Chapter 416
Carla’s gaze locked onto the man’s face, and her confidence shattered like glass. The air in the room grew thick, suffocating. “What the hell is this?” she snapped, her voice low and sharp as she turned to her men, fury flickering in her eyes.
The two exchanged nervous glances. “There was chaos after the drink spill,” one of them stammered. “We grabbed him from the restroom, just like you said. We thought p>
“You thought?” Carla hissed, stepping closer, her fists clenched. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? That’s not Alexander p>
The man groaned again, stirring against the grip of the guards. But he wasn’t struggling. No, he was composed… too composed. And then he smirked.
Carla’s blood ran cold.
“Well,” he drawled, his voice dripping with amusement, “this is an interesting turn of events p>
She took a slow step forward, her pulse pounding in her ears. This wasn’t Alexander. It was William!
Her breath hitched. ’How did this happen? This can’t be happening p>
William chuckled darkly, tilting his head as he met her stunned gaze. The look in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine.
Carla stiffened, her grip tightening at her sides, her lips parting slightly as she finally whispered in disbelief,
“You p>
“Me, what?!” William taunted, and right then, police officers entered and started arresting her men.
“What’s going on?!” Carla grunted when a police officer approached her.
“Carla Cartier, you’re under arrest,” the officer stated.
“On what grounds?! What is this?! Don’t you know who I am?!” Carla hysterically shouted.
Brandon ignored her as he added, “You’re under arrest for conspiracy to commit a crime, administering an illegal substance, and fabricating evidence p>
“That’s ridiculous! Do you have any proof?!” Carla countered. There was no way she would let them have their way with her.
“Carla, just cooperate quietly, or else you’ll be the headlines in the news. Right now, my brother was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, and the reporters are all over everything.” William sternly stated.
Carla’s mind raced, her body stiff with anger and disbelief as the handcuffs clicked around her wrists. She struggled against the officers, her voice rising in desperation.
“This is a mistake! I haven’t done anything wrong!” she shouted, but her words were drowned out by the growing noise in the room.
The officers didn’t respond, simply guiding her toward the door, past the still-stunned faces of her men who had been handcuffed too.
As the door opened, the blinding flash of cameras hit her like a wave, and reporters swarmed the entrance, shouting questions.
“Carla, what’s going on? Are you being arrested for poisoning Alexander?” one reporter called out, his microphone thrust toward her.
“Is it true that you did it to frame up Alexander and make it look like he’s having an affair with you?” another yelled.
“Carla, have you been involved in illegal activities like illegal drugs p>
Her heart pounded in her chest as she was shoved forward, the flashing lights blinding her, the questions endless. She tried to hold her head high, but the weight of the situation crushed her.
A hand on her back urged her forward, and she glanced over her shoulder to see William standing a few steps behind, watching her with an unreadable expression.
As the officers guided her into the waiting squad car, Carla’s panic rose. She was exposed, her name was already being tossed around in the media, and everything she’d worked for was slipping through her fingers.
She turned to the officer standing next to her in the car, her voice low and furious. “You have no idea what you’ve just done p>
Brandon remained silent, his face stoic.
Outside, the reporters were still shouting, their cameras trained on her. The car doors slammed shut, but the noise of the flashing lights and the questions followed her into the car as they drove away, her future uncertain, her reputation hanging by a thread.
Amidst the chaos, the president of the country, Saul, gritted his teeth as he turned to his assistant and instructed, “Find out what truly happened and make sure that my granddaughter is safely escorted back home. Get her the best lawyer and make sure she won’t be detained p>
He was now inside the car, his security having escorted him as soon as the commotion over Alexander’s near fall had occurred. He watched the news, his face twisted in fury as he saw how his granddaughter was being painted in a bad light.
“This can’t be! How dare those Lancasters frame my granddaughter! I will not let this slide he grunted, his hands tightening into fists. Then, he closed his eyes and clutched his chest.
“Mr. President, please take it easy. You need to calm down. Take a deep breath,” his doctor, who had accompanied him, immediately checked on him. Saul had not been in good health lately, especially after what had happened to his daughter, Summer, and now Carla.
“I’m having a hard time breathing,” he said, his voice strained.
At that instant, the doctor quickly placed him on oxygen, his face filled with concern.
The oxygen mask felt cool against Saul’s face, but it did little to calm the anxiety that clawed at his chest. His mind raced with thoughts of Carla, his granddaughter. The weight of the situation threatened to crush him, but he refused to show weakness.
Saul’s grip on the oxygen mask tightened, but he could still feel the tightness in his chest. His breathing became shallow, and a cold sweat starting to form on his forehead. He had been under a lot of stress lately, and the situation with Carla was pushing him to his breaking point.
“I’ll have to personally handle the Lancasters,” Saul muttered with a dangerous edge to his voice. “They’ve crossed the line this time. No one messes with my family p>
His assistant quickly intervened. “Mr. President, you need to rest. You cannot afford to strain yourself right now. Let us handle this, please p>
But Saul wasn’t listening. His thoughts were consumed by the image of Carla being dragged away by the police, surrounded by flashing cameras.
His heart raced, and the feeling of helplessness gnawed at him. But amidst the chaos, one thought remained clear: he would do whatever it took to ensure that Carla would be safe and that the Lancasters would pay for what they had done.