Chapter 304 A Botched Setup
Chapter 304 A Botched Setup
What the hell is going on?‘
+15 BONUS
Confused whispers rippled through the crowd who had barged into the room uninvited.
‘How.. what… no, that’s… that’s not possible.‘ Serenna blinked rapidly, as if the scene might vanish if she
did it often enough. ‘He… you… you and Rhys… you two came here together. You texted him. You wanted…‘
‘How do you know I texted him?‘ I said. ‘Even I didn’t know that. Did Rhys tell you?‘
‘I didn’t!‘ Rhys denied instantly.
‘Then how did you know?‘ I kept my eyes fixed on Serenna.
Over her shoulder, I caught sight of someone hovering in the doorway.
Genevieve stood there with her phone raised, as if about to take a photo, but froze mid–act.
Her eyes swept over the scene, her brain clearly stuttering when she realised the script had gone off
track.
The moment she spotted Ashton, she snapped back to her senses and shoved her phone away.
‘I… I just saw it,‘ Serenna muttered, clinging to her story.
‘Saw it from where?‘ I demanded.
‘Someone sent it to me. A screenshot. I…‘ She pulled out her phone. ‘I didn’t make it up. You sent that
message!‘
She thrust her phone at the onlookers. ‘See? I didn’t make it up.‘
‘Who sent it to you?‘ I pressed.
Serenna backed into a chair and nearly tripped. Her eyes darted frantically before she jabbed a finger like
a drowning woman grabbing at driftwood. ‘It was Rhys! He said he’d never betray me, so he sent me your
text to prove it.’
‘Rhys? Really?‘ I gave a cold laugh and turned to him.
He shook his head furiously, looking as lost as the rest of them. ‘I didn’t.‘
‘Show me.’ I held out my hand.
Serenna hesitated.
‘What? If it’s real, why would you be afraid to show me?‘ I taunted.
1/4
Chapter 304 A Botched Setup
+15 BONUS
She shoved the phone at me, trying to sound fierce but clearly rattled. ‘Why should I be the one afraid?
You’re the one trying to seduce my man.‘
I looked at the image. It wasn’t a screenshot. It was a photo of my screen, taken with another phone.
Idiot. That was exactly what Genevieve’s glare at Serenna seemed to say.
I found myself agreeing with her for once.
‘You’re sure Rhys sent this to you?‘ I asked again, herding her further into a corner.
‘Yes.‘ Serenna had no choice but to cling to her shaky excuse.
I checked the sender. It was an unknown number.
I handed the phone to Ashton.
‘Look at the top corner,‘ I pointed out. “That’s a woman’s hand.‘
‘Red nail polish,‘ he said, his voice sinking several degrees colder.
I lifted both of my hands for everyone to see. ‘Clear polish.‘
Ashton tossed the phone back. Serenna scrambled to catch it.
‘Genevieve, your nails are red,‘ Ashton said pointedly, his gaze hard on his childhood friend–soon to be ex
-friend, if I had anything to say about it.
Genevieve quickly hid her hands behind her back, which was as good as a confession.
She bit her lip. ‘I… it wasn’t me.‘
‘So what if she took the photo?‘ Serenna jumped in, desperate to fling the mud back at me. ‘Doesn’t
change the fact you sent the text. You tried to seduce my boyfriend.‘
‘You lie so easily, who can tell which part of your story is true and which isn’t?‘ Ashton’s voice was ice.
‘What proof do you have that I sent the text?‘ I shot back.
‘It was your phone!‘ Serenna insisted.
‘Anyone with my passcode or fingerprint can unlock it. And if I remember right‘–I fixed Genevieve with a hard stare–‘you were right there when the waiter bumped into me. You took my glass from my hand. I thought you were being helpful. But now…‘ I scoffed. ‘You really think a clumsy little text is enough to prove I’d cheat on Ashton? Look at Rhys, then look at my husband. I’m not blind. Why would I throw away
a man like Ashton for someone like him?‘
I rounded on Serenna. ‘And don’t start with that rubbish about me still having feelings for Rhys. I was
stupid when I dated him, but I’m not stupid enough to repeat the mistake.‘
2/4
Chapter 304 A Botched Setup
+15 BONUS
I advanced on her step by step, and the more I closed the distance, the more she faltered. Her eyes widened, panic flickering across her face, and she stumbled back.
‘I told you before, keep your man in check and stop him pestering me.‘ I shoved Serenna hard.
‘Check the security cameras,‘ Ashton said suddenly.
I blinked in surprise. Cameras? After all this back–and–forth, we could have just pulled the footage from
the start?
‘But I thought the hotel switched them off for tonight’s party,‘ I said.
‘That’s only the banquet hall and the first two floors,‘ Ashton said.
We were on the third.
‘Ha. Let’s see you deny it now.‘ I allowed myself a smug glance at Serenna and Genevieve.
‘Genevieve,‘ Ashton said, his eyes hard as steel, ‘admit what you did and apologise sincerely. If not, I’ll make sure the Crawford family disappears from Skyline.‘
