Chapter 10 I Didn’t Push Her

• Before long, Amber’s cries for help had drawn a group of people from the front hall. As Rachel had expected, the first thing Amber did after being rescued from the pond was to question her tearfully, “Why did you push me, Rachel?”
• Rachel frowned at the sight of the reproachful eyes from the people around her. However, with so many people watching, what ought to be explained had to be explained. She shook her head while explaining with sign language. I didn’t push her.
• Amber, the only person at the scene who could understand what she was signing, snickered in her heart. She pretended to look shocked and replied loudly, “Did you say that you hate me? Rachel… Why would you hate me? We’re blood sisters… How could you be so cruel?”
• Rachel’s expression turned cold, for Amber had wilfully distorted the meaning of her explanation. Judging from the peculiar expressions of those around her, they obviously believed Amber’s lies. Thanks to the lies that Amber deliberately spread, everyone in the Burton Residence knew that Justin loved Amber but ended up marrying Rachel—the one who had schemed to get married to him. As a result, they loathed Rachel and sympathized with Amber. Moreover, the latter won their favor with her honeyed words.
• “The way I see it, she did it because she’s envious of Miss Amber.”
• “What a vicious woman she is! She even laid a hand on her sister.”
• “She looks pitiful on the outside, but she has such a wicked heart.”
• Amber felt smug deep down inside upon hearing the comments around her, yet she pretended to look aggrieved as she turned to Sue. “What happened isn’t what you think it is, Madam Parham. My sister didn’t do it on purpose!”
• Sue’s eyes were as piercing as knives as she scolded Rachel harshly, “What a dishonest and vicious woman you are! A woman like you doesn’t have to stay at the Burton Residence anymore!”
• Amber even added fuel to the fire as she said, “Please let my sister off, Madam Parham. I understand her; if it weren’t for my sudden visit to the Burton Residence, she wouldn’t have been provoked to the point of doing this to me.”
• Rachel looked even colder upon hearing what everyone had said. How could she not understand Amber’s purpose in doing this? She simply wanted to drive her away from the Burton Residence, and Sue, who happened to have the same idea in mind, played along with her. The two women clicked instantly as they took advantage of each other.
• Nonetheless, how could Rachel let herself be made a scapegoat? She took out the pen and paper that she had brought with her in her handbag and wrote, ‘I’d like to request to have the surveillance videos checked to prove my innocence.’
• However, Amber didn’t get nervous at all; instead, she was emboldened by Sue’s support. “I really won’t blame you, Rachel. Just admit it; even if you have the surveillance videos checked, you’ll only get humiliated even further.”
• Just then, Mrs. Duncan chimed in, “The surveillance camera is broken, Madam.”
• Sue glanced at Mrs. Duncan and nodded. She lied through her teeth, “That’s right. It has been broken for several days, and the repairman will be coming to fix it tomorrow.”
• All of a sudden, Rachel wanted to laugh; this was clearly the crappiest set-up. These women were from wealthy and distinguished families. Crafty as they were, they couldn’t have possibly been unable to tell what actually happened, yet they deliberately ignored the truth. They probably had the surveillance cameras switched off in advance, which was why they didn’t have anything to fear. It wasn’t that Amber had succeeded in setting her up; it was just that everyone here never accepted her. To them, it didn’t matter whether she was right or wrong. All that mattered was that only Amber was worthy of Justin, and she—a mute—was not!
• Rachel initially thought that Amber was the only person behind this set-up, but she didn’t expect that everyone in the Burton Residence would gang up with her sister and target her. Perhaps this has been premeditated? she thought to herself.
• As it turned out, Rachel was right. Sue took advantage of the situation and demanded, “Now that you’ve done something so wrong, it is useless no matter how you explain it. You must apologize to Amber!”
• Rachel’s hands clenched into fists at her sides. After all, an apology would be an admission of wrongdoing in a different form. Right now, she was enduring everyone’s scornful and contemptuous gazes like a universally condemned vicious woman. She took a deep breath, looked at everyone in a dignified manner, and wrote down her stance. ‘Why should I apologize for something that I didn’t do?’