83 Chapter 86
Chapter 86 – Confrontation and a Hidden Camera
I woke to the sound of my phone blaring at 3 AM. Julian’s name flashed across the screen, and my first instinct was to ignore it. But something told me this wasn’t just another pathetic attempt to reconcile.
“What do you want?” I answered, my voice thick with sleep.
“You vindictive bitch!” Julian’s voice exploded through the speaker. “Are you happy now? Was this your plan all along?”
I sat up, suddenly alert. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play innocent. Giselle is in the hospital because of you!”
My stomach dropped. “Hospital? What happened?”
“Like you don’t know!” he snarled. “She was drugged and-” His voice broke. “There was an incident. A major incident. The doctors are still running tests.”
My mind flashed back to the restaurant, the switched drinks, Giselle stumbling away. Oh god.
“Julian, I-”
“Save it. I know you switched the drinks. You saw her put something in your glass and you switched them, didn’t you? You knew exactly what would happen!”
“That’s not-
“Stay away from my family,” he hissed before hanging up.
I stared at my phone, sleep forgotten. Had I really caused this? The memory of Giselle’s unsteady walk toward the bathroom replayed in my mind. I’d left her there, drugged and vulnerable. A wave of guilt washed over me, quickly followed by
indignation. She had tried to drug ME. Whatever happened was a consequence of her
own actions.
Still, I couldn’t shake the uneasiness. What exactly had happened to her?
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The next morning, I arrived at The Imperial Garden as soon as they opened. Victoria’s family owned the restaurant, which made my request easier.
“I need to see yesterday’s security footage,” I told the manager, who recognized me as
Victoria’s friend.
“Of course, Ms. Ashworth. Is something wrong?”
“Just need to verify something.”
In the small security office, I watched the footage from my table with Giselle. There it was, clear as day: Giselle glancing around furtively before dropping something into my drink while I was checking my phone. The camera angle captured everything perfectly.
“Can I get a copy of this?” I asked, relief flooding through me.
With the footage secured on my phone, I drove straight to City General Hospital. I needed to know exactly what had happened to Giselle, and I needed to clear my name.
The hospital hallways were bustling with morning activity. I followed signs to the private patient wing, where I assumed the Graysons would have Giselle. As I rounded a corner, I heard Julian’s voice and instinctively stepped back, pressing against the wall.
“We need to keep this quiet,” Julian was saying to a man in an expensive suit. “If the media gets hold of this-”
“I understand your concerns, Mr. Grayson, the man replied. “But sexual assault cases are delicate. The police will need to investigate.”
My blood ran cold. Sexual assault? What exactly had happened after I left?
“There must be a way to handle this discreetly,” Julian insisted. “My family’s reputation
“Is less important than justice for your sister,” the lawyer countered. “Though I must point out, if what you told me is true and Ms. Ashworth deliberately switched the drinks knowing they were drugged, she could bear some legal responsibility here.”
I bit my lip to keep from gasping. They were planning to blame me for whatever happened to Giselle after she left the restaurant drugged–drugged by her own hand!
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Julian sighed heavily. “Let me talk to Hazel first. She owes us an apology at the very least.”
I stepped around the corner, making my presence known. “I owe you nothing, Julian.”
Both men turned, startled. Julian’s face darkened with rage.
“You have some nerve showing up here.”
“I came to find out what happened,” I said evenly. “And to make something very clear: I didn’t drug your sister.”
The lawyer looked between us uncomfortably. “I’ll give you two a moment,” he said, retreating down the hall.
Julian stepped closer, his voice a low, dangerous growl. “Giselle told me everything. She saw you switch the drinks. She was trying to be nice to you, to help us reconcile, and you repaid her by doing… this.”
I laughed bitterly. “That’s her story? That she was innocently trying to help us
reconcile?”
“Why else would she invite you to lunch?”
I pulled out my phone. “Maybe to drug me so you could find me in a compromised state? To manipulate me when I wasn’t in control of myself? Sound familiar?”
Julian’s eyes narrowed. “You’re making wild accusations to cover your own guilt.”
“Am I? Let’s go see Giselle. I have something to show both of you.”
His jaw clenched. “Fine. But first, you’re going to apologize to her. She’s traumatized enough without your baseless accusations.”
“Lead the way,” I said coldly.
Giselle’s private room was at the end of the hall. Mrs. Landon, Julian’s mother, sat by the bed, holding Giselle’s hand. When she saw me, her face contorted with rage.
“How dare you show your face here!” she hissed. “After what you did!”
Giselle looked up from the bed, her face pale and drawn. When her eyes met mine, they widened with what looked like genuine fear.
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“Get her out of here,” she whispered hoarsely. “I can’t–I can’t look at her.”
“Giselle,” Julian said soothingly, “Hazel came to apologize.”
I crossed my arms. “Actually, I came to clear my name. Before I offer any apology, I have a video I’d like everyone to watch.”
The color drained from Giselle’s face. “Video? What video?”
kind of
I held up my phone, showing the security camera footage thumbnail clearly visible on the screen. “From The Imperial Garden yesterday. Their security system captures everything.”
Giselle suddenly thrashed in the bed, her voice rising to a panicked shriek. “Don’t look! Don’t you look!”
Julian and Mrs. Landon froze, staring at Giselle’s hysterical reaction with dawning. confusion.
“What’s on that video, Hazel?” Julian asked slowly, his eyes not leaving his sister’s terrified face.
I met his gaze steadily. “Why don’t we all watch it together and find out?”
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