Chapter 393
A flicker of panic crossed Sarah’s eyes. Her uninjured hand instinctively tightened into a fist. She quickly masked it with a look of wounded anger, staring tearfully at Camilla.
“Camilla, I put myself in danger to protect you. How can you doubt my intentions like this? Are you seriously defending your ex-husband right now?
“Don’t you think you’re going too far? I feel so sorry for Lance. He treats you so well, and yet here you are, defending the man you used to be married to in front of all of us. Do you even care about Lance’s feelings p>
Sarah was a master at shifting the narrative. With a few calculated words, she completely changed the focus of the argument.
Tessa, whose entire world revolved around protecting her family’s pride, immediately stiffened. Her glare darkened as she zeroed in on Camilla.
Even if she wasn’t close to Lance, he was still her biological son. Now that Sarah had pointed it out, Tessa flat-out refused to let Camilla make a fool out of him.
“What is there to wait for?” Tessa spat. “Sarah just laid it all out perfectly. Your psychotic ex-husband did this.
“Don’t think for a second you can stand here and defend him. I’m telling Darwin about this. The Charles family doesn’t need a woman like you p>
Spreading her arms like a mother hen shielding her chick, Tessa stood protectively in front of Sarah’s bed. Her eyes were practically bloodshot as she glared at Camilla.
She immediately turned to Oscar, snapping at him to call Darwin and have him come down to serve justice.
Watching Tessa’s theatrics, Camilla felt a profound sense of exhaustion.
The woman was willing to swallow Sarah’s lies whole without a shred of critical thought. There was simply no point in trying to reason with her.
Before Oscar could even dial the number, the elevator doors chimed open. Darwin walked out, leaning heavily on his cane. Right behind him was Lance, holding Jasper in his arms. The whole family had arrived.
As Lance reached Camilla’s side, he frowned, his eyes filled with obvious disapproval. He was irritated that she had come to face Tessa alone without telling him.
Camilla quickly averted her gaze, feeling a twinge of guilt, and looked over at Jasper instead. “Why did you bring him here p>
Lance sighed softly. “The old man insisted p>
Lance still couldn’t figure out what had gotten into his grandfather lately. Not only had Darwin demanded to stay the night at Laguna Shores, but he had also insisted on sharing a room with Jasper.
Given Darwin’s previously icy attitude toward the boy, Lance hadn’t trusted the arrangement for a second. He had squeezed into the room to keep an eye on things. When the hospital called with the news about the accident, all three of them were woken up.
Darwin had stubbornly declared he was coming to “back Camilla up,” claiming his great-grandson needed to witness how things were handled. And so, Jasper was dragged along.
Darwin marched over to the public seating in the corridor and sat down heavily. His face was as dark as a thundercloud, radiating an authoritative aura that immediately locked onto Sarah in her hospital bed.
Seeing Darwin, Sarah immediately shrank back, her tears flowing harder as she played up her helpless victim act.
Tessa rushed to file her complaint. “Dad, you have to get justice for Sarah.
“If she hadn’t gotten into this horrible accident, I never would have believed Camilla was still tangled up with her ex-husband.
“Whether it’s for Sarah’s sake or Lance’s, you have to make this right today p>
“And let me guess, this entire story came directly from your adopted daughter’s mouth?” Darwin asked dryly.
Tessa caught the dismissive tone. Her expression faltered before she rallied. “Even if Sarah said it, she’s telling the truth.
“Dad, you watched Sarah grow up. Are you really going to doubt her over an outsider p>
“I watched Lance grow up too. He’s my actual flesh and blood. Given the choice, I trust Lance’s judgment significantly more than I trust hers p>
Darwin shut Tessa down effortlessly, then turned his gaze to Camilla. “Camilla, your grandfather is right here backing you up. Pull out the proof that you cut ties with your ex. Show them p>
Tessa bristled but didn’t dare openly argue with Darwin. She settled for glaring daggers at Camilla.
Camilla didn’t miss a beat. She pulled out her phone and brought up her blocked contact list, showing she had completely severed all communication with the Carters. Next, she pulled up the finalized divorce and settlement contracts, presenting them to Tessa.
“Divorcing Barnard was like crawling out of a fire. I wanted nothing more than to sever every single tie to that family.
“Everyone in this city knows the Carters are currently teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Whether they can even scrape together a few million dollars is highly debatable.
“At a critical time like this, Barnard has zero reason to come looking for me.
“Why Sarah was in his car, and why she is so desperate to blame it on me—that is what you should be asking.
“Tessa, take a deep breath and use your head for once. Is your precious daughter really as innocent as she claims to be p>
“Camilla is right. The two of you need to drain the water from your brains, open your eyes, and take a very hard look at your beloved adopted daughter,” Darwin echoed, his voice dripping with disdain.
“Do you honestly think this is Sarah’s fault, Dad?” Tessa demanded, still stubbornly refusing to back down.
Oscar, however, stepped forward, his expression heavy and grim. “Bring Sarah’s caretaker and every single staff member working on this floor out here right now p>