The child instinctively shrank back into Eliza Sutton’s arms and nodded fearfully. "Y-Yes... that’s what happened."
"Good boy." Shane Lockwood patted the child’s head before his gaze, as cold as tempered ice, fell upon Alia Sutton. "Miss Sutton, are you unable to recognize your own brother-in-law? Or do you simply make a habit of ’mistaking’ who he is?"
At Shane Lockwood’s words,
Alia Sutton’s expression turned hideous.
’Of course she hadn’t forgotten who her brother-in-law was. It was just that, in her mind, Eliza Sutton had always been nothing more than dirt beneath her feet, soone to be trampled on at will.’
’But Shane Lockwood... even though he couldn’t walk and had a five-year-old son, his life was no longer in danger. And with all his power, he was still like the moon in the sky—a prize to be longed for, but utterly unattainable.’
’In her heart, Shane Lockwood was her perfect match, the best choice after she’d broken off her engagent with Sean Hughes. He was the future she and her brother had planned together. By no logic should he ever be associated with Eliza Sutton.’
’So how could she possibly bring herself to call him ’Brother-in-law’?’
"I..."
Alia Sutton had just opened her mouth when Shane Lockwood cut her off. "That’s enough. Don’t bother. You already drove Eliza out of the Sutton family. She’s no longer their daughter, which ans you are not fit to call your brother-in-law."
Alia Sutton’s face turned even more foul at his words, but unfortunately for her, no one was paying her any mind.
"And as for you..." Shane Lockwood’s gaze landed on the hired man. "Slander, defamation, and ruining my wife’s reputation. Secretary Irvine, take him to the police station. Have them conduct a thorough investigation to find out just who has it out for the Lockwood Group."
The mont Shane Lockwood finished speaking, all the color drained from the man’s face.
"President Lockwood, I never ant to cross the Lockwood Group! I just wanted to earn a little cash," the man shrieked, lunging toward Alia Sutton. "Miss Sutton, you have to save ! You said all I had to do was claim I had a fling with the eldest Miss Sutton five years ago! You never said anything about jail! The pittance you paid isn’t worth doing ti for!"
The crowd erupted.
This ti, all eyes fell on Alia Sutton.
"Oh my god, I can’t believe Miss Sutton was behind this. But why? She and Master Innis are sisters. What good would ruining Master Innis’s reputation do for her?"
"Oh, you must not have heard. Alia Sutton and Master Innis are sisters, but they’re only half-sisters. Years ago, at Master Innis’s mother’s funeral, Chairman Sutton brought his mistress and their illegitimate son and daughter ho. Then, less than a month after his wife’s death, he married the mistress. It was a massive scandal back then, but it’s been so long that most people have forgotten. That’s why you don’t know about it."
"No wonder she’d resort to such a vicious sche to fra Master Innis."
"That’s just awful. Veridia finally has a world-class fashion designer, and soone with a black heart is already trying to tear her down."
Eliza Sutton finally turned to Alia Sutton. "My dear sister, aren’t you going to give an explanation?"
"Explanation? What is there to explain? I don’t know this man at all! He’s just slandering to save his own skin!"
"Don’t know him?" Erik Irvine sneered. "Miss Sutton, do you take us all for fools? A mont ago, you and this man were perfectly in sync."
"It’s a misunderstanding. Just a misunderstanding. Your sister was just overly worried, which led people to the wrong conclusion," Harrison Sutton interjected. "Eliza, you’re a bigger person than that. Surely you won’t hold a little slip of the tongue against your sister, will you?"
"Of course," Eliza replied. "Since Alia Sutton is innocent, I wouldn’t want to falsely accuse her. As for this man... as the mastermind of this incident, I’m sure he has a long stay in prison ahead of him. Let’s hope you’re lucky and get out soon."
Eliza Sutton was smiling, but to the man, her smile was filled with malice.
Then he saw Shane Lockwood staring at him as if he were already a corpse, and the terror in his heart peaked in an instant.
"It was you, Alia Sutton! You’re the one who paid off!" the man roared, struggling against his restraints.
Perhaps his rage gave him strength, because he struggled so violently that the bodyguards couldn’t hold him down.
He broke free and lunged at Alia Sutton, tackling her to the ground.
"This is all your fault! It’s all you!" The man’s hands closed around Alia Sutton’s throat, his eyes bloodshot, like a madman. "You paid ! You hired to do this, and now that you’re in trouble, you want to use as a scapegoat! In your dreams! The asly sum you gave isn’t worth losing the rest of my life!"
Alia Sutton clawed at the man’s wrists, trying to pry his hands away.
But as a pampered heiress, she was no match for a man in a frenzy. She was being strangled, her face flushing crimson and her eyes bulging. She was on the verge of death.
Harrison Sutton let out a horrified shriek and threw himself forward, desperately trying to pull the man off.
Eliza Sutton watched dispassionately as Harrison Sutton fought with all his might for Alia Sutton. After a mont, she looked away and said faintly, "It would be better to let them be judged by the law."
The bodyguards behind her imdiately stepped forward and pulled the man away.
Having narrowly escaped with her life, Alia Sutton clung to Harrison Sutton, sobbing hysterically.
"Master Innis is too kind. Even after Alia Sutton slandered her like that, she still chose to repay evil with good."
"A master with both talent and moral integrity—that’s the kind of role model our younger generation should admire."
"Secretary Irvine, take them to the police station. The Lockwood Group will not show rcy to anyone who dares to slander Mrs. Lockwood!"
At his command, the bodyguards surged forward and dragged away both the man and Alia Sutton.
"Alia!" Harrison Sutton shouted. He then whirled on Eliza Sutton, his anger boiling over. "Eliza Sutton, what is wrong with you! You’re having your own sister sent to the police before the matter is even investigated! Do you have any conscience at all?"
Eliza Sutton laughed at his words, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "So, sending soone to the police for an investigation is heartless? Then I wonder, what do you call sending your own daughter to prison to take the bla for soone else?"
Harrison Sutton’s expression changed dramatically. "Take the bla? You were the one at fault to begin with! What nonsense are you talking about!"
But Eliza Sutton couldn’t be bothered to argue with him further.
Shane Lockwood held out his hand to Eliza Sutton. "Let’s go ho."
Eliza Sutton hesitated for a mont before placing her hand in his.
Holding the little boy in one arm and Shane Lockwood’s hand with the other, Eliza Sutton walked away as Secretary Irvine pushed the wheelchair. The crowd parted spontaneously to clear a path for them.
「Seacliff Manor」
Eliza Sutton and Shane Lockwood brought the child back to Seacliff Manor.
The boy’s clothes were filthy and his small hands were caked in dirt, so Eliza Sutton entrusted him to Mrs. Zimrman.
Mrs. Zimrman gasped upon seeing the little boy. "Oh my, Young Master, how did you get into such a state? Co, let get you washed up."
As she spoke, Mrs. Zimrman reached out to take the boy.
His eyes wide with fear, the little boy instinctively clung tighter to Eliza Sutton.
Though he had only just t Eliza Sutton, he felt an inexplicable sense of safety with this woman.
Mrs. Zimrman looked on, bewildered. "What’s wrong with the Young Master?"
She hadn’t seen the livestream, so she didn’t know the story behind this child who had appeared out of nowhere.
Looking at the boy, Eliza Sutton’s heart filled with tenderness and compassion.
’This child not only has the sa face as Emtt, but maybe because he appeared as ’Theo,’ I can’t help but feel like he’s my own son when I look at him.’
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