’re making a scene over something trivial.”

Georgia, wanting no further escalation, stood and left silently.

Jerald stood, his hands firmly on the table. His eyes locked with Joshua and Caden. “Come with me to the study. There’s something we need to discuss.”

Shelia stepped forward. “Jerald, maybe we should eat first. Let’s talk after dinner, okay?”

Jerald roughly pushed her away. “Stay out of it!”

His medication having recently taken effect, Jerald was less frail than usual. He marched to the study, Joshua and Caden following.

The door closed, leaving an eerie silence. Shelia dropped her façade, her gaze sharp as she looked at Alicia. “You’ve gotten more shrewd since the divorce. No wonder Joshua still keeps you around.”

Alicia calmly wiped away her tears, her voice sweet but sharp. “Mrs. Yates, perhaps you’ll be a little more careful next time. If those shards of glass had really caused serious injuries, it would have been quite a problem.”

Shelia’s expression darkened. Alicia leaned back, rubbing her temple as dizziness washed over her.

A loud shout from the study broke the silence.