As soon as Lily heard Ella’s name, her eyes blazed with even more intense hatred, a fury that seemed to consume her whole being.
"Tell me, how did she switch the juice?" Lily asked hoarsely, her face full of anguish.
She is not a conservative person, but she is unwilling to accept the fact that she gave her virginity to a bastard like Ethan!
"Our plan was perfect, but then Chloe and Charles showed up. Charles likes Ella, so someone must have tipped him off about our scheme. That’s probably when he switched the juice while with you," Hannah said softly, gently stroking the bruises on Lily’s arm.
Lily’s eyes widened in disbelief.
She tried to recall the moment she was with Charles, wondering if he had the chance to switch the juice.
Suddenly, it dawned on her that Ella hadn’t taken a sip of the juice earlier. Then, when she wasn’t paying attention, Ella had been sitting very close to Charles.
Maybe that was when Ella handed the juice to Charles.
She remembered clearly how, after following Charles to the gazebo outside, Charles had pointed to a flowering tree behind her and talked at length about it.
Lily had been so excited at the time, her attention fully on the tree.
Charles must have switched the juice then!
So, after drinking the juice, Charles made an excuse to return to the hall, and she followed him. Seeing Ethan already upstairs, Lily immediately invited Ella to go see the paintings.
The whole sequence of events started to make sense to Lily.
"It’s her... that vicious woman! Ella... I won’t let you get away with this!"
Rage flared in Lily’s eyes, her chest heaving violently.
"I’m sorry, Lily. It was my plan that failed, causing you to lose your innocence... I’ll make it up to you. Tomorrow, I’ll have someone transfer two hundred thousand dollars to you..." Hannah said softly, tears in her eyes, gripping Lily’s hand tightly. "If you want to get back at her, don’t act rashly. I’ll give you the money, but we need to plan this together."
Tears streamed down Lily’s face as she nodded painfully. "I know... I won’t let her get away with this! That bitch cost me my most precious first time..."
"Of course we can’t let her off! When I found you and Ethan in bed, you were already... consummating. I can’t change that, but Ella made a scene, attracting all our classmates and making sure everyone saw what happened!" Hannah finally reached the crucial point. If she couldn’t frame Ella directly, she would use Lily’s rage to her advantage.
Lily’s face turned ashen. "What... what did you say?"
"You and Ethan... everyone saw you in bed together! It was all because Ella screamed and called everyone over. She did it on purpose!" Hannah’s eyes gleamed with cold light.
Ella, you think you can use this trick to humiliate Lily? How naive!
Lily’s delicate body trembled violently. "That bitch! I’ll find a way to tear her to pieces!"
Lily’s hatred for Ella was now boundless, and she even felt grateful to Hannah, the true mastermind behind her downfall.
Hannah was indeed a master manipulator. With just a few key words, she had redirected all of Lily’s hatred towards Ella.
"Don’t worry, I’ll help you..." Hannah embraced the sobbing Lily, patting her back while a cruel smile played on her lips.
So what if Lily had lost her innocence? She had failed and would now be an even better pawn.
Hannah felt triumphant. Though tonight’s plan hadn’t succeeded fully, planting this time bomb in Lily had been a significant success!
At this moment, Ella was sitting in Charles’s car, with Chloe beside her, laughing so hard she clutched her stomach.
"Oh my God, Lily... that idiot, she’s so disgusting! Haha, Ella, you were spot on. You saw right through their scheme. Seriously, what kind of grudge does Hannah have against you to set you up like that?"
Ella’s lips curled into a faint smile as she watched Chloe’s face contort with laughter. "Hannah has always been this way, along with my seemingly kind but actually scheming stepmother. They’ve tried to set me up countless times."
Ella had anticipated that Hannah would try something when she received the invitation. After all, Hannah inviting her out to a party could only mean trouble.
"What? Ella, you live in such an environment... Oh my God, why don’t you move out and live with me?" Chloe, now aware of Ella’s situation, was immediately worried for her friend.
"No need. I have my ways. For every time they harm me, I’ll repay them tenfold!" Ella’s cold smile revealed her fierce determination.
Charles saw her face through the rearview mirror, and his heart skipped a beat, a dull pain spreading within him. He remembered a time when Ella was so innocent and sweet. He couldn’t believe she had to survive in such a treacherous environment!
She had developed such shrewdness at a young age, clearly forced by her circumstances.
"Ella, Chloe’s right. Why don’t you move into our house? We have plenty of spare rooms!" Charles chimed in, his voice gentle and soothing.
Ella shook her head. "Thanks, Charles. When I need to move, I’ll let you know."
This was a polite refusal.
Charles had no choice but to accept her decision. It was clear Ella had her own plans. No matter what they were, he couldn’t help but worry about her.
Twenty minutes later, Charles dropped Ella off in front of the Davis estate.
As she got out of the car, Ella stumbled slightly. Charles quickly caught her.
His face was full of concern, the soft glow of the streetlamp making him look like a prince in the night, his handsome features bathed in a gentle light.
Ella shook her head, her heart inexplicably fluttering. Charles was indeed hard to refuse.
But she already had Eric.
"I’m fine. Thank you, Charles. Without you guys, I probably..." Ella trailed off, a confident light in her eyes.
Hannah, I will crush you!
No matter what dirty tricks you play, I, Ella, will make sure you lose miserably!
"You’re welcome. If you ever need anything, just call me. Take care and goodnight."
Charles smiled, and Ella nodded, slowly walking into the villa.
"Hey, bro, snap out of it. The lady’s gone. Stop staring!" Chloe’s teasing voice brought Charles back to reality. He smiled bitterly and got back into the car.
He was a smart man; he could tell Ella had no romantic interest in him.
Meanwhile, not far away, a pair of cold eyes watched Charles’s car intently.