Anne remained perfectly still. "What do you mean?"
Lily swallowed.
Her eyes filled with fear. "Someone…" She looked directly at Sophie. "…put their leg in front of me."
Lily's words fell into the room like a stone dropped into still water. "I didn't trip by accident."
She swallowed nervously. "Someone put their leg in front of me."
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The silence that followed was so complete that even the soft sounds of customers moving through the store seemed distant.
Anne's eyes remained fixed on Lily. "Who?"
Her voice was calm. But there was something unmistakably firm beneath it.
Lily's fingers trembled. She looked toward Sophie. Then toward Olivia. Sophie immediately understood what Lily was about to say.
Her expression hardened. "What are you waiting for?" Sophie demanded. "If you know something, say it."
Lily lowered her head. "I…"
Her voice shook. "I saw who did it."
Olivia's face became pale.
Jason noticed. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Lily," Anne said quietly, "don't be afraid. Tell me exactly what you saw."
Lily took a deep breath. Then she slowly raised her hand.
Her finger pointed toward Sophie. "It was her."
The entire room froze.
Sophie stared at Lily in disbelief. "What?"
Her voice rose sharply. "How dare you accuse me?"
Lily immediately stepped backward. "I-I'm sorry, ma'am. But it's true."
"You're lying!" Sophie snapped. "I would never do something like that!"
Lily's eyes filled with tears. "I wasn't trying to cause trouble. I was only serving the drinks. I didn't see her leg at first, but when I fell, I looked down and saw…"
She hesitated. "Your leg was stretched out in front of me."
Sophie clenched her fists. "This is ridiculous!"
She turned toward the manager. "Is this how your employees behave? They make mistakes and then blame customers to protect themselves?"
The manager looked uncomfortable. "Ma'am, please calm down."
"Don't tell me to calm down!" Sophie shouted. "I have never been treated with such disrespect!"
Anne remained silent.
She wasn't looking at Sophie anymore.
Her eyes were on Olivia. Olivia stood beside Jason, her face pale.
For the first time since the incident began, the carefully maintained innocent expression on her face was beginning to crack.
Anne noticed it, so did Eva and Jason.
"Olivia." Anne's voice was quiet.
Olivia looked at her. "Yes, Sister?"
"Did you see what happened?"
Olivia hesitated. Only for a second. But everyone noticed.
"I…" She lowered her eyes. "I wasn't paying attention."
Anne's expression remained unchanged. "You weren't paying attention?"
Olivia shook her head. "No."
She looked at Sophie. Then quickly looked away. "I was looking at my dress."
Jason's gaze became colder. Something wasn't right.
He had known Olivia for years.
He had watched her pretend to be innocent countless times.
But today, something felt different. There was fear in her eyes.
Not sadness but fear.
Jason looked toward Sophie, and then toward Lily.
His thoughts began connecting the pieces.
The damaged dress.
The argument.
Anne's injured wrist.
Olivia's sudden fall, and now Lily's accusation. It couldn't all be a coincidence.
"Enough." Jason's voice suddenly cut through the room.
Everyone turned toward him.
He gently helped Olivia stand properly. Then he looked at Sophie. "If Lily says she saw what happened, let her explain."
Sophie stared at him. "Jason, you're taking the side of a stranger over Olivia?"
Jason's expression remained calm. "I'm not taking anyone's side."
His gaze shifted toward Lily. "I just want to know the truth."
Sophie opened her mouth to respond, but Olivia quickly touched Jason's arm.
"Jason…" Her voice was soft. "Please don't make this into something bigger."
She looked toward Lily. "She probably made a mistake."
Jason looked at her. "Then why are you defending her?"
Olivia froze. "I…"
Jason continued. "If she made a mistake, the truth will prove it."
His words left Olivia speechless.
Across the room, Anne watched Jason carefully.
There was something different about him today.
He was quieter than usual and more serious. And his eyes kept returning to her injured wrist.
Anne looked away. She didn't want to think about him.
Not now. Not after everything that had happened.
Eva stepped closer to Madison. "Madison, I think you should listen to Lily before accusing Anne again."
Madison looked troubled. She glanced toward her daughter, and then toward Olivia. She had spent years believing Olivia was innocent and Anne was simply distant.
But today, she had seen things she couldn't easily explain.
She had seen Olivia holding Anne's hand. She had seen Anne trying to pull away, and now Lily was accusing Sophie.
For the first time, doubt began creeping into Madison's mind.
"Lily," Madison asked quietly, "are you certain?"
Lily nodded. "Yes, ma'am." She looked terrified. "But I didn't say anything because I was afraid I'd lose my job."
Sophie immediately stepped forward. "You should lose your job for causing all this trouble!"
Lily flinched.
Anne's expression turned cold. "That's enough."
Sophie stopped.
Anne looked directly at her. "This is my store."
Her voice was steady. "And nobody is going to intimidate my employees."
Sophie stared at her. Anne then turned toward Lily.
"You don't have to worry about losing your job."
Lily looked at her in surprise. "You're not being punished for telling the truth."
A wave of relief crossed Lily's face. "Thank you, ma'am."
Anne nodded. Then she looked toward the manager. "Check the security cameras."
The manager immediately understood. "Yes, ma'am."
He pulled out his phone and called security. "We need the footage from this afternoon."
Sophie stiffened. Olivia's face became even paler.
Eva noticed and so did Jason.
A few minutes later, the manager returned with a tablet. "Miss Anne, security has sent the footage."
Anne nodded. "Play it."
The manager placed the tablet on the table. Everyone gathered around. The footage showed the store from several angles.
First, Lily appeared carrying the tray. She walked toward the group. Then the camera angle changed and Sophie was sitting beside Olivia.
As Lily approached, Sophie's leg slowly moved outward. Lily didn't notice. Her foot caught against Sophie's leg.
The glass slipped and the drink spilled across Olivia's dress.
The room became silent. Nobody needed an explanation. The footage had shown everything.
Madison stared at the screen. Her expression slowly changed. Sophie immediately looked away.
Olivia remained frozen and Jason's expression became cold.
Eva closed her eyes for a moment. She had suspected something. Now she had proof.
Anne looked at Sophie. "Do you still want to say it was my employee's fault?"
Sophie couldn't answer. Her face had turned pale. "I…"
Anne shook her head. "You don't have to explain."
Her voice remained calm. "But you owe Lily an apology."
Sophie looked at her angrily. "Anne—"
"An apology." Anne's voice became firmer.