171 The Accusation and the Evidence
Hazel’s POV 1
I turned slowly, my heartbeat thundering in my ears. Alistair Everett was striding toward me, his face a mask of confusion and suspicion. Of all the times for him to appear, it had to be now-with his sister collapsed on the sidewalk, paramedics minutes away.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded, eyes darting between me and Gloria’s slumped form.
I straightened my spine, refusing to look guilty for something I hadn’t done. “Your sister’s in trouble. She needs medical attention.”
His eyes narrowed dangerously. “What did you do to her?”
“Nothing she didn’t do to herself,” I said coldly. “Your sister tried to drug me at dinner. I switched our drinks. Now she’s having some kind of allergic reaction.”
Alistair rushed past me to Gloria’s side, kneeling beside her. “Glo? Can you hear me?”
She mumbled something I couldn’t hear. Whatever she said made his shoulders stiffen.
The ambulance rounded the corner, sirens wailing. I stepped back, knowing my presence was no longer needed or wanted.
“Your sister was driving recklessly,” I called to Alistair. “You should know she almost caused several accidents before she pulled over.”
He didn’t look at me, focused entirely on Gloria.
“The paramedics will need to know what was in that drink,” I added. “Ask her what she planned to use on me.”
Without waiting for a response, I slipped into my car and drove away, leaving the Everett siblings to the arriving paramedics. In my rearview mirror, I watched Alistair cradling his sister’s head, his face a picture of concern. He had never looked at me with such genuine worry, not even when I was at my lowest.
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171 The Accusation and the Evidence
Three hours later, my phone rang, jolting me awake from a fitful sleep. The clock on my nightstand read 1:27 AM. Only one person would call at this hour.
I answered without checking the caller ID. “What?”
“You poisoned my sister.” Alistair’s voice was barely controlled rage.
I sat up, instantly alert. “I did no such thing.”
“She’s in intensive care!” he shouted. “Severe allergic reaction, respiratory distress. They had to intubate her!”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “That’s unfortunate, but not my fault. She tried to drug me, Alistair. I simply made sure she took her own medicine.”
“She could have died!” His voice broke slightly, revealing genuine fear beneath the anger.
“And what exactly was supposed to happen to me?” I shot back. “Did you ever stop to think about what that drug was meant to do to me? What you and your sister were planning?”
Silence hung heavy between us. When he spoke again, his voice was ice. “The police will be interested to hear about this.”
“Go ahead,” I challenged, anger bubbling up. “Tell them everything. How your sister tried to drug me as part of some sick plan to create compromising photos. How you were going to use those photos to blackmail me. I’m sure they’ll be very sympathetic.”
“You’re making that up,” he hissed.
“Am I? Ask your sister what she did. Ask her what was supposed to happen after she drugged me. Ask her who was supposed to pick me up.”
Another long pause. “You’ve changed, Hazel. The woman I knew would never have done something so vindictive.”
I laughed bitterly. “The woman you knew died the day you left her for her dying stepsister. I’m what’s left after you and your family finished tearing her apart.
“I’m going to make you pay for this,” he threatened.
“We’ll see each other in court, Alistair,” I reminded him coolly. “Bring whatever
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171 The Accusation and the Evidenco
accusations you want. Just remember I have nothing left to lose.”
I hung up, hands trembling with adrenaline and anger. He hadn’t denied their plan. Not directly, Confirmation enough.
Sleep was impossible now. I paced my bedroom, mind racing. Alistair’s threat lingered in the air. Would he actually try to press charges? It would be his word against mine. Gloria’s too, if she recovered enough to speak.
I needed evidence.
By 8 AM, I was back at the restaurant, dressed in a sharp business suit that projected authority. The morning manager, a nervous young man named Trevor, looked uncomfortable as I explained my situation.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Shaw, but I can’t just show you our security footage. That’s against policy,”
I leaned forward slightly. “Trevor, a woman tried to drug me in your establishment last night. That’s a serious crime. I can either review the footage with your cooperation, or I can involve the police, who will seize it anyway. Which would you prefer?”
His eyes widened. “Drug you? Here?”
“Yes. The same woman who collapsed and needed medical attention. I’m sure you remember the incident.”
Recognition dawned on his face. “The blonde lady? But she just got sick…”
“She got sick because she drank what she intended for me,” I explained patiently. “I need that footage to protect myself.”
Trevor hesitated, then nodded. “Follow me to the office.”
Ten minutes later, we were reviewing crisp, clear footage from the previous evening. The camera angle captured our table perfectly-Gloria arriving, our conversation, drinks being served. Then the moment I left for the restroom.
“There,” I pointed. “Watch her right hand.”
On screen, Gloria glanced around furtively, then quickly dropped something into my
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glass, stirring it with my straw. The evidence was undeniable.
“Oh my God,” Trevor murmured. “That’s… that’s a crime.”
“Yes, it is,” I agreed grimly. “I need a copy of this footage.”
He nodded, no longer hesitating. “Of course. Right away.”
Armed with the video file on my phone, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. Proof. Irrefutable proof of Gloria’s intentions.
My phone rang just as I left the restaurant. Alistair again. I answered, feeling confident.
“Good morning, Alistair. How’s your sister?” I asked with false sweetness.
“Still in the hospital,” he said curtly. “No thanks to you.”
“That’s unfortunate. Is she able to speak yet?”
His voice hardened. “Why? Worried about what she might say?”
“Not at all,” I replied lightly. “Just concerned about her wellbeing.”
“Save your concern,” he snapped. “We both know you’re behind this.”
I stopped walking, clutching my phone tighter. “Behind what, exactly?”
“Don’t play innocent. You drugged my sister!”
The accusation, spoken so confidently, made my blood boil. “Are you serious? Your sister drugged herself!”
“She told me everything,” Alistair continued, his voice rising. “How you must have slipped something into her drink when she wasn’t looking. How you sat there watching her get sick.”
I barked out a laugh. “Of course she’d say that. She’s not going to admit what she was really doing.”
“Stop lying, Hazel. Gloria has never done anything to hurt you.”
The sheer audacity of his statement left me momentarily speechless. “Did your sister say that?” I asked coldly. “That she never tried to hurt me?”
“She doesn’t have to. I know my sister.”
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“Clearly, you don’t,” I scoffed. “Because I have proof of exactly what happened last night.”
There was a brief pause. “What proof?”
“Security footage,” I replied, satisfaction coloring my voice. “Crystal clear video showing your sister dropping something into my drink when I went to the restroom. I’ve already saved a copy.”
His breathing changed, becoming slightly faster. “You’re bluffing.”
“Would you like me to send it to you? Or should I just forward it directly to your lawyer? Maybe the police would be interested too.””
Another silence, longer this time. “This isn’t over, Hazel.”
“It never is with you Everetts,” I sighed. “See you in court, Alistair. And tell your sister to be more careful what she puts in other people’s drinks. Next time, she might not be so lucky.”
I ended the call, feeling both triumphant and exhausted. The evidence was secure. Gloria’s plot exposed. But the battle with the Everetts was far from over.
My phone pinged with a text from Sebastian: “Everything okay? You seem tense at breakfast.”
I smiled despite myself. Even when he wasn’t physically present, Sebastian noticed things about me that Alistair never had. I typed back: “Just Everett drama. Nothing I can’t handle. Tell you later.”
As I walked to my car, I felt oddly lighter. The Everetts could scheme and lie all they wanted. But this time, I had something they didn’t:
The truth, captured on video for all to see.
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