The servant who had first taken the jade box turned pale, voice trembling. “It wasn’t me, Mr. Nero! I didn’t take the box- Mandy did!”
All eyes turned to Mandy.
She looked stunned and quickly glanced at Claudia. “I–I gave it straight to Madam as soon as I got it!”
Instantly, Claudia became the center of attention.
Her eyes sharpened with a sudden chill.
The moment she saw the shattered jade, she’d known something was wrong.
The servants around her began casting sympathetic glances. Their eyes said what no one dared to voice.
She’s doomed.
Mr. Nero was indifferent about most things, but anything given to him by his grandmother–especially something she’d gone through great effort to obtain was sacred.
And now it was in pieces.
Claudia knew exactly what this meant. She turned to Nero in a rush. “It wasn’t me! I didn’t touch it at all after Mandy gave it to me. I don’t know how it
got broken!
When the box had arrived, it was intact. Now it was shattered–and she hadn’t touched it. That left only one suspect: Mandy.
Seeing the urgency in her eyes, her fear of being misunderstood, Nero’s expression softened just slightly. He was about to speak when-
“Madam Cheryl is here!”
All heads turned toward the door.
There she stood, regal and commanding, with Raine supporting her as she walked in.
“What’s going on?” she asked. Her eyes landed on the shattered jade inside the box–and her face immediately darkened. She strode forward. “What happened? Who broke this?!”
“Madam! Please, I beg you to hear me out!” Mandy suddenly dropped to her knees with a dramatic thud.
She cried out, “I did deliver the box to Madam Claudia, but now the jade is broken! She’s going to say it was my fault, but 1 swear, I didn’t do it! I’d never break it on purpose–I couldn’t afford it even if I gave up everything I owned. This will ruin.
Raine added;“Look at how badly it’s broken. You’d have to throw it with force to do that. Why would Mandy–a servant–do such a thing? Like she said, she couldn’t afford to pay for it. She’d have to be insane!”
If Mandy wasn’t the culprit… that left only one other person.
Claudia
The old woman looked at her with disapproval. “So you’re Nero’s new wife? Tell me honestly–did you break it?” Claudia hadn’t expected that her first meeting with Madam Cheryl after rebirth would be under such circumstances,
She hadn’t cared much about reputation in her past life, but this time was different.
She wanted to live well with Nero–and to do that, these things mattered,
She quickly collected herself, “No, Grandina. I didn’t.”
1/2
B
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Chapter 25 Shattered Lies
Raine jumped in. “Do you have proof?”
Claudia’s eyes snapped toward her, cold and sharp.
The jade just happened to break. And Madam Cheryl just happened to show up. All at the same time?
What a convenient coincidence.
Raine flinched from her glare, instinctively taking a step back. Then, realizing how it looked, she straightened with indignation. What could Claudia do to her, right in front of Nero and Madam Cheryl?
She pressed on. “No proof, and you expect us to believe you?”
“Enough,” a low voice cut through the tension.
Nero
Raine bit her lip. “Mr. Nero?”
But he ignored her. He turned to his grandmother. “Let’s just say someone dropped it. It’s unfortunate, but no need to pursue it. I’ll go with you to the temple once I recover and ask for a new one.”
Raine burned with resentment.
He’s protecting her!
Claudia, too, was stunned. Her heart surged with warmth—but also confusion.
He believes me… but he’s still letting it go. Does that mean he’s not convinced?
To her surprise, Madam Cheryl’s anger completely vanished. In its place was astonishment–and joy.
My grandson is pleading for someone?
She glanced at Claudia thoughtfully.
This girl really might be different.
If she can bring joy to Nero’s final years–if she can make him smile, make him feel–then who cares about a jade statue? I’d gladly shatter a
hundred
Tears welled in the old woman’s eyes. She softened. “Alright, I’ll listen to Neroz
Raine clenched her fists. “But Madam Cheryl—”
Claudia gently tugged Nero’s sleeve. “I have proof.”
Nero turned to her. “What?”
“I said–I have proof that I didn’t do it
In an instant, every gaze landed on her.
Claudia stood tall and composed by Nero’s side. Her presence was serene and steady..
“You have proof? What kind of proof?” Raine asked quickly.
Claudia didn’t respond to her. She turned instead to Mandy. “When you received the item, you brought it straight to me. No one else touched it, correct?”
Mandy felt a sudden jolt of unease–but then scoffed inwardly.
So that if she’s bluffing? I was very careful when I broke it. There’s no way she could’ve seen.
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Chapter 26 Framed
