"What''s going on up there?" Ste asked Joshua.
"Not sure. Want to go check it out?" he suggested. "Maybe Neville and Foreman are up there watching the show."
With Joshua by her side, Ste felt safe enough. She nodded.
When they got upstairs, a crowd had already gathered in the hallway. Through the gaps, Ste could hear a young woman''s soft sobs. People were clustered around a doorway, whispering amongst themselves.
"Do you know what happened?"<fn938f> Th?s chapter is updated by find[?]ovel</fn938f>
"I heard it was a drunken mistake. They somehow ended up in bed together."
"Well, well, this party was worthing to after all. A little bit of drama to spice things up."
"Zane loves ying matchmaker, doesn''t he? This works out perfectly for him."
"So, who are they?"
"The woman is supposedly Zane''s niece. Not sure about the man."
"Zane''s niece? Looks like the guy is going to have to take responsibility, whether he wants to or not."
As Ste listened to the gossip, a familiar voice drifted from behind her.
"Star, there you are. I was looking all over for you."
Ste turned to see Foreman walking towards her. "Foreman, have you seen Neville?"
Foreman nced around. "No, isn''t he with you?"
"No," Ste replied.
Just then, a man''s low, familiar voice came from the room. "Mr. Vance, I''ve exined this countless times. I swear I didn''ty a single finger on your niece." Then, the woman''s voice cut in again. "If you didn''t touch me, then how do you exin this? And why were you in my room in the first ce?"
Ste froze, her eyes darting toward the room. "Is that Neville?"
She had only intended to observe from a distance, but hearing Neville''s voice sent
a wave of unease through her. She pushed through the crowd and headed for the
room.
Foreman watched her go, a fleeting, dark glint in his eyes, before following her.
Inside, a beautiful young woman sat
on the bed, her clothes in disarray. Her hair was messy, and the exposed skin of her neck and shoulders was covered intell tale marks. Tears streamed down her face, making her look utterly pitiful.
Standing opposite her was Neville. As Ste''s date and "boyfriend," she couldn''t
just stand by. She walked to his side. "Neville, what''s going on?"
Neville''s
stern expression softened
at the sight of her. "Not long after you left, a waiter spilled a drink on me and offered to take me to a room to change. I had just taken off my shirt when I heard a woman scream in the bedroom. A secondter, the door was kicked open."
His gaze fell on the woman on the bed. "This Miss Vance insists that I forced myself on her, but I know I did nothing of the sort."
Neville had dealt with women throwing themselves at him, trying to drug him; or creating drama to get his attention. But he never imagined that be a man would be the one. the one being framed like this. The most
absurd part was that he had done
absolutely nothing, yet she was
determined to pin it on him.
Ste knew Neville well enough to trust him. "Miss Vance," she said gently, "could there be some misunderstanding?"
"I woke up and saw him standing there, half-naked, getting dressed," Shirley
Vance sobbed. "If it wasn''t him, who else could it be?"
"Miss Vance, what were you doing in this room?" Ste asked.
"I had too much to drink at the party, so I came here to rest," Shirley exined. "But when I woke up, I found... I found..." She broke down in tears again.
Zane stood by, his brows furrowed in a deep frown. "Shirley, are you sure there isn''t some mistake?"
"Uncle Zane, you''ve known me my whole life. Have you ever known me to lie?" Shirley cried harder. "I''ve never even had a boyfriend. If he didn''t do this, are you suggesting I brought some random man in here myself?"
Zane knew she was telling the truth. Shirley had always been a good, obedient girl. If it were any other man, he would have demanded he take responsibility on the spot. But this was Ste''s fiancé.
He looked to Ste, waiting for her response.
Ste turned to Shirley. "Miss Vance, why did someone burst through the door just moments after you woke up?"