Anne stared at her mother in disbelief. "I didn't push her, Mom."
She lifted her injured wrist. "She was holding my—"
Before Anne could finish, another voice suddenly came from behind Clara.
"What is going on here?" Everyone turned. The entire atmosphere changed.
Jason Black stood at the entrance to the private area.
Russ stood on one side of him, while Jack stood on the other.
Nobody had noticed him entering the store. Not even Clara. Jason's expression was calm, but his eyes immediately swept across the scene.
His gaze stopped on Anne. More specifically, on her wrist. There were visible nail marks across her skin. A tiny trace of blood had appeared where Olivia's nails had dug into her.
For a brief moment, Jason's expression hardened. His hands slowly clenched at his sides.
Someone had hurt Anne. And he had seen the evidence with his own eyes. "Are you all right, Ann?"
Clara's voice brought Anne's attention back. She had noticed the injury too.
"Don't worry." Anne tried to dismiss it. "I'm fine."
Clara immediately took Anne's hand. "How are you fine?" She carefully examined the marks. "Look at your wrist!"
Clara's expression darkened. She turned toward one of the employees. "Go quickly and bring the first-aid kit."
"Yes, ma'am." The employee immediately hurried away.
"I'm fine, Clara. You don't have to worry." Anne gently took her wrist back.
Then she looked around at the employees who had gathered nearby. "What are all of you doing standing here?"
Her voice became firm again. "Get back to work. Can't you see there are customers in the store?"
The employees immediately straightened. "Sorry, ma'am."
They quickly returned to their duties. Jason continued watching Anne silently.
He wanted to walk over to her. He wanted to take her wrist into his hands and examine the injury himself. He wanted to ask if she was really okay.
But he couldn't.
Not here.
Not in front of everyone.
For years, he had carefully pretended to love Olivia. He couldn't allow his real feelings for Anne to show now. Especially not when Olivia was standing right there.
Jason forced himself to remain where he was.
Then—
"Jason…" Olivia's voice reached him.
She took a few unsteady steps toward him. "Ouch…"
She touched her ankle. "I think I hurt my ankle."
Madison immediately moved toward her. "Olivia, what are you doing?" She tried to stop her. "You'll hurt yourself more if you keep walking."
But Olivia ignored her. She continued toward Jason. The moment she reached him, she leaned into his arms. "Jason…"
She began crying. Jason instinctively caught her before she could fall. "Careful." His voice remained calm.
Olivia buried her face against his chest.
To anyone watching, it looked like a concerned fiancé comforting his injured fiancée.
But Jason's eyes told a different story. Even while holding Olivia, his gaze moved past her shoulder towards Anne.
Once again, his eyes landed on the marks covering her wrist. His jaw tightened. Someone had hurt Anne, and he needed to know exactly who.
"Anne." Jason kept his voice controlled. "What happened to your wrist?"
Anne glanced down. "Nothing serious." She shrugged slightly. "It's just a scratch."
Jason's eyes narrowed. "That doesn't look like a scratch."
Before Anne could answer, Clara stepped forward.
"She was trying to pull her hand away from Olivia." Her voice was cold.
Everyone looked at her. Clara crossed her arms. "I saw what happened."
Olivia lifted her tear-filled eyes toward Clara. "Clara…"
Her voice was fragile. "I didn't mean to hurt her."
Clara didn't soften. "I didn't say you meant to."
She stared directly at Olivia. "I said I saw what happened."
Olivia went quiet. For the first time, discomfort appeared in her eyes.
Jason noticed it and so did Eva. Eva had been watching Olivia carefully from the beginning and now her suspicions were becoming stronger.
There was something about Olivia's behavior that didn't feel right.
"Enough." Eva's firm voice cut through the room. "Everyone keeps accusing Anne without even asking what actually happened."
Madison looked at Eva. "But Eva, I saw Olivia fall."
"And did you see Anne push her?" Eva asked.
Madison fell silent. Eva continued.
"Because from what I saw, Olivia was holding Anne's hand first."
Madison looked uncertain.
Her eyes moved toward Olivia.
Olivia immediately shook her head. "I wasn't trying to hurt Sister."
Her voice became soft again. "I just wanted to apologize to her."
Sophie quickly stepped forward. "Exactly."
She placed a comforting hand on Olivia's shoulder. "Olivia was only trying to make peace with her sister."
Clara gave Sophie a cold look. "Then why was Anne bleeding?"
Sophie froze. She had no immediate answer.
The room became quiet. Even Olivia's crying seemed to stop for a moment.
Anne looked from Sophie to Olivia. Something about the entire situation felt wrong.
The drink incident. Lily's nervous behavior. Sophie immediately blaming the employee.
Olivia grabbing her hand.
The sudden fall.
And somehow, everyone had ended up blaming Anne. It was too convenient. Anne's eyes narrowed slightly. She had spent years being patient with people.
But she wasn't foolish. She slowly turned toward the manager. "Where is the employee who was serving the drinks?"
The manager immediately straightened. "Ma'am?"
"The employee." Anne's voice was calm. "The girl who was serving the drinks."
The manager nodded. "Lily?"
"Yes."
"She's outside, ma'am."
"Bring her here."
The manager hesitated for a second and then nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
He turned and walked toward the door. Olivia's expression changed.
Only slightly.
But Eva noticed and so did Jason.
Olivia's fingers slowly tightened around the fabric of Jason's suit. For the first time, a trace of fear appeared behind her tears. Because Lily had seen something.
Something Olivia and Sophie didn't want anyone else to know.
And now Anne was asking for her.
The manager opened the door. "Lily, Miss Anne wants to speak with you."
A few seconds later, the young employee nervously stepped into the room.
Her hands were trembling.
She looked at Anne.
Then at Sophie. The moment her eyes met Sophie's, she immediately lowered her gaze.
Anne noticed.
Her expression became colder. "Lily."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Tell me exactly what happened."
Lily swallowed nervously. She looked at Sophie again. Sophie gave her a warning stare. Lily's lips trembled.
Anne saw the exchange and so did Jason.
The room became completely silent. Anne's voice softened. "You don't need to be afraid."
Lily slowly looked at her.
"Just tell me the truth."
For a few seconds, Lily couldn't speak. Then she took a shaky breath. "Miss Anne…"
Her voice was barely audible. "I didn't trip by accident."
Sophie's face changed. Olivia's eyes widened. Madison stared at Lily in confusion. Jason's expression immediately hardened.