SWNOVELS Mystey Chapter 121
Chapter 121
Manuel could barely hold himself together as the words stumbled out of his mouth. "Selina, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry... But Ashley shouldn't pay for my mistakes-that's not fair to her... Manuel's heart felt like it was bleeding. Had he known that Selina was Angel-a world- renowned jewelry designer-he would've never mistaken her for a thief. He wondered how it was possible that ever since Selina's return to the Harvey family, all fingers pointed to her after several thefts occurred. It made no sense at all. Selina wasn't the uneducated, sloppy country girl everyone thought she was. Her alias, Angel, alone was enough to make her a legend across the globe, with an income that most
the Harvey family-her own designs were priced only dream of She wouldn't even glance at the petty jewelry in
A chilling thought crossed Manuel's mind-could someone be purposely framing Selina?
As Manuel was lost in his thoughts, Selina landed a heavy punch right into his stomach. "Until you can meet my demands, don't bother showing up... Otherwise... Her words trailed off as the blow sent Manuel doubling over, coughing up bile. "Manuel Caleb, who had grown impatient waiting and had come to check on Manuel, witnessed the scene the moment he entered. He rushed over, attempting to push Selina away, "What the heck are you doing?"
Don't lay hand on Selina! Caleb! Manuel roared, causing Caleb to freeze in place. "Manuel, she just punched you. you're still defending her? Have you lost your mind?"
and
With a great effort. Manuel managed to stand, chuckling bitterly through the searing pain in his stomach, "Maybe I am crazy, but this-I owe it to Selina. Just go, Selina"
"Why would I go? The Starlight Club is my husband's place. Don't pretend you didn't know." Selina shrugged nonchalantly, too tired to argue with the hypocrite that was Manuel. She turned on her heel and walked away, leaving a fuming Caleb behind staring at her swaggering exit. Caleb, now grinding his teeth in frustration, turned back to Manuel, who winced in pain. Quickly, he steadied Manuel, "Manuel, why would you do this to yourself?"
Manuel's Eyes remained downcast as he tried to mask the waves of agony washing over him, "This is not about why-this is
what I deserve."
He had no right to turn back the clock now. How could he follow Selina's implicit suggestion to hurt Ashley to win back Selina's favor? That would only inflict the same kind of harm on someone else-a repeat of the cruelty he once showed towards Selina Observing Manuel's regret, Caleb couldn't help but shake his head in dismay. "Man, I don't even know what to say to you."
Caleb couldn't believe the bizarre turn of events that had unfolded in Manuel's life. No, scratch that, it wasn't Manuel's life that was full of fantasy-it was Selina's! What happened to the girl he thought had never even graduated from middle school, the simple country girl? How did she suddenly transform into Selina, the world-famous jewelry designer known as Angel? No wonder her racing skills surpassed Caleb's. It looks like Selina's been playing the long game, hiding her true abilities all along-
Manuel's gaze narrowed, dangerously sharp. There's something else... He thought. The repeated frame-ups thrown at Selina, the way we'd smeared her name with accusations of theft and how our biased views had painted her in an unfair light... The traitor is amongst the Harveys. I have to root out this danger for good, to clear Selina's name and bring her justice!!
"And the other thing is, I need to get you to a hospital, stat. You might have internal injuries the way Selina doesn't know her own strength. You're practically keeling over with pain!"
By the time Manuel returned to the Harvey residence, he had already phoned Quinton and Sara, instructing them not to head to bed but to wait in the study instead. There was an important matter up for discussion.
"Manuel," Ashley looked up at him with concern, "why are you back so late? Even Dad and Mom seem off about something...
Chapter 121
"It's nothing. Get some rest, Ashley."
Tousing her hair, he offered no further explanation and made a beeline for the study, leaving Ashley rooted to the spot the intuition that something bigger was at play. Normally, Manuel wouldn't just leave Ashley wondering.
Even more unsettling, from the tone of the phone calls, Quinton and Sara had sensed the urgency in Manuel's voice-a conversation too delicate for a phone call, one that required a face-to-face chat.
with
Ashley could infer that Manuel's mood swings and erratic schedule were linked to Selina's newly revealed identity - her idol Angel. Tonight, after Manuel visited the Starlight Club, these shifts in his behavior could only mean one thing-it had to be tied to Selina. After a moment of thought, Ashley decided she couldn't be left in the dark on such a massive revelation. She followed quietly, determined to uncover the truth. Just as Manuel was about to enter the study, he heard Ashley's footsteps and looked at her in surprise. "Ashley, why are you here? Didn't I tell you to go and rest first?"
I can't sleep. Manuel, I can feel that something has happened, something related to Selina, right?"
Seeing that Manuel did not speak, which meant agreement by default, Ashley grabbed his hand. "If that's the case, I can't just ignore it! Selina is my sister too! Do you think that now that Selina has become Angel, I'm not qualified to be a daughter of the Harvey family?" "... I didn't... I wanted to handle this quietly. Ashley, you're so kind-hearted. It would've been better for you not to know."
"Manuel, I'm part of the Harveys, and I have a right to know! If this matter is truly related to Selina, I cannot stand by and do nothing! If you don't tell me, Manuel, I'll go to Selina and find out the truth myself!"
With that, Ashley turned to leave. Manuel, defeated, quickly reached out to stop her. "Alright, Ashley, let's go into the study and clear things up with mom and dad."
"Okay!"
Once Manuel and Ashley entered the study and Manuel shared his suspicions that someone was framing Selina with Quinton and Sara. Ashley's face turned pale in an instant. Fortunately, Ashley had insisted on coming in. She hadn't expected that her insistence would bring about this realization in Manuel! Although Ashley had arranged this matter flawlessly, it would be terrible if the Harvey family actually found any evidence. No one in the room suspected Ashley. In their eyes, she exemplified true kindness and beauty, someone who wouldn't harm an ant, let alone commit such a vile
act.
"Quinton, we really misunderstood Selina back then... Sara sat defeated in her chair, thinking back to when she had. slandered Selina for shoplifting in that high-end store and refused to apologize. Now, it felt like a series of invisible slaps were striking her face. "We can't just say we wronged her because she's Angel. Maybe Selina has some weird shoplifting quirk. Faces can be deceptive, and who in this house would dare to harm my daughter, Quinton Harvey's own flesh and blood?"