Chapter 30 Targeting Her
Finished
Estella noticed Bernard’s relentless insistence that she drink the coffee. Remembering how he had just tried to drive her away, she immediately suspected that something was wrong with it.
Holding the cup, she stood up and walked toward Zayn, who had just helped her.
Bernard tensed up and quickly followed.
Estella turned to Zayn. “I have reason to believe there’s something wrong with this coffee. Could you help me find someone to test it?”
Zayn hesitated briefly but nodded. “Of course.”
Behind them, Bernard was drenched in cold sweat. “Ms. Hayes, what are you implying? I made that coffee myself. Are you suggesting I would harm you?”
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Seeing his obvious distress, Estella’s suspicions deepened. “If you did nothing wrong, why are you so nervous?”
Bernard immediately choked on his words.
From inside the lounge, Isabelle witnessed their confrontation. Fearing Bernard’s scheme would be exposed, she quickly stepped in to defuse the situation.
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“Estella! I didn’t expect to see you here for the competition. I need to discuss something with Mr. Bernard. If you don’t want the coffee, why not just give it to me?”
As she spoke, she reached for the cup.
But Estella refused to give her the chance, taking a few steps back.
“Ms. Isabelle, you’re awfully eager to take this coffee. Could it be that you already know there’s something wrong with it?”
Bernard’s face twisted in panic, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head.
Isabelle clenched her teeth in frustration.
Estella turned back to Zayn. “Looks like I’ll have to trouble with this.”
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“Estella, stop making a scene. The competition is about to start, must you waste everyone’s time?” Isabelle snapped, her voice laced with irritation.
Estella cast her a calm, indifferent glance. “Why are you so agitated, Ms. Isabelle? Unless you have something to do with this?”
“You!”
Isabelle was rendered speechless.
At that moment, Nathaniel arrived.
“What’s going on here?”
Isabelle immediately clutched his sleeve, adopting a pitiful expression as if she had been wronged.
Nathaniel’s heart instinctively sided with her.
He turned to Estella and scolded, “Estella, why are you making things difficult for Belle?”
Estella knew he never bothered discerning right from wrong when it came to Isabelle, so she didn’t waste her breath.
She simply said to Zayn, “Ignore them. Just get the coffee tested as soon as possible.”
Nathaniel’s expression darkened. Feeling slighted, he demanded, “Estella, did you not hear me?”
He stepped forward, reaching out to grab her wrist.
Chapter 30 Targeting Her
A Finished
Fearing he might spill the evidence, Estella lustliictively retreated two steps, only to stumble on something behind her. She lost her balance and tell backward,
Her breath caught. She shut her eyes in fear, only to be caught by a pair of strong, steady hands.
A familiar scent enveloped her. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in Jonathan’s arins.
“Mh. Bennett, you didn’t leave?”
Jonathan helped her stand upright before releasing her, his expression warm and relaxed. “My client canceled at the last minute, so I had time to come watch your competition“.
Watching them interact so naturally, Nathaniel felt an unbearable sting in his chest.
He wanted to tell Jonathan to stay away from Estella, but he no longer had the right to,
Jonathan glanced around before asking. “What happened?”
Estella recounted the entire situation in detail.
Jonathan’s gaze flickered toward Bernard, his expression darkening.
“Of course, it has to be tested. I happen to know a lab that can run an urgent analysis.”
His presence alone put Estella at case.
Without hesitation, Jonathan pulled out his phone and instructed his assistant to deliver the coffee to the lab immediately.
Isabelle’s hands clenched in anxiety. She exchanged a look with Bernard.
Bernard nodded subtly.”
He knew that once the test results came back, he would have to take full responsibility.
Before long, Jonathan received a direct call from the lab director, confirming that the coffee contained a dangerously high concentration of ether.
Had Estella consumed it, she wouldn’t have been able to compete.
Bernard’s face paled. He forced an apologetic expression and stammered, “It was an accident. I must have mixed up the sugar with the ether. Ms. Hayes, I’ll compensate you however you want.”
Zayn frowned. “But there’s no ether in the break room…
Estella turned to Bernard, her voice icy. “Why are you targeting me?”
Bernard realized he had no way out. After scrambling for an excuse, he finally settled on one..“I was trying to get my cousin into the orchestra. But I heard that Mr. Chase admires Ms. Hayes, and I worried he’d give her an advantage. So I…I wanted to make sure she couldn’t compete.”
Zayn’s expression darkened with disgust. “Mr. Chase has always been fair in his selections. Bernard, you’ve gone too far!”
Under the weight of everyone’s condemning stares, Bernard hung his head in shame.
Zayn turned to Estella. “Ms. Hayes, don’t worry. I’ll report this to Mr. Chase personally. You’ll get the justice you deserve.”
Estella nodded in gratitude.
Isabelle attempted to smooth things over. “Fortunately, Estella, you were sharp enough not to drink it. That’s all that matters.”
Estella, however, saw straight through her hypocrisy. “The moment I said something was wrong with the coffee, you rushed in, claiming you needed to speak with Mr. Bernard, then immediately tried to take the coffee away. Tell me, Ms. Isabelle, did you already know it was poisoned?”
