Chapter 2

I paused, letting my gaze sweep over Rose, who was pale as a sheet. Then, with a lazy drawl, I added, "By the way, in case you didn't know, Rose has tried to frame me more than once. So I've been extra careful. When she slipped that pill bottle into my bag, my recorder was rolling the whole time."

As soon as I said that, Rose's body trembled, and she nearly slumped right onto the sofa.

Leonard's expression shifted, and for the very first time, there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes as he looked at Rose.

My brothers exchanged glances, their anger cooling off almost instantly. Now, uncertainty clouded their faces. Something they couldn't quite put into words.

Sirens wailed closer outside the villa.

Woo-woo—woo-woo—

The sirens kept getting louder, until they finally pulled up right at the front gate of the Lane Family Villa.

Right after that, the doorbell went off.

Ding-dong—

The doorbell cut sharply through the silent room.

The maid's hands were shaking as she hurried to open the door, almost tripping over herself.

Two uniformed police officers stepped inside, showing their badges with serious expressions. "Who called the police? What's the situation?" one of them asked.

I quickly stood up from the couch. "It's me, officer."

Richard Lane rushed over with a strained smile. "Officer, it's all just a misunderstanding! My children were just messing around and dialed by mistake. Sorry for the trouble."

“Misunderstanding?” I arched a brow. “You weren't saying that when you called me evil.”

Richard's face instantly stiffened, and he glared at me as he wished he could sew my mouth shut right then and there.

Rose quickly wiped away imaginary tears and timidly stepped up to the officers, her voice barely a whisper. "Officer, it's really just a misunderstanding. My sister was just messing around with me. There was no drugging. We've already cleared things up."

“Messing around?” I laughed. “You drugged your own drink and framed me. That's illegal.”

The officers' expressions turned serious as they looked around the room. "What's really going on here? Explain yourselves."

Rose's face went even paler, her fingers clutching her skirt so tightly her knuckles turned white. She could barely get a word out.

Leonard stepped forward, shielding Rose behind him. "Officer, this is just a family matter. We can handle it ourselves. You don't need to get involved."

Then he turned to glare at me, his eyes full of warning. "Sophie, don't make a scene. Just tell the officers it was all a misunderstanding."

“Me, making a scene?” I laughed in disbelief. “Leonard, are you that blinded by love?”

As soon as I said that, the young officer next to us had to stifle a laugh, nearly losing it.

Leonard's face turned as dark as a thundercloud, jaw clenched. "Sophie! What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I am talking about." I pulled a recorder out of my pocket and held it right in front of the officers. "Officer, here's your evidence. I recorded this yesterday.It's Rose Lane on the phone with her friend, plotting to drug her own water, plant the bottle in my bag, and destroy my reputation. She even mapped out exactly how she'd frame me."

I paused for a second, then pressed play.

Rose's sugary-sweet voice poured out of the recorder, loud and clear, filling the whole living room.There is no way anyone could miss it.

"Relax, I've got everything set. I'll drop the pills in my water, then sneak the bottle into Sophie's bag. When they catch her red-handed, Leonard and the Lane Family will hate her even more."

"She's so hopelessly obsessed with Leonard, all she ever does is circle around him. Even if she gets framed, she'll just cry and beg for forgiveness, never even thinking it was me behind it all."

"She's been stealing my spot for years.So what if I take back what's rightfully mine? Once I finally kick her out of the Lane Family, everything they have, and even Leonard, will belong to me."

The room fell deadly silent.

You could've heard a pin drop.

Rose looked pale as a sheet, nearly collapsing on the spot. Her eyes were wide, full of terror and disbelief,like she'd just seen a ghost.

She never imagined that Sophie, the so-called airhead, would actually be smart enough to leave a recording as backup.

My brothers glanced at each other, all their earlier swagger gone. For the first time, they looked at Rose with doubt and shock, like they'd never knew her before.

Michael just stood there, mouth open, totally speechless.

He couldn't wrap his head around it. His gentle, thoughtful little sister, the kind of girl who'd feel guilty for days after stepping on an ant, could actually say those things and pull something like this.

Leonard froze, glancing down at Rose in his arms. The protectiveness in his eyes faded, replaced by confusion and shock. Even he didn't realize how stunned he looked.

I put the recorder away and looked at Richard, whose face was livid. "Dad, do you still think I'm the one making a scene?"

Richard's lips moved, but he couldn't get a word out. His face turned beet red, and he looked so embarrassed he could've dug a whole house out of the floor with his toes.

The officer took a step forward, fixing Rose with a stern look. "Ma'am, you'll need to come with us. You're suspected of making a false accusation and trying to frame someone. We need to bring you down to the station for further investigation."