Chapter 171
Audrey's POV
The surveillance video ended with Blake's car racing away from NYU, Black SUVs chasing close behind. The
screen went black, leaving us in silence.
William leaned forward, eyes fixed on the dark screen. “That's it? Nothing more?”
“We left the campus, and the cameras couldn't follow,” | said with a slight shrug.
William let out a sigh. “You couldn't have taken a few more laps around campus? Givesomething more to
watch.
“Grandfather!” Blake cut in, shootinga glance. “If we'd stayed longer, she might not be here now.”
“I'm not that fragile,” | said, rolling my eyes at him.
If not for yesterday's accident, Blake might have already discovered my illness. If he'd convinced William that |
needed to
go to the hospital, my cancer would be impossible to hide.
With that worry in mind, I quickly shifted the focus away from my health. “William, the campus cameras don’t
show
everything. But there’s more about what happened after we left NYU.”
| clicked away from the surveillance footage and pulled up a news article. The headline was bold and tic:
“Coastal
Highway Closed After Major Accident - 2 Dead, 12 Injured!”
Below it sat a photo of Blake’s mangled sedan on the beach, alongside burned-out SUVs.
William's eyes widened as he stood up. “This accident... was you two?”
He immediately was at my side, grabbing my hands and checkingfor injuries. “Audrey, are you okay? Were
you hurt?”
His genuine concern touched me. In three years of marriage to Blake, William had givenmore family feeling
than the
Sinclairs ever had.
“I'm fine,” | smiled. “But Blake was injured protecting me.” | glanced toward Blake. “He has a head wound and -
“Blake darling!” Laurel cutoff, inserting herself between us. She stood on tiptoes, fingers hovering near the
bandage on
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇthis forehead. “You're hurt! Why didn’t you tell me?”
She continued her performance, voice dripping with concern. “Is this from the accident? Looks serious! You
should’ve protected yourself better!”
Blake tensed at her touch before relaxing. “It’s nothing,” he said quietly.
He glanced my way before turning back to Laurel. “If Audrey hadn't mentioned it, | wouldn't even remember
being injured last night.”
The smile he gave her made my chest tighten. “Don’t worry about it.”
“How can | not? Laurel's lip trembled.
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Chapter 171
She bit her lip and leaned closer, whispering something I couldn't hear. Their private exchange felt like a show
stape my benefit.
| rubbed my temples. Just another day watching Laurel manipulate her way out of trouble. And Blake falling for it.
I'd cto expose Laurel's attacks againstand Ethan, but somehow she'd twisted it into an intimate
moment with Blake.
William apparently shared my frustration. With surprising agility, he rose from his wheelchair and stormed over,
pulling Laurel away from Blake to examine his wound himself.
“Look what you've done,” William snapped, voice thick with emotion. “If you hadn't divorced Audrey, none of this
would've happened. No smear campaign, no Ethan posting evidence, no car crash while trying to help him.”
He turned on Laurel. “And you! Pretending to care? Weren't those your men who crashed into them? Your men
hurt Blake, and here you are with fake tears!”
Laurel's eyes went wide as tears streamed down. “Mr. Parker, you've got it wrong. | had nothing to do with Ethan
or the crash...”
Her face transformed into a mask of innocence. “If I'd arranged it, wouldn't | have known Blake was hurt? I'd
have been at his side immediately... But | only just found out.”
She dabbed at her eyes. “How can you accuse me? No matter what you think of me, I'd never harm the person |
care about
most...”
William's frown deepened as he stared at her, momentarily at a loss. Her argument made sense, even to me. If
Laurel had
planned the attack, she'd have known Blake was in the car and would never have risked hurting him.
Blake's POV
“Miss Rose is right,” Audrey set down the mouse and stood with hands in her pockets, regarding Laurel with a
cool detachment I'd never seen from her. “She wouldn't harm someone she cares about.”
She tilted her head. “But last night, when we left NYU, | was with a man wearing Ethan's clothes.”
Laurel went still.
“Those men thought they were chasing Ethan,” Audrey continued. “When Miss Rose told them to crash our car,
she thought the man withwas Ethan, not you.”
I watched Laurel's face. The color drained from her cheeks.
“Right! They never saw your face!” Grandfather exclaimed, glaring at me. “She couldn't have known the person
with Audrey wasn’t Ethan but you!“,
He rounded on Laurel. “If you'd known it was Blake with Audrey, you wouldn't have dared harm them! But you
didn’t know, so you gave the order!”
His face reddened as he turned back to me. “You heard that? If you hadn't helped Audrey and Ethan, she
would've run them off the road! This is who you want to marry? | forbid it! She will never join this family!”
‘Grandfather, this situation...” | started, mind racing.
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Chapter 171
“Blake, | swear | had nothing to do with this!” Laurel cut in. “You have to believe me!’
Audrey's eyes turned cold as she stepped toward Laurel. “Stop acting. Haven't you lied enough?”
Laurel straightened, meeting her gaze. “You have no real proof. It's your word against mine.”
“Needto repeat the evidence?” Audrey advanced. “Every troll attackingtraced back to Parker-Rose
Studio. | have all the chat logs between your stumanagers and those trolls.”
Despite her slim frame, Audrey radiated an authority that filled the room - something I'd never witnessed before.
| stared, stunned.
The Audrey | thought | knew wore pastel dresses like sdecorative fixture in our home. She never competed,
never confronted, never complained.
She'd seemed so bland that talking to her felt like wasted energy.
Yet this woman beforeoverturned every judgment I'd ever made.
Laurel backed up before catching herself. “Chat logs mean nothing,” she countered. “Anyone can fake those.”
Audrey stopped directly in front of her, a cold smile forming. “What about the bank transfers? Were you clever or
foolish, Miss Rose?”
“You were smart enough to use public opinion against me, labela homewrecker, forceto hide at my new
job,” Audrey said evenly. “But dumb enough to pay those trolls from the Parker-Rose Stuaccount.”
She held Laurel's gaze. “Parker-Rose Studio. Without even thinking, | knew that nconnected to you and
Blake.”
Laurel's face went ash-white.
Chapter Comments
BubbaCoop AGA
Finally! it took forever for Laurel to get what's coming to her!
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