Chapter 272
Chapter 272
Emily was already in a daze, and after being slapped, she lost her balance and toppled to the side, her head nearly slamming
into the wall.
Lucas rushed forward and caught her just in time, then looked up at Andrew in disbelief. “Andrew, are you crazy? Can’t you
see she’s hurt too?”
His words doused the furious Bennetts like a bucket of cold water. Only then did they finally notice the blood streaming down Emily’s head, and they froze in shock.
Lydia pulled away from Emma’s embrace, glaring at Lucas with a dark, menacing look. ‘How dare this fool keep ruining my plans,’ she thought.
She quickly added, “Emily got hit by cameras. But I saw grandpa bleeding a lot-on the carpet and Emily’s clothes. I was so
scared.”
The Bennetts snapped out of it. It was only natural for Emily to get hurt fighting with the paparazzi. Most of the blood on her was probably Charles’s anyway. In an instant, their eyes turned to Emily with renewed disgust.
Emma said coldly, “She started all of this. If she got hurt, she brought it on herself.”
Gale added, “The company already took a huge hit because of her, and now she’s stirred up even more trouble. We really shouldn’t have kept her around.”
Andrew sneered, “She was standing here perfectly fine all this time, and now she’s trying to act pitiful for sympathy. Emily, your tricks are just pathetic.”
Lucas was half-squatting, holding Emily. He looked up at three familiar yet alien faces. For the first time, he saw his family from Emily’s perspective, witnessing their expressions and gazes in a new light.
Is this really how we treated Emily all this time?’ he wondered. His heart felt like it was being crushed in a giant fist, and he didn’t even dare meet Emily’s eyes.
Emily, who had been completely out of it, finally snapped back to her senses. She suddenly shot a glare at Lydia, struggled to her feet, and charged at her, face twisted with rage.
Andrew jumped in right away to block her, snapping angrily, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Gale and Emma also rushed to shield Lydia, their faces full of alarm and wariness.
But Emily didn’t even spare them a glance. Her eyes were locked on Lydia, ignoring her own injuries and the dizziness in her head. She looked like she was about to rip Lydia to shreds.
“Why did you let those paparazzi in? Why did you lead them to Grandpa? Why didn’t you let the servants take him upstairs?
“Lydia, I warned you not to lay a finger on Grandpa. If you ever touched him, I’d kill you, even if it meant dragging you to hell with me, Emily shouted.
Emily thrashed like a lunatic, kicking and punching wildly, then suddenly bit down hard on Andrew’s arm. The pain made him instinctively let go.
Without a second thought, Emily lunged at Lydia again, her crazed, feral look so terrifying that Gale and Emma just froze, watching helplessly as she charged straight at Lydia.
Lydia’s face went white with fear, and she tried to bolt, but out of nowhere, someone darted over, yanked her into a protective hug, and shoved Emily away. Emily, already dizzy and unsteady, was shoved straight into the wall with a loud
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Chapter 272
thud.
Everyone was still reeling, their faces full of worry as they turned to Lydia only to see her clinging tightly to Vincent, both of them looking just as shaken.
“Lydia, are you okay?” Vincent asked anxiously. He scanned her up and down, his whole body tense, as if terrified she might
be hurt even a little.
Lydia’s eyes instantly filled with tears. “Vincent.”
Seeing her on the verge of tears, Vincent’s heart broke. He turned angrily to Emily, “Did you try to kill Lydia? You crazy person, isn’t causing Mr. Charles Bennett’s death enough?”
“Grandpa will be fine. Just shut up,” Emily snapped, whipping around to glare at him. Her bloodshot, furious eyes locked. onto Vincent, and in that instant, the words he’d been about to spit out froze in his throat.
He thought, ‘What kind of look was that? Anger, resentment, estrangement, and hostility. Her eyes were like a vengeful spirit from hell, facing its greatest enemy. How could she look at me with such eyes?
‘Ever since we were kids, Emily had always been gentle and affectionate toward me. Even when she was upset, she could never bring herself to say a harsh word.
“Even when I tricked her into St. Gabriel Reform Academy, she only had red-rimmed eyes, disappointed and shocked, asking why. Now, she was vicious and angry, demanding I shut up.’
For some reason, Vincent suddenly felt a wave of unease wash over him. Ever since Emily came back from St. Gabriel Reform Academy, he’d been keeping his distance, afraid she’d get attached to him again and make Lydia upset.
But now, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a chasm between them-one that could never be crossed, and it was only growing wider by the second.
Seeing Vincent staring at Emily in a daze, Lydia clenched her teeth so hard she nearly bit through her lip. She quickly grabbed Vincent’s collar, whimpering. “Vincent, Emily’s scaring me so much right now.”
Vincent snapped out of it, immediately pulling her into his arms and soothing her gently. “Lydia, don’t be afraid. I’m here. She wouldn’t dare lay a finger on you.”
Then he turned back to Emily, glaring at her furiously. “All these years, you’ve always tried to throw mud at Lydia, but this whole mess is clearly your own doing. Who are you to blame her?”
Emily didn’t argue with him about whose fault it was. She just glared fiercely at Lydia. “The paparazzi admitted that you personally let them into the Bennett residence. If you have any issues with me, why involve Grandpa?”
Her words made everyone turn to Lydia, who hurriedly denied it. “No, I-I was tricked by them too.
“They said they were here to interview others but got lost and asked me for directions. As soon as I opened the door, they rushed in. I couldn’t stop them and got hit by their cameras. It really hurt.”
Tears streamed down her face as she clutched her chest, looking like she might faint at any second. The sight made everyone’s hearts ache for her. Lucas, who had been half-crouched on the floor, stood up, frowning at what he had just
heard.
“That excuse is so weak. Who could actually believe it?’ he thought. Just then, Vincent shot Emily a furious glare. “Did you hear that? Lydia was tricked too. This whole thing isn’t her fault.”
Lucas suddenly looked up and saw everyone, except Vincent, showing the same expression of belief in Lydia. He felt a sudden sense of absurdity.
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wondered.
Emily wasn’t surprised by their reaction. In their eyes, even if Lydia had committed murder, as long as she denied it with red-rimmed eyes, they would believe her unconditionally.
She knew the photos, the paparazzi, and Charles’ fall were all connected to Lydia. If anything happened to Charles, she would kill Lydia, even if it meant they both died.
