Facing Melissa''s usations, Serena was unfazed. She stepped forward, her nose nearly touching Melissa''s outstretched finger.
"I''ve already asked to review the surveince footage. And honestly, what benefit would I gain from disrupting Cole''s engagement party?"
Melissa sneered, her voice sharp. "Oh, the benefits are plenty. If something happened to my son, your husband would continue to hold power in the Larson family. And if something happened to Ms. Arnold, wouldn''t your sister be able to get closer to Cole?"
Serena didn''t even flinch as Melissa''s long nails left shallow marks on her nose.
Before Serena could respond, Hugh walked in, his gaze cold. "If I wanted to control everything, I would have handled it myself. Why would I have my wife resorting to these petty tricks?"
He stepped closer and gently pulled Serena back by the shoulder. Then, he turned his cold eyes on Melissa, his lips curling into a sneer.
He said, "When your son was out street racing, hanging out with his shady friends
at underground clubs, and during every moment you weren''t watching him... Do you think I wouldn''t take action?"
Melissa''s confidence faltered instantly. It was clear she couldn''t say anything against Hugh.
At home, Cole was obedient, but once he stepped outside, he was reckless.
A few years ago, Cole went missing while traveling abroad. With onemand from Calvin, Hugh had used his connections to track him down and had him at the airport within two hours. Half a dayter, Cole was back home, locked away to reflect on his actions.
Hugh might not like Cole, but he wouldn''t go so far as to harm him.
However, this engagement party had caused a major spectacle, and the Arnold family wouldn''t let this slide easily. She couldn''t let Serena, who had organized the engagement party, escape from me either.
Melissa said, "You won''ty a hand on Cole, but I remember your sister still has her eye on Cole."
Serena replied, "If she''s behind this, I don''t mind letting you seek justice. After all, we''re just half-sisters with no real bond."
Serena rubbed the nail mark on her nose. She wasn''t worried. She knew the truth woulde out, and she wouldn''t be med for something she didn''t do.
Hugh furrowed his brows as he pressed her hand down gently. "It''s red."
"Then, I won''t rub it anymore," Serena said obediently, lowering her hand.
Melissa watched Serena closely, her eyes narrowing. She wondered if this wasn''t Serena''s doing.
At that moment, Celeste arrived with the footage. "The video''s ready."
When the surveince footage was reviewed, it was confirmed that someone had sneakily tampered with the custom tform the night before. To avoid detection, they had applied ayer of white adhesive on the surface.
The staff responsible for the custom tform arrived quickly. "Because of that adhesive, we didn''t notice the damage during the inspection this morning. Luckily, Ms. Jansen was concerned that the custom tform might have issues.
"A couple of nights ago, she had us rush to build a steel frame and install it from below. Thanks to that, no major idents happened today! We apologize for the oversight from our team."
Melissa''s gaze shifted from anger to confusion upon hearing this.
It wasn''t Serena who had done it. In fact, her additional reinforcement saved the engagement ceremony today.
As Serena''s innocence was proven, she became moreposed.
On the other hand, Hugh shot a cold, sharp nce at Melissa. "Don''t you think an
apology is in order, Melissa? After all, you''ve misunderstood someone."
"I... I''m sorry. I misunderstood you earlier," Melissa said, apologizing under Hugh''s pressure.
She turned to her assistant. "Find out who that figure was and why they''d set up Cole and Ms. Arnold. They even made me misunderstand Serena!"
The speed at which her attitude had changed was truly remarkable.
Serena couldn''t help but be amazed.
Hugh had neutralized Melissa''s threat easily. He then instructed Celeste to investigate the footage further to find the culprit.
During this time, Cole and Regina took the opportunity toe backstage.