?<strong>Chapter 1238:</strong>


    “Whoa, slow down,” he said with a grin. Laney steadied herself and then took the bag, quickly unzipping it to check the contents.


    Gerry chuckled.


    “What, don’t trust me?”


    Her cheeks flushed, and she shook her head.


    As she looked up, her eyes caught movement behind Gerry. Standing in the shadows was Cliff, dressed in ck, his figure almost blending into the dim light.


    Her heart sank. Laney quickly averted her gaze and focused on Gerry.


    “I’ll go change now. Thanks, Gerry.”


    “Alright,” Gerry replied with a small nod.


    As Laney walked away, Cliff stepped forward, his cold expression unreadable. He stopped beside Gerry, his voice low but firm.


    “How did her costume get ruined?”


    Gerry said, “It seemed to be about makeup. Did the dress get identally stained during the process?”


    Cliff disagreed. When Laney had called earlier, her voice had been anxious, tinged with unmistakable anger. Given her temperament, he knew a mere ident with the makeup artist wouldn’t have upset her so much. It must have been deliberate.


    “Stay here and watch Laney during her performance,” Cliff said before heading to the dressing room.


    As Cliff turned to leave, Juliet approached.


    “How is your cousin doing?” she asked bluntly.


    Cliff stopped, eyeing her with suspicion.


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    “What do you mean?”


    Juliet appeared both uneasy and apologetic.


    “Kira had a fight with a friend while they were applying makeup. They knocked over a table, and it stained your cousin’s dress.”


    Juliet handed Cliff a bag.


    “Here’s a new dress I just picked up. Get it to your cousin quickly so she can change before her performance.”


    Cliff looked down. Peeking through the bag’s opening, he saw several velvet boxes—gifts likely to be appreciated by women. Juliet was always meticulous, but today her actions seemed excessive. Cliff said, “I’ll understand what happened once I review the surveince footage.”


    Juliet responded, “I already checked with it. There was a problem with the cameras earlier. They weren’t recording today.”


    Cliff gave a coldugh.


    “Were they truly off, or did you ensure they were?”


    Juliet remainedposed. Sheughed lightly and said straightforwardly, “Don’t you check on Kira first? Her face is quite swollen from the p Laney gave her, and she didn’t retaliate. I know you care deeply for Laney, so I got gifts and a dress to make amends. Isn’t that enough?”


    Cliff thought of Laney’s hand when he heard about the p. How forcefully had she struck? Her hand must be hurting.


    At this point, Gerry tried to redirect Cliff’s focus.


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