Everyone present knows that Aileen used Emma of fooling around, and they came with expectations to see Charlie''s reaction when he catches Emma cheating. However, the only thing they saw was David with the maid in Charlie''s room. If this didn''t happen during such an important event, no one would care about it. But because it started with a story that Charlie is being cheated on, the incident is graver than it should be.


    What they don''t know is why was Aileen so confident, and how Emma ended up here.


    About fifteen minutes ago…


    Z and Emma were walking down the hallway and Z noticed that Emma''s condition is getting worse. She suggested taking Emma to her room.


    Emma rejected. "Not my room. She wanted me to go there…"


    Z thought how that makes sense. But all other rooms are taken, and they need privacy. Well, everyone should be at the party. Z used Eve-lens and confirmed that the room on the right is empty. "Let''s go this way."


    Z nced up and down the hallway to ensure no one else is present, and they went inside.


    Z helped Emma toy on the sofa and reached in the hidden pocket betweenyers of her dress.


    Emma watched helplessly as Z got a small syringe and drew blood from Emma''s hand. Next, Z got a small piece of white fabric and dripped Emma''s blood on it. Emma can see that Z is looking intently at the blood and she wondered, what kind of a test is this? Emma does not know that Z is using Eve-lens to do a detailed blood-analysis and that Z is seeing chemical forms in front of her eyes.


    A minuteter, Z exhaled helplessly.


    "What is it?" Emma asked drowsily.


    "A muscle rxant. It does not affect your behavior, but it makes you slow and unable to respond. Try not to sleep off while I figure out what to do."


    Z wracked her brain while trying to remember lessons about various substances and everything else JoAnna taught them. In the next moment, Z''s face lit up. JoAnna! Why would a pupil try to figure it out when the master is present? And this is a pinch, it''s not a good time for Z to test things.


    JoAnna joined them within minutes. She already got all the data from bloodwork analysis on her phone, and she had a solution.


    "Emma has muscle rxant in her body, we pump her up with the opposite. I have epinephrine shots with me, that should do the trick…"


    Emma frowned at the <em>''pump her up''</em>. And what was with <em>''do the trick?''</em> … That does not sound good. But she is too weak to protest. Ah, she fell in the hands of a mad scientist. Emma felt like crying.


    "Are you sure that will work?" Z asked.


    "What do we have to lose?"


    Emma wanted to object. She can lose plenty! But her body refused to listen.


    Z didn''t want to argue with JoAnna. When ites to medicine and various chemicals, JoAnna is the Boss.


    Z watched JoAnna pull medications from her purse and she had a question. "Why would Aileen do this?"


    JoAnna pinched her chin. "Muscle rxant… and you said that Aileen wanted Emma to go to her room?"


    Z confirmed.


    "There is only one exnation." JoAnna said confidently. "Aileen already made a move on Emma at the opening of the rehabilitation center, and at that time she voiced her thoughts on how Emma is not worthy to be a part of the Smith family. Connect that with the power struggle in the Smith family, where they want to shake up Charlie and to tarnish Emma''s reputation..."


    Z can see that JoAnna is expecting for her to finish the thought, but Z didn''t get it. "You are saying…"


    JoAnna gave Z a knowing look. "There is a man in Emma''s room, waiting for her."


    Z''s face scrunched in disgust. "A rape?"


    JoAnna shrugged, indicating that she is not sure. "Maybe not that far, but Emma is not in a condition to resist. The man can remove her clothes and takepromising photos. Or he can im that they did it. Who will believe Emma that nothing happened? We should figure out who the man is…"


    "Does it matter?" Z asked. "We know that he is waiting for a woman, let''s send him one and make a show out of it."


    JoAnna disagreed. "We can''t send a random woman. Who is teaching you these things? You are too young for it!"


    Z ignored JoAnna''sment about her being too young. It seems that Emma didn''t tell JoAnna about Z taking contraceptive pills and this is not time to talk about it.


    Z focused on the current situation. "Based on the reports, a number of maids here are serving their masters more than tea and coffee. And whoever the man is, he is a Smith. No one else would dare to enter these bedrooms."


    JoAnna has to agree that Z''s deduction makes sense. "You are smart. Let me tell Charlie to handle sending one of those maids in and we will fix up Emma."


    …


    Back to the present…


    "David Smith and… the maid." Charlie said icily. "We all agreed that people who act with such disrespect during this event at the Smith family vi will be banned from entering any of the properties owned by the Smith family. You have one hour to leave and going forward you have no right to associate yourself with the Smith family."


    "Charlie!" Thomas screamed. "You can''t do this!"


    Charlie looked at his frantic second Uncle coolly. "I can''t? My dear Uncle, you were the one who suggested it. Don''t tell me that as one of the leaders of the Smith family you have double standards in punishing people who trample over our family values? As of tonight, I am the patriarch. I was ready to banish my fiancée andpared to her, in my eyes, your son is… not much."


    Thomas looked around and met the gazes of other rtives, all curious to see what he will do.


    Thomas opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no words came out. What was he supposed to say? Charlie is right. He can''t show partiality in front of all these people. At this point, he needs to give in, and anything else willeter.


    Based on Thomas'' expression, Charlie can see that he is going through an internal struggle. Charlie sneered. What kind of family is this? Uncle Thomas is clearly weighing his options between his position of power and sacrificing his own son in order to maintain that position. And if Thomas is willing to betray his son, there is no one he would not sacrifice. These are exactly the types of people Charlie wants to remove from power: selfish, greedy, with no loyalty whatsoever.


    "Thomas, dear…" Caroline called in a soft voice.


    Thomas shook his head helplessly. "There is no other way."


    Caroline understood that David is obviously guilty and if they stand by his side, they will only implicate themselves. Even though Aileen and David didn''t exin everything that happened, she knows that Aileen is behind this and David is part of it, and that they nned to set up Emma in order to get to Charlie, but it backfired. And she and Thomas made it worse when they insisted that Charlie should divorce Emma and banish her because of her disrespect.


    Caroline sighed. They all fell into their own trap.


    "I understand." Caroline said, giving approval to Thomas to agree with Charlie''s decision.


    ---


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