Elara stood frozen in place. She had no expectations of the man, but at least, even from the perspective of a sane person, a fundamental respect for the other person meant he should act unbiased when everything was happening right before him.
But it looked like the term ’unbiased’ never existed when it came to her.
However, if they thought she was the same Elara who would get on her knees just because she was afraid her husband would get angry and leave her, they were wrong.
A scoff left Elara’s mouth, and she shook her head.
"I think something is wrong with my ears. You are saying that your mom did wrong by bringing my family and upbringing into this, but I am hearing you are asking me to apologize," Elara said, her expression calm and collected.
The little hope she had that the man would at least act righteous vanished, and though she still needed to play her cards right for the larger impact later, it did not mean she was ready to allow them to humiliate her and call her a lowlife.
"You are not hearing it wrong, Elara. I said, Apologize to my mom for raising your voice at her. She is an elder and should be respected. You can’t—" Andrew started his righteous speech, and Elara scoffed, her mocking stopping him.
She respected elders very well. She didn’t need to learn it from a man whose own morals were questionable and corrupted.
"If she is an elder, then ask her to act like one. An elder who needs to be respected should earn that respect. A woman who is going around calling me a lowlife just because of false accusations doesn’t deserve it." Elara looked straight into Andrew’s eyes, daring him to speak more.
Andrew’s gaze darkened. There was no way he was going to let Elara humiliate him in his own house, before the very guests who came to meet him. He was a reputable person in the industry.
"Look at her, son. She has always been like this. I told you she was someone with questionable morals. We don’t even know from which filthy background she came," Sophia said.
Elara opened her mouth to retort, but Andrew beat her to it.
"She is my mom. Don’t take this too far, Elara. I have been easy on you in the past. Don’t force me to become rude. Because if I did, you wouldn’t be able to bear it," Andrew threatened.
For a second, Elara thought about all the times he thought he was easy on her, but how it shattered her deep inside in a way no punishment could’ve ever.
Before she could say anything, Carla pulled a maid who was crying and sniffing, wiping her tears pitifully.
"I am sorry. I didn’t mean to do it," the maid cried, her gaze darting to Elara.
Elara’s eyes narrowed.
Why was this maid looking at her? She wondered.
However, she didn’t have to wait long for the answers.
"Brother, I got her. Elara was right. She didn’t do anything. She didn’t have to. Because she paid our maid to do so. Speak!" Carla threw the maid to the ground, who immediately started crying, her body shaking.
The maid, kneeling before Andrew, immediately scurried closer to Elara, then looked up.
"I am sorry, Miss. I know you paid me double so that I won’t reveal your name, but I just couldn’t help it. My conscience wouldn’t let me go forward. What will I teach my kids if I am stealing and plotting like this? I am sorry, I failed you." The maid started weeping at her feet.
Elara stood there, carefully looking at everyone’s expression.
The slight smirk on Carla’s face, the gleam on Sophia’s face, the victorious glint in Beatrice’s eyes, Emma’s lopsided smile, and Lara’s raised brows that almost wanted to say she guessed it all right—she observed it all.
Elara looked down at the maid before smiling.
"Elara, I know you hate Carla, but how low do you want to stoop? There has to be a limit to it. Is there really anything that you haven’t tried yet?!" Carla raised her voice.
She walked to Elara and raised her hand to slap her, but Elara grabbed her hand in a swift motion before pushing her backwards.
Carla’s heels twisted, and she fell backward, right beside the maid, a shrill scream leaving her.
William Lloyd, who had gone to his room to take his regular medicines with a servant, returned, standing from the wheelchair with the help of the servant.
"Elara! I will kill you!" Carla screamed.
Before she could stand to attack Elara, William Lloyd hit his cane on the ground to catch everyone’s attention.
"What the hell is going on here?" he demanded.
Carla, who knew her grandfather would only take Elara’s side, quickly rushed to his side.
"Grandpa, you are so fond of this woman, but look what she did. She stole Emma’s diamond necklace worth millions and framed Beatrice for it. You hated Beatrice, but look for yourself who the real vixen is," Carla said.
William looked at Elara, his expression twisting, not because he trusted Carla’s words over his judgment of character, but because, for the first time, the humbleness he used to see in Elara’s face was missing.
His family had tried to portray Elara as a bad person many times, but Elara always trusted him to be on her side and make everything right.
However, today? Today, she looked at him as if she had come here with a verdict: this was the last time she was letting it happen, and this time she didn’t need him to take her side.
"What exactly happened?" William asked, despite knowing Elara would never do it.
He needed to provide justice to Elara without making it look like he was favoring her.
Carla immediately narrated everything that happened, and William sighed.
He was about to ask Elara about what she wanted to say in the matter when Trevor walked to Elara’s side.
"Why would Elara need to steal a necklace?" He asked.
Elara froze. She looked at him with wide eyes. There was no way he would reveal her identity like this, right?
William also paused. Did Trevor know who Elara was? In that case, it was even worse. He would try to court this woman if he found her to be of real worth.
"Trevor, why are you taking Elara’s side suddenly? I know you never truly liked me since childhood, but must you side with her?" Beatrice asked, tears brimming in her eyes.
"She is right, Trevor. Why are you siding with her? Are you eyeing her? Don’t tell me she has offered something to you," Carla said; the hidden meaning behind her words was clear.
Andrew’s gaze flickered between Elara and Trevor.
He remembered the way Trevor had denied coming to the company to meet him. The man had even asked him to leave Beatrice for good if he wanted to keep Elara by his side, or many men would happily like to have Elara by their side.
And then he arrived at the party with Elara. It was true he bailed at the last second, but how come they came together? Trevor lives in the opposite direction from the Castle Mall.
Until he went there to pick her up. And the man who never liked her, why would he suddenly be with her? Not to mention how Elara had been so adamant about getting the divorce...
The more he thought, the more the truth started to become clear, and his fists clenched by his side.
Elara always blamed him for infidelity when he didn’t do anything. But she? With his own friend?!
"How could you betray me like this?" Andrew walked to Trevor and grabbed his collar.
Trevor scrunched his brows in confusion.
"Andrew, what are you thinking about? Have you lost your mind? She is—" Trevor started to explain, but Andrew punched him hard across the face, blinded by fury that his wife probably cuckolded him and that she was with his best friend.
He might not have loved her truly, but the thought of her with another man made him furious beyond control.
Trevor’s face turned to the side as he tasted the metallic liquid in his mouth.
Now he finally understood. What Elara must’ve felt like, standing against those morons who never gave her any chance to explain.
Now he understood what it felt like to be helpless and angry at the same time.
Even Elara froze for a second at the sudden violence before her brows narrowed.
"Andrew, what are you doing? Did you seriously think—" Elara grabbed Andrew’s elbow to move him away from Trevor, but Andrew pushed her away in anger.
A gasp left Elara’s mouth when Andrew’s hand landed on her left shoulder, and she fell to the side, her forehead hitting the corner of the table before a few glasses of champagne fell on her, the shards breaking and piercing her skin.
Everything happened so quickly that no one could comprehend anything. One moment, they were fighting, and the next, a cry left Elara’s mouth.
"Elara!"
A loud voice echoed through the entrance, and everyone looked at the man in surprise.