Chapter 2116
Clara was seething with frustration as she ranted about the unreliable gang she had hired. “Those goons have no sense of loyalty: they flip sides faster than pancakes at a Sunday brunch. Look at them now-not a dime to show for their treachery. Serves them right, it’s karma!”
Oblivious to the fact that she was on the verge of being arrested herself, Clara scorned the thugs with a sneer.
“So, what exactly do you mean by ‘flipping sides’?” Asked the officer, a hint of curiosity in his voice..
Clara recounted the tale of the gang being duped by Ivy as if it were a joke. “I told them from the start that that woman doesn’t have two nickels to rub together-just a con artist. But did they listen to me? No!”
The officers could sense Clara’s underhanded nature from just this brief conversation.
In her eyes, Ivy’s misfortune was her only source of joy-a classic case of spiteful envy.
“She plays the innocent, the damsel in distress, but behind the scenes, she’s the lowest of the low! Even that man was fooled by the act she puts on!”
Clara’s cheeks flushed at the mention of ‘that man,’ her expression a mix of longing and infatuation.
“Which man are we talking about?” the officer probed further.
“The one…” Clara’s face fell as she recalled the scene of Balfour embracing Ivy and walking away, “The fool who was seduced by Ivy and came running to her rescue!”
The officers exchanged glances; they could all read the same disbelief in each other’s eyes.
Was this woman completely lost in her own fantasy world? She was clearly jealous of Ivy, even scheming against her, yet she spoke as if she were the victim.
“Ms. Dunhill, please stick to the facts. We’re all adults here; we can make our own assessments, especially Mr. Howard. He knows Ivy far better than you ever could,” the officer said with a tone that mixed disbelief with pity.
They did not believe Clara at all, only treating her as a mad person.
Clara was livid. She slammed the table and attempted to stand up, forgetting that her hands were cuffed and could not move.
Thus, she could only yell, “I’m telling the truth! You guys will regret not listening to me like those three thugs! You have all been fooled by the facade Ivy put on!”
To the officers, Clara seemed as delusional as they come, and they simply continued to document her account without judgment. “Those thugs got caught because they got greedy. They broke the law, so we arrested them. And you, Ms. Dunhill, have been arrested for conspiracy to commit harm. In a way, you’re no better than those thugs you despise.”
“What?” It was only now that the gravity of her situation dawned on Clara. She panicked, her cuffed hands fumbling beneath the table. “What evidence do you have? On what grounds are you arresting me for conspiracy? I want my lawyer!”
Calling Tessa, Clara’s tone was icy, “I’m in a fix because of Ivy, stuck here at the station. Get me a lawyer, pronto.”
Tessa stood bolt upright from the sofa, startling Finn beside her.
Finn frowned, asking, “Who’s that on the phone? You look like you’ve seen a ghost…”
Tessa, still in shock, repeated, “You’re where? Why are you at the station? What in the world happened?”
Finn put down his newspaper, alarmed by the mention of the station.
“Oh, who else would hate me this much but your darling daughter Ivy! Get over here with a lawyer, or they’ll really lock me up!”
Tessa nodded frantically, and once the call/ended, her face was a mask of confusion.
“Who’s in jail now? Is it Ivy causing trouble again? I’ve always said she’s trouble, insisting on moving out, and now look where she’s landed-in jail… I’m too old for this, too old to be chasing down to the station because she can’t keep out of trouble!”
Tessa shook her head, cutting him off, It’s not Ivy, it’s Clara. She says… It’s Ivy’s fault she’s in the station, waiting for us to bring a lawyer.”
Finn’s confusion only deepened, “What? Clara! What has Ivy done now to land her own sister in the station?”
